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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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