Spring has sprung

With the flowers blooming on the cherry blossom trees and the blue skies with a light breeze I would say that spring has sprung here at New Hope. So it was only fitting that this past week's theme in preschool was spring!

We enjoyed reading our new book Mouse's first spring and filling our week with spring filled crafts. We made windsocks and we even got a slight breeze for the morning classes and were able to take the kiddos outside and let see their creations blow in the wind. They are now proudly hanging from the ceiling in the preschool room where they are pointed out at least 5 times a day. My favorite craft that we made this week had to be our snails! They are all so stinking cute and proudly hanging up and covering our glass door.

They all love the doppers

Spring frames that they all decorated

Aren't these the cutest ever!

Every Friday is outside play day for preschool weather provided and this week it would gorgeous! I made up some edible "mud".......lets just say that trying to convince preschool/toddler age kiddos that they can't eat something that smells like chocolate is fun. We had a few that tested it but overall I think they had a lot of fun playing in our "mud".... I will let the pictures do the rest of the talking.

 

We end also went on a hike over the "mountains" or the slight hill behind the preschool playground. But the kids had fun exploring new areas and picking flowers and looking for sticks.

With the start of spring weather also brings "white fluffy stuff" season. These little white flower puff things are everywhere and I will try and get a picture of them in full force because it looks like big fluffy snowflakes. I am personally very thankful for having my seasonal discomfort oils on hand with all of the new things in the air.

Thank you all for your love and prayers.

~Stephanie 

The Very Hungry Caterpillar week

We have had lots of fun in preschool class with the bunny ears that I brought over here is just a collection of the pictures. As we wrapped up Easter in class we moved on to a very fun week of the Very Hungry Caterpillar. I took the basic idea of doing Five in a Row and brought it to life with the kiddos. We also started using our new circle time board ( Thank you ).

 I have loved the idea of Five in a Row for years and we have used it with my siblings many times. One thing I wasn't really thinking about is that we would be doing five in a row times 6 classes! Let me just tell you I can read that book now more so then ever in my sleep. But at the end of the week when the older kiddos are saying "still hungry" at the end of each page and they yell "BUTTERFLY" at the very end it makes it all worth it. We had lots of fun mixing it up and using the new felt board and story pieces to make the story come more to life. The kids even made their own felt caterpillars one day and were excited to put them on the board.

My favorite craft day by far was the day we made caterpillar hats....each hat is slightly different as the kids placed the eyes on their hats. Some are super closed together while others are totally crooked. My favorite was taking group pics of the kiddos wearing them. They all looked so stinkin cute.

We also did a food testing day with the older kids since were were able to find all the fruits the caterpillar eats his first 5 days and the kids got a big hit about eating snack at the same time we were doing story. The strawberries were a huge hit while the plums were not as much.

We closed our week up with making butterfly hand print paintings which of course I loved because I could do handprint art all the time.

Next week we are moving on to a spring themed week of fun!

~Stephanie

Easter fun!

Wow, it has been a busy start to my stay here at New Hope. I arrived the Wednesday before Easter and hit the ground running in preschool classes. Saturday we had a big Easter celebration with the kiddos including an egg hunt which I am pretty sure the nanny's enjoyed just as much as the kids did.

Afterwards, we went inside and had cupcakes!!!! The kids were very excited to see that we had made flowers out of m&m's on top of their cupcakes.

Then out to the bounce house we went. Some of the kiddos had been out earlier in the morning but this was the first time we were all out there and really got the kids on and jumping. They loved it and the bounce house was massive! Thank you all for your wonderful support and making it possible. As you will be able to see from the pictures below it was one of the highlights of the day.

Easter was spent with the Hill family at their wonderful church which I have attended each of my trips. It was a beautiful service and a day filled of remembering that He has Risen!!

~Stephanie

2015 in review

Wow!!! How can it be the end of 2015 already! God has done some amazing things over this past year and I can't wait to see what he has in store for 2016. Here is a quick recap of 2015

January we started off the New Year right by spending the day at the beach in Sarasota! Jonathan turned 14 which is just crazy but he is growing into such a young Godly man who loves football.

Jonathan turned 14 and then broke his wrist playing football! 

