A lot of change has happened since the last post ...

Obviously, it's been a while ... a long while since I've blogged about the latest happenings with the Hornsby Family.  More than two years has gone by since that last post highlighting a fun trip with our dear friends the Morgan family who still live in Florida.  That blog makes me a bit sad since that was the last time we've seen our friends, but both families have decided enough is enough and have vowed we'll get together this fall.

What has happened in two years? Well ... our family was living in two cities to accommodate two jobs.  Since that time, I finished up 12 years with the City of Natchitoches, sold our home in central Louisiana and made a giant leap of faith by moving the entire family to West Monroe to join Shawn (not all in that order).  I've spent exactly one year as the president of the West Monroe-West Ouachita Chamber of Commerce - Chamber work is new to me but the past year has been a good one.  It's been filled with caring members of the community who want to see the area we live in grow and prosper and along the way, I've found an opportunity to help people and make new friends.

Shawn continues to find meaningful ways to serve people with his ministry at First United Methodist.  Being a preacher's wife wasn't something I could have ever imagined for myself, but I've been surprised at the joy I have found helping him serve others.  He continues to persevere with seminary and a master's of divinity is within his reach - exactly two years within his reach.  I have declared it so.

The kids are worth an entire blog entry of their own.  So many stories and updates to share, but all three are growing too quickly and consume a huge space in our hearts.  Summer is nearing an end, and we've enjoyed the extra time we get to spend together as a family.  Now, we are preparing for a fall semester of new classes and new opportunities and hopefully, more changes.

Fun in the Sun!

We enjoyed the girls' spring break with a quick but fun trip to Florida to see our good friends, the Morgan's. While Shawn was in class, the kids and I got to visit with the Morgan family and check out some of the sights and sounds of Tallahassee, including the beach on St. George's Island.

We had a fabulous time on the beach - it was very calm and quiet with not too many people on the beach. It was very peaceful and not too commercial. The kids had a great time playing in the surf and sand, collecting seashells and chasing seagulls.

Emily was a bit scared that day of seeing sharks and we assured her there were none to be seen. Toward the end of our day at the beach, we were standing in the surf when we saw a 3 ft sand shark! It was way too close for my comfort and Emily saw it and began to freak out! She immediately wanted to go home but as long as she stayed on the water's edge, she was fine. Cooper was a real champ - he loved the beach and was never fussy.

We had a great visit with the Morgan's and can't wait to see them again!

It's Springtime!

The spring weather is a welcome addition to our house! We love the warmer

weather, flowers and staying light later, which means more play time outside!

We had have a busy first part of 2011 - we rescued a puppy - a shephard mix -

named Roscoe and also traveled to Mobile for dance competition, getting to visit

our good friends the Morgan Family. We just celebrated Emily Claire's 5th birthday

and Cooper's 1st birthday is just weeks away. We have a busy spring ahead

of us with birthdays, an overnight camping trip for Shawn and Peyton,

dance practice, Easter and crazy work schedules.

Doesn't look like things will slow down for a while -

maybe in the summer!!

Happy Holidays

I can't believe the holidays are already upon us and we are at the end of December. We have enjoyed a great December with lots of fun family outings. We have been caroling, ice skating, looking at Christmas lights and most recently, went on The Polar Express in Texas with the Thomas Family. The kids had a great time but Emily was terrified to see Santa. Other than that, they all enjoyed the train ride, hot chocolate and singing Christmas carols- they loved their silver bell given to them by Santa.

We've also enjoyed the arrival of my brother's baby, John Paxton, earlier this month. Everyone is doing well and he is a sweet baby. It's great for Cooper to have a baby cousin. We still have more holiday adventures ahead of us including Christmas Eve church service, Christmas with the Boudreaux Family and in the middle of it all, Peyton's 7th Birthday!

The holidays have been a great time for all of us - it's fun to watch the kids get so excited and of course, this is Cooper's first Christmas. It is a special time of year for all of us!

It's Fall!

The fall season is here and we are so busy and I think we're only going to get busier. October flew by with school, dance lessons, work, a little sickness and family outings. We survived Halloween celebrations that included school parties, field trip to a pumpkin patch, our church pumpkin patch, trick-or-treating, birthday parties and a church carnival. Whew!

Cooper is getting so big - already six months old. He can sit up for a few minutes by himself, is rolling over all the time and getting on his knees and rocking a bit. Still no teeth but he gnaws on everything and loves his baby food.

The girls are doing well also. Emily loves preschool and is really learning a lot - she's already been named Student of the Week. Peyton is doing well in school also - they learn so many new things in first grade at such a fast pace.

We're getting ready for another busy month. November promises to be just as hectic as October. We've already marched in our first parade for dance. The rest of the month holds Veteran's Day program at school, Thanksgiving dinner at school, friends' birthday parties, dress up like a storybook character, pre-K Pow Wow, turning on of Christmas lights in Natchitoches and of course, Thanksgiving. We may even see the arrival of Patrick's son, John Paxton in late November.

Back to School

It's back to school/back to work time for the Hornsby family. After months of maternity leave, I returned to work in mid August and the girls started school.

Peyton started 1st grade and we're getting used to having homework every night and real tests. A lot different than kindergarten! Emily started Pre-K and she likes being a "real school girl."

Cooper is at home with a child care provider and they both seem to be hitting it off. It's nice knowing he's at home being taken care of while I have to commute to work.

Shawn is at West Monroe First United Methodist Church, getting really busy with the youth this fall with football games, Bible studies, conferences, retreats and more. He starts seminary again in just a couple of weeks, taking classes online this fall.

Besides school and work, the girls are taking dance lessons. Peyton is on her dance school's competition team, which means she takes 3 hours of dance a week. It's a lot of practicing and they have lots of performances scheduled this fall, but she really enjoys it and grows as a dancer every day.

Whew! Lots of activity at our house, which means the fall should fly by!!

Cooper is here!!

The past few weeks have been extremely hectic as we welcomed the arrival of Henry Cooper Hornsby on April 18, one week early! It's hard to believe he is already six weeks old. He is a sweet baby and has already gotten bigger, from 7 lbs 12 oz to 10 lbs 9 oz!! We love having a little boy in the house, and his sisters love him, a little too much! They want to hold him all the time - Peyton is pretty good at holding and rocking him but we have to watch Emily. To her, Cooper is more like her baby doll and she's a little rough with her dolls! Lots of people have been so kind to us since he was born, especially the folks at Shawn's church. They threw us a shower and we had this beautiful cake made to welcome Cooper. We all feel very blessed to have him here.