What A Week We've Had!

I have a friend who once said that he didn't like going on vacation. I thought, strange, who would love to go on vacation. He's reasons though, make sense. He says, you have to work extra hard the week before you go away, so that while you're gone, work still happens. Then when you return, you have to work twice as hard to catch up with the things that weren't done because you were not there. As I have thought about those statements, I might have to agree. BUT, I don't think I could ever give up vacation with the family no matter how much work it required. Hoever, we have had quite a week!

Since coming home late Saturday night from our week in Bethany Beach, DE, it has been a epic recovery for the entire family. Are time away was simply awesome. A much need break from the norm's of life. But stepping back into what has proven to be a crazy week has been a bit challenging, to say the least. So let me recap some of what we have faced since Saturday evening.

A house of seven creates quite a bit of laundry work. But it's usually well managed in that you're washing, drying, folding, and putting away a little bit every day. But when you go on vacation, all that laundry comes home with you creating what becomes a marathon of sorts.

I believe we are now all caught up and back to the regular routine of laundry. That means we're still doing laundry, just not the amounts we had when we first came home!

On Sunday, Logan, was scheduled to go to football camp. Due to some kind of calendar conflict, the camp was moved up a week earlier, butting it up to our vacation. So Sunday morning, Logan, spent his time washing clothes, packing his bags, and getting everything he needed for his week at camp.

By the afternoon/late evening, we were headed to California University, in California, PA to drop him off.

On Tuesday, Amy used our free tickets from Kennywood to take the younger three to the amusement park. Since our last visit was cut short by a rain storm, the park gave everyone free passes for a return trip. Because there are only a few days in our summer calendar, this was the best day to use them before they expired.

So Amy and the kids went to Kennywood.

But that's not all that happened on Tuesday. While at football camp, Logan started throwing up. Apparently he threw up a number of times on Monday and Tuesday morning. This led him to his first experience with dehydration. I left work early on Tuesday afternoon to take him some additonal needs and to possibly bring him home. But by the time I arrived, he was feeling better. Tired, but better. He said he wanted to stick it out and see if he could over come it. I left him with a bunch of water and some fruit, and instructions to drink as much as he can. It's a fine line to walk in knowing when as a parent you step in and call it quits for your kid and allowing them express independence. We try to encourage our kids to keep their commtiments, overcome obsticales, and see challenges as an opportunity to glorify God. We weren't sure that what Logan was dealing with was mental instead of physical, so we didn't want to panic and simply take him home because camp was "hard". But where the mental started the physcial continued.

Nerves and anxiety initiated the throwing up. That led to the dehydration. And but Tuesday night the damage was already done. That evening, Logan collapsed when getting off the team bus following practice. He later told me that he had been able to keep his lunch and dinner down and drank a lot of fluids and so thought he was doing better. But on the bus his legs began cramping up and he fell. By the time the coach came to talk with him, Logan looked to be in bad shape.

So late Tuesday night, I met the coach half way between home and Cal U. to retreived Logan. After a good nights sleep, Amy took him to the pediatrician who looked him over. His guess was that Logan was dehydrated, but they wanted to rule out any other complications. So it was off to the ER at Children's Hospital. After a couple of hours, dehydration was confirmed and all other possibilities eliminated. However, the dehydration was pretty serious, requiring a IV to administer fluids. He was then sent home with orders to drink enough water to make him pee continuiously. (Now I'm sure there was a little sarcasim in there somewhere. But he got the point.)

After the visit to Children's Hospital, Amy then drove Logan out to Cal U. to collect his belonging. Along with the diagnosis and the orders to drink an ocean, Logan's activity levels were restricted. So no more football camp till he is fully hydrated.

Now if all of that seems like a lot, it is. But this week also welcomed a new baby into the family. No, not ours. This school year, Amy is babysitting an adorable little girl while her mother works. This week was the first week for visits.

We have also started getting the kids back into the routines of school. That means earlier bedtimes, which no body loves,

and earlier wake up calls to get everyone moving in the morning. It's only a couple more days till the big yellow buses are rolling again, so it's time to get ready!

I myself have jumped back into the 9-5 job, trying to get caught up on projects that have sat for a week WHILE trying to catch up on church work in the evenings. Needless to say, it's been quite the juggling act we've been doing.

But here's the good part, God is soo faithful! I mean, for as busy as this week has been, we know that it could have been a lot worse. While dehydration is a scary thing, we were relieved when all the other concerns were eliminated. Yes, it does take a lot of work to get things ready so you can go on vacation. And yes, it takes a lot of work to reengage with the realities of life after vacation. But we know that a Good and Faith God sits Sovereignly on the throne in heaven. He is in total control of all things, both good and not so good. He ordains and anoints all the things we face.

It's in these crazy times of life that I often think of Job. Job was a man that caused God to brag. He was obedient and faithful, and he loved and feared God deeply. But then came the challenges. Job lost everything, and I mean everything. And yet, in the midst of all that he lost, he praised God! If you don't know Job's story, I would encourage you to read it in the Bible, in the book of Job.

Now we might not have lost everything, and praise God for that, we do fight the daily battle of faithfulness. The thought of taking your child to the ER is never good. But God is always good and always in control. And when things look dim and scary on the surface, we can rest in know that we are not alone. And so, we choose to praise God. Even in the busyness of life, we praise Him.

- the higham family

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Hi we're Jay & Amy, and we've been married for 19 years and are super blessed to be busy raising our 5 kids; 4 boys and 1 girl. We juggle the adventures of life and ministry and share what we are learning as it relates to marriage, family, raising kids, serving in the church, and chasing after Jesus. Raising a family is hard work, especially in today's culture. But our hope is to encourage you and your family, as we live for the glory of God.

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