February our family is a football family so we started the month out right by watching the superbowl. Aiden turned 12 and is following Jonathan's footsteps and loves football but he has his own sense of humor and I just love it. One of my highlights of February was finally being able to go to my first Steven Curtis Chapman concert and then meeting him with the family. It was just a wonderful few moments.

Steven Curtis Chapman and family

Daper Day

March We got to celebrate our first "Daper Day" at Disney which was a ton of fun and we are looking forward to more of these events. Along with seeing Toby Keith, Allan Jackson and more at Seaworld made our March lots of fun. Also, one of my favorite days World Down syndrome Day was celebrated 3/21 and we just love spreading the word about Team Jameson and all the wonderful kiddos rocking the extra chromosome!

World Down syndrome Day 2015 

Toby Keith at Seaworld

April Easter was spent reflecting on the wonderful sacerfice that Christ made for us so many years ago. We spent the afternoon at the beach in true Florida style. April also brought great visits from the Conrads and the Evan's families which make our Disney trips even more fun.

Easter at the beach 

Love the crazy and awesome Evan's family 

Jameson Easter Sunday 

The Conrad's came to Disney!!!

May- my baby sister turned 16!!!! This just can't be possible! We had a fun girls weekend at Disney which was very much needed for the 3 of us and plus it was so much fun spoiling Elise on her special day. We also got to enjoy our first and sadly our last Star War's weekend at Disney

Star Wars Weekend 

Elise Morgan 

June we started out the month with a trip up to North Carolina which is always fun to see framily and meet up with our awesome NC doTERRA team. Plus, I love every moment I can squeeze in any Mary time.

Airborne Museum 

Mary oh how I wished we lived closer 

July I packed my bags and boarded my flight for my 4th trip to China. Just in time to arrive and meet a very special little girl and leave 18 hours later for our journey to Hong Kong. It was a very special honor to be trusted to care for sweet Annie. We would then spend the highest of highs and lowest of lows but God pushed me out of my comfort zone and grew me for his greater good.

Sweet Annie girl on our 2nd night in the hospital 

Bags packed and ready for HK 

August still in HK for the first part but we were super excited that after 5 long weeks to break free from the hospital and join the New Hope family. I was able to spend the next couple of weeks helping in the preschool class and loving on some of the most awesome kiddos ever.

Back at Hope 

Painting little piggy toes is always a favorite 

With some of the fabulous New Hope family! 

On the Great Wall for my 5th time! and it never gets old 

September was a hard month of goodbyes for some and see you later's for others but every trip to China comes to an end and I know my time there is still not done. It was fast and furious when I returned home because Mom and I turned around and headed to Utah for the annual doTERRA convention. It was a great week learning and falling even more in love with this wonderful company. and the hardest birthday of all to believe is that my very first little brother turned 18! I feel like it was just yesterday that I became a sister for the first time.

One of the hardest and prayerfully only a see you later and not a goodbye 

Convention fun

Alex is 18! 

October was the start of Down syndrome awareness month where we get to celebrate one special little boy all month long! Nicolas also turned 9!!!! and we all became scuba certified which was scary and cool all at the same time. It was amazing to see this whole other world that God created under the water. We also closed out an awesome tackle football season for both Jonathan and Aiden and I can't wait for next year.

Nicolas' birthday

Scuba training 

Go Wolves! They were the 2015 District Champs

Aiden and the Thunder! 

November Jameson turns 4!!! Has it really been four years since the baby was born?? Crazy talk but November was spent doing fun activities with the family and just enjoying each other with a fun family fun day at Universal Studios withe the central Florida Ds group.

Jameson turns 4! 

Family Fun day at Universal 

December was full of Christmas activities and enjoying a fun staycation Christmas break. Ringing in the New Year with the best family and eating lots of fun and laughing and having fun.
        

Here is 2016 and the many adventures that it will hold. I will be starting off the year heading to the Passion Conference in Atlanta, GA with my 18:25 young adult Bible study group. And a certain country that I love so much just seems to be calling me back breaking my every other year tradition.......


....yep it looks like I will be heading back to New Hope this spring! More details to come later.

~Stephanie