 Hello family and friends! Amy and I wanted to take a few minutes and shared a some thoughts about the blog and where we're going with it. But first, thank you, to the many hundreds of you who have continued to visit, read, share, like, comment, and encourage us here on TheHighamFamily.com blog. We are so very blessed that we get to share our story with you, via the blog and our vlog. Knowing that you are coming back over and over again, well, it's just amazing. And for all of you who continue to engage with us on Facebook, keep it up! We love reading your comments and participating in the conversations. Now, this being the end of August, it's the perfect time to bring you up to speed with what we will begin sharing come September. And because we value your readership and support, we want you to hear our heart as we make some big decisions. So let's get going with what YOU need to know!  1. You need to know that the website and vlog are a source of income for the Higham family. What does that mean? Well, basically, we hope to help supplement our monthly income with the blog. We believe very much in family. We've worked very hard over the last 20 years at raising our family. One of our biggest family values we hold is the belief that Amy's primary role in our marriage and in our family is to be the stay-at-home-mom. As a young couple, we committed to the idea that while our children were in school, Amy would stay home to care for the kids and the house. That meant that when children came, we would sacrifice her second income. And that's what we did. At times the sacrifice was great, as we struggled and learned how to live on a youth pastors salary. We went without many of the extras others living with two incomes enjoyed, and we were okay with that. We made a commitment and our desire was to honor that commitment and trust that God would provide. And provide He did. Over and over again we saw God at work in our lives. We served in two amazing churches who cared very well for us and our growing family. God brought people into our lives who blessed us far beyond measure. And God opened the door to relationships that created many wonderful opportunities for Amy to babysit children in our home. But much has changed. Today we still trust that God will provide, but we believe He is leading us into new ventures that will lead us to deeper places of faith and trust. This blog and our YouTube vlog are two of these new ventures. You see, we still believe that Amy's primary role is to be the amazing caregiver that our family has grown to rely on. And so we are seeking to supplement our income through the blog so she can continue to stay home and care for our children while we share our family story here on the blog. How do we plan to make money? There are 5 primary ways that we will use the blog/vlog to supplement our income.
 2. You need to know that we are a blog committed to encouraging the family. As you know, Jay has been blogging for years. Mostly it's been a hobby. But a couple of years ago, Jay began to get serious about his writing. Along with focusing his blog (www.JayHigham.com) on the student ministry, he has been working hard to get some of his articles published on other student ministry sites. So far he has been featured on the YouthMinistry360.com blog, the YouthSpecialties.com blog, and the YouthMinistry.com blog (also known as the SimplyYouthMinistry.com blog) You can read some of his articles by visiting this page: www.jayhigham.com/published-articles.html. But this blog is different. This blog focuses on family. We truly believe that the family is an essential piece to the stability of society. As Christians, we believe that the family is part of God's beautiful design for life. We believe that marriages should be honored, spouses valued, and children treasured. We believe that parents should BE parents. And we believe that the family home needs to be a place filled with grace, love, forgiveness, and hope! And we want this site to become a place where husbands and wives, mom's and dad's, even children, can find encouragement, support, resources, hope, help, and maybe even a little laughter along the way. You see, we're not a perfect family. We make mistakes. But you don't have to be perfect. And it's okay to make mistakes. Because it's through the trials and errors that we learn and grow, and we see God do amazing things. This is the place where we can share those things. That's why we say, "Raising stronger families together!"  3. You need to know that we are striving to raise a healthier family. After our miscarriage in December 2015, we were introduced to essential oils. Essential oils are the natural plant extracts. We were encouraged to begin using the oils to help relieve some of the emotional and physical struggles we started having. It didn't take long for us to discover the great benefits of the oils. So this summer we decided to take a bigger step into the world of essential oils, and became an independent disturber for the oldest and most trusted leader in the industry, Young Living. Young Living has pioneered the essential oils industry, developing a Seed to Seal process that guarantees the delivery of the most powerful extracts on the market. 100% natural from plant to home, these essential oils have changed our thinking and how we live in so many ways. We shared many of our reasons for trying essential oils here, The Journey Begins. Because we have seen a significant difference in our lives, we decided to share what we are learning and using with you, our readers here on the blog. Our desire to to raise a stronger, healthier family, and Young Living Essential Oils is helping us do that. We have created a new page here on the blog labeled, Essential Oils. On this page you will find resources, our own personal testimonies of products we love and use, announcements of discounts and special product promotions, and tutorials on how to use the various oils. And every Wednesday, we will highlight one or more products through a blog or a vlog post. So there you are, 3 big updated coming to the website here in the month of September. We love sharing our lives here with you on the blog and in our vlogs. We are so grateful that you take the time to visit the site to read, watch and encourage us. And we want to continue doing this; sharing the amazing story that God has written for our family, offering encouragement and practical helps as you raise your family and growing a deeper community of friends who cherish, value, and support the family! Thank you again, for all your support. Be sure to comment and share your family story with us! We want to know you! - the higham family  
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Nate turns 17 as we celebrate his birthday, visit the county fair and enjoy a totally lazy Sunday!
Thanks for watching! If you liked today''s vlog, please give us a thumbs up! Subscribe! And please leave us a comment. Our question... - Should we go to a daily vlog? Would you like to see more of Life in the Higham House? If so, let us know! We're trying to decide if we should commit to a daily vlog! Thanks! Watch our last vlog here: https://youtu.be/P4q1IwYSc7g Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest! - Just search for TheHighamFamily - the highamfamily 
You hope for it. You dream about it. You really look forward to it. But, you just don't know what it will be like until it comes. What am I talking about? The family vacation.
