A not-so-fun first

Hazel caught a sickness and had a fever when she was 5 weeks old. I had been sick but didn’t have a fever, so I was very concerned. That’s just way too young to have a fever! Poor thing. I could tell she just didn’t feel well either.

We were able to get her in to see the pediatrician quickly. They took her temperature on her forehead and it wasn’t hot, but the doctor agreed with me that Hazel’s body felt warm, so they had to use a rectal thermometer to get a more accurate reading. Sure enough, 102. Poor thing. They tested her urine for infection and didn’t find anything, so they said just to make sure she was eating a lot. Not really a whole lot they could do for her if it was just a virus.

Hazel seemed much better even just the next day, for which we were so thankful! It’s no fun seeing your kids sick, especially a new baby.

Harvey wanted to give her kisses to help her feel better. Such a sweet big brother! He also requested a picture with her. I’d never say no to that.

Family visitors

We had some family in town that week after the reunion. Lindsay and her crew stopped in Houston for a couple of days as they were in the process of moving to Pennsylvania, and Stephanie and her kids came to visit so they could see them. On the Juergens side, McKenna, Morgan, Shayna, and Myra stayed in Houston for an extra week! Since Heidi and James were already there and Andrew and Brittany were staying for an internship, we had someone from each family unit and it was so fun.

First, a few pictures from being with the Andersen crew. The Westons brought their dog Cato and the kids were obsessed. Harvey called Cato to him constantly!

It was supposed to be rainy so we didn’t bring our swim stuff but the storm passed through quick and we were unprepared! The big kids borrowed suits from their cousins and Harvey rocked just a swim diaper.

All of the kids wanted turns holding Hazel and were so sweet with her.

Becca and Harvey haven’t really had much of a chance to play so it was fun to watch them together. They’re only about 3 months apart.

We spent the rest of the week with the Juergens crew. Lots of swimming and playing games! It was so fun to get lots of quality time with the sisters and the kids loved playing with their cousins. They also tried a “science experiment” one day. They soaked some M&M’s in water until the M’s came off haha.

I was obviously pretty terrible at taking pictures (are you sensing a theme? Haha) but we also had a visit from Grammy and it was fun to see her too. Summer is so fun with all the extra family time!

Hazel’s blessing & Father’s Day

We decided to take advantage of having extra family in town and bless Hazel the Sunday we got home from the dude ranch! Two of my sisters happened to be in town also and it was fun to get everyone together. We had everyone come to our house again and kept it simple with a few desserts afterward. Hazel wore the same dress that Millie wore when she was blessed. I don’t remember if I wrote this when Millie wore it, but I got this dress at the gift shop of the hospital where Millie was born! It was a whopping $12. I know there are much fancier dresses out there, but I just love this one so much. Tyler gave Hazel a beautiful blessing and it was so special to have family in our home to celebrate this sweet girl!

Dude Ranch pt 2

Friday morning Brittany led the kids in some yoga, which they loved! She made it so fun.

The men had their big golf tournament that day so it was the kids and moms on our own. A big crew of us ended up with the kids playing and doing crafts.

Cute little bandits outside the kids activity center.

We had a fun afternoon at the water park again, then met up in the evening for dinner and a fun program. This was the 17th reunion (20 years since the first one!) so there were 16 old reunion t-shirts. Each of the 16 grandkids wore one of the shirts, and presented them by dancing to a popular song from that year. It was so fun and hilarious.

We also had a cute talent show from the great grandkids and a family dance number from our crew, which was fun. Botz did a dance number revealing this year’s shirt too! His moves are the best. That night we enjoyed a show from the trick roper. The kids were so impressed by him.

Saturday we had our last day at the water park, but came in a bit earlier so we could get cleaned up for family pictures that evening. I caught these two snoozing, which was so sweet!

Family picture time! We took pics with regular clothes on first, then we changed into reunion shirts for when we were all together.

Then after finishing those pics, we quickly changed for the traditional t-shirt pictures. Look at all these cute great grandkids!

The most senior Juergens’s and the most junior Juergens!

After pictures we came in for a little program, got to see pictures from reunions through the years and singing for Nana and Botz. Then Botz started a joke with us about healthy eating/exercise that really had us laughing!

After the program we headed to Ghost Town. They had pony rides, archery, face paint, all the stuff kids love.

Max and his cute buddy/second cousin Charley.

And of course some good ol’ Happy Salmon!

It was such a fantastic trip. I was nervous doing it with a 1 month old in tow, but we definitely made it and are still so glad we wen!

Dude Ranch pt 1

Okay real quick before the reunion fun, one more pic from the couple of days we got to spend with Cari and crew. Aunt Dana and Natalie came a little bit early too, and Gabby was already there for a couple months over the summer, so it was a full-on party! We had so much fun swimming and playing games. Love the Wright crew.

And then we were off! It’s not easy to fit all of us in a car selfie these days.

Had to stop at In-n-Out in San Antonio on our way. These cuties loved having the bar all to themselves while the grown ups sat at a table nearby.

And then we arrived! We got all checked in and settled in and enjoyed catching up with everyone. I will say up front on these reunion posts that I was not very good at taking pictures this time. Our hands were definitely more full this year with a newborn! I think Tyler played tennis that first night with his brothers but the kids and I laid low after dinner and playing for a bit outside.

The next morning after breakfast Brittany led us in some yoga! I stayed as long as Hazel would allow.

The resort has fun crafts and activities for kids, so Millie and Max went to that in the mornings. Harvey was allowed to go if an adult went with him and Gigi was so nice to do that. After the kid activities and lunch at the “big house” (where Nana, Botz, and all the people without little kids stayed) we hit the pool! All of the grandkids wore their stars and stripes suits from Gigi and they looked adorable.

Big thanks to Gigi and Poppy (and all the fun uncles and aunts!) for helping with the kids during this trip. It was too hot to keep Hazel out for long and the big kids often wanted to go in different directions, so it was great to have extra adult hands helping!

Harvey and Wes remain best buds and it’s super cute.

Makin’ Dust came to perform that night, always a highlight. Nana got called up at one point and I’m wondering why Makin’ hasn’t had Nana in his show all these years! 

And then s’mores!