"The Littles"

Photo by Naomi Atkins from Inspired and Enchanted Photography
(copyrighted...for personal use only...please do not copy w/out permission!)

English Muffin Pizzas

We have been sans internet at home for a little bit, so I haven't been able to post in awhile...but a lot has been happening in the Fisher house!  Last week we had the privilege of having Aunt Sharon Metzger with us for the week.  She was such a huge blessing and help with the kids while Dave was away!  One day for lunch we made English muffin pizzas.  They turned out really yummy, and Benjamin and Nathaniel did all the work!  Here's the proof:

First the sauce...

and more sauce...

then the cheese...

and finally, the pepperoni...yum!

Happy 14th Birthday, Sabastian!

Today is an extra special day in our house...not only is it Sabastian's 14th birthday, but ten years ago today, we met Sabastian and Jonathan for the very first time!  It's hard to believe that the rambunctious four year old who changed our lives forever ten years ago is now a handsome young man of 14.  Where has the time gone?

Sabastian has been great with Sophia from the very beginning...I think she finds him handsome, too!

Sabastian is great with all the younger kids, when he wants to be!

This is an early photo when Sabastian was earning Sophia's trust and adoration!

And this is the fruit of his labor all these months later!!

We love you Sabastian James Fisher!!!!

Happy 4th Birthday, Nathaniel!

Where have the last four years gone?

My little man is a bundle of energy and love, strong-will and compassion, humor and fun.

We thank Jesus for you, Nathaniel!

Apple Picking

On a whim, we went apple picking today!  There is an orchard near our home and we want to make and freeze applesauce, so Benjamin, Nathaniel, and I each grabbed a red basket and a bag and headed to the grove.  It was a lot of fun and went pretty quickly.  It was great for the boys to be involved and see where apples actually come from--not the bin at the grocery store--and they were a whole lot cheaper, too!  Now to find time to make the applesauce...

Homeschooling Benjamin

This year I am homeschooling Benjamin for First Grade.  We have been going for almost a month now, and, for the most part, we are having a lot of fun.  We have set up shop in our dining room area, where we usually work together at the table, but Benjamin also has his own desk area, which he loves to use.

We have been using Five in a Row materials which consist of reading a picture book for five days in a row, and doing all kinds of other curricular activities that piggyback off of the book.  Additionally, we use Horizons math from Alpha and Omega, and Benjamin's Word of Life Quiet Time and memory verses for Bible.  I throw in a lot of odds and ends from my years of teaching, too, so it is quite eclectic.  This is the map we hung on the dining room wall to use of geography and also to map the settings of the stories that we read.

I have also been doing some little workbooks on basic skills with Nathaniel each day, as he never wants to be left out!  He enjoys listening to our stories, too, and is gaining a lot by just being around when I work with Benjamin.  Sophia usually occupies herself, but when she gets bored, she makes enough noise to let us know!  All in all, it has been a good experience thus far.  Benjamin is a little sponge right now, so when he gets interested in something we touch on, we can take the time to investigate it further.  Last week it was electricity, and the week before was Paris, France.  Who knows what it will be this week!  That's the fun of homeschooling!!

I'm Baaaack!

It's been four months since I took a break from blogging on this family blog.  I guess it's time to catch everyone up on our family's happenings.  Here's the bulleted version:

• The end of May Benjamin graduated from Kindergarten, and I finished my second year of teaching K5 at Blue Mountain Christian School.

• On June 9, Dave and I left for Taiwan to adopt our daughter, Sophia Elizabeth Chia-Lin Fisher!  After almost three years of waiting and praying, we finally met our daughter and began a new chapter in her life and ours!  (You can catch up on all those happenings at my other blog, Our Silk Road.)

• Since March, Dave had been commuting to Indiana for a new job.  We were scheduled to move there the end of July in order for our older boys to begin school.  Two weeks before our move, we found out that Dave's company changed their mind--we weren't moving after all!  Time to unpack the boxes and resettle in our Jonestown home!
• Due to the impending move, we didn't really take any vacation time this summer as a family.  Hopefully we will get around to that next year...I could use a vacation after this crazy year!
• The end of August brought Hurricane Irene and the beginning of the school year.  This year Jonathan is a Junior at the Northern Lebanon High School and is studying carpentry at the Lebanon Career and Technology Center.  Sabastian is in 8th grade at Blue Mountain Christian School and enjoying being back with his friends.  Benjamin is being homeschooled by Yours Truly for 1st grade...we are having a blast!  Nathaniel and Sophia, both 3 1/2 years old, are along for the ride.  My days are full!

I'm sure I've forgotten something in the craziness of the last four months, but there's a synopsis to catch everyone up!  I will attempt to post some fun photos from the summer soon...Happy Fall, Ya'll!!