Sometimes you don't know what you're going to get when you head out for a family vacation. You set out with all the best thoughts, plans, hopes, and dreams, but somewhere along the way the vacation often turns south! We are a family of 7, Amy and Jay, and five kids with ages ranging from 7 years to 18 years old. The interests, likes and dislikes, personalities, and wants are as wide and as dramatic as the age range.
Invariably someone will dislike what we're doing or what someone said and it's war. Last week we started out with our expectations low and our hopes high. We wanted to have fun with the kids. We wanted to relax. We wanted to enjoy our time away. It's what every parent wants, right? Well, here we are, one week later. We're back home, everything is unpacked, and we're ready to step into what will be 2 busy weeks before starting school. So just before we make the jump back into reality, we wanted to put a few things down in a blog to help us remember the moments we shared as a family. This afternoon (Sunday, August 14th) I, Jay, asked Amy and each of the kids to share with me some highlights of the week. Here is what they shared. 
Spending a lot of time on the beach.
We had near perfect weather which allowed us to enjoy daily trips to the beach. We spent most of our time playing in the sand, splashing in the ocean, and enjoying time relaxing together. It was a sweet time for all of us to simple BE. Grateful for a beautiful place to stay. The beach wasn't the only place to kick back and relax. We stayed in a beautiful townhouse owned by some family members. This was the second year they shared their beach home with us. The place is great because it feels like a mini mansion, even with our big family.
The First Annual Higham Family Miniature Golf Tournament.
We shared earlier last week about our evening of miniature golf. [ The 2016 Higham Family Miniature Golf Tournament ] That night was truly a fun night for all of us. Crabbing. One of our most favorite activities to do in when at the beach is to go crabbing. This year we were able to catch 2 "keeper" Maryland Blue Crabs. It was another evening of memories and fun. 
The Boardwalk.
The boardwalks are different from Ocean City, MD to Bethany Beach, DE to Rehoboth, DE. Fortunately we were able to visit all three at different times during the week. Everyone loves the opportunity to shop, explore, eat, and experience the entertainment and commotion that takes place on the boardwalk. Bike Riding on the boardwalk. It's something Amy and I remember doing when we were kids, riding bikes on the boardwalk. We had plans to go late in the week, but what surprised us was when we said we were going everyone wanted to go. It was a special day with all five kids riding bikes on the boardwalk.
Skimboarding.
Always up for an adventure, Nate took to the ocean via skimboard. For his second summer, Nate had the opportunity to play around with the sport of skimboarding. While he had his fair share of wipe outs, he did a pretty good job figuring it out! 
Beautiful weather.
I already mentioned the near perfect weather all week long. But when I asked Amy what some of her highlights were, she was quick to say, the weather. It was a great week weather-wise. In fact, we tried to remember a time that we were at the beach and it didn't rain at least once during our stay. We couldn't do it. But this week...NO RAIN. Every day was filled with blue skies and cool breezes. It did get hot and humid on Thursday and Friday, but that didn't stop the fun.
Laughing in the ocean with the whole family.
We weren't sure it would happen, but by Monday, all 7 of us were in the ocean. In fact, it ended up being one of the most special moments all week. All 7 of us, in the ocean together, talking, laughing, and enjoying the waves. It was pretty cool. Doing everything we set out to do. Last year, our vacation was four days long. Hoping to make the most of our time, we tried to pack in as much as possible. Whatever the kids wanted to do we tried to squeeze in. But what we found was we were more exhausted and frustrated at the end of the four days then we had planed. This year we determined that if we were going to go on a vacation it would have to be for a full week. The second thing we determined to do was to slow down and enjoy the time and not tried to cram everything imaginable into the vacation. We asked the kids what they wanted to do while on vacation and we did it. No pressure. No expectations. No over scheduled itineraries. Just relaxed fun. And the amazing thing, we were able to do everything we wanted to do and then some! 
Eating out at the Boathouse.
For years we vacationed in Ocean city, MD. Because we vacationed we had plenty of restaurants the we enjoyed eating at. But this year we decided to try something new. We wanted to eat out and enjoy a nice dinner together as a family, and we wanted to find a new "favorite" place. That led us to The Boathouse in Bethany Beach! Amazing! If you are in Bethany, be sure to visit and enjoy a great meal and some awesome surroundings. 
Great conversations with great friends on the beach.
For the last two years, we have been able to meet up with some very special friends. When we lived in Somerset, we were part of an amazing small group. And when we moved away, never did we think we would miss them as much as we do. So to be able to spend a week with Tres & Karen W. and their family, and Wanda S. truly made our week all the more special. So many great conversations and laughs were shared.
It really was a great week. And yes, we had our moments. I got tired and grumpy. The kids got tired and grumpy. But the grumpy's did not ruin our week. We worked through it, chose love and grace, and didn't allow the negativity to effect what we hoped to accomplish on our vacation - family time.
Thanks so much for reading and following along all week long. We have loved sharing our adventures through our daily vlogs! If you missed one or more, or would like to watch the vlogs again, we have lined them up below. - the higham family Watch our daily vacation vlogs!
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