Herzog Family 2011

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My Boys

Haircut just like daddy!

Sweating hot after playing outside.

Trevor put his underwear on his head. Silly boy!

Sunday with My Boys

We all woke up very early this morning to drop daddy off at the airport for his business trip. He will be attending conferences in San Diego! Lucky duck!

My parents are currently on the road headed that direction. They will not arrive until tomorrow evening. So, I'm here alone. It's been 2 weeks and a couple days since my tonsil surgery. I went in for my follow-up appointment and he said it just take more time to heal. I feel much better and can eat pretty normal now, but the right side of my throat hurts a lot still. Everything seems to be healing normally though. He said they had to go very deep for my tonsils, so it may take an extra week or two. Yeah! Today is the most I've had to talk. So far, I'm doing fine, it's only 3pm though.

After the early morning airport drop-off, I told the boys it was time to go back to bed when we got home (it was still dark out after all). Cameron went right into his bedroom and Trevor wanted to come in bed with me. Neither went to sleep though, so I gave up after about 20 minutes. We got up, did therapy and breakfast. Then, we watched Mary Poppins for the first time. The kids thought it was funny. They like the animated part the best, of course. After that, I took them both outside to work on their bike-riding skills. Trevor still doesn't understand how to petal and Cameron's training wheels are off, but he is scared to do it without someone holding his seat. After about 20 minutes going between the two of them, I was pretty tired! But, we came inside, got some water, and then packed up for the zoo.

We got there right when it opened, so it wasn't very busy at all! That was nice because Trevor whined the majority of the time we were there. He rubbed his sunblock in his eye and fussed the whole time! Cameron was wonderful. We were able to catch a Sea Lion training and went around looking at all the animals. Cameron really liked the monkeys today. The orangutan was hanging right in the window looking at us and the monkeys were playing around in their area, so it was entertaining to watch. As we were leaving Cameron got a bag of popcorn to eat after his lunch, which he was very excited about! He ate the whole bag himself! Trevor fell asleep in the car on the way home, which is never good, but he stayed asleep all the way to his bed and took a good nap. So far, so good, seems like we've done a lot already and it's only half way through the day!

Happy 30th Birthday Erin!

Cars 2 is Finally Here!

When we were getting our tickets Trevor was trying to tell the lady that he had a Cars shirt on and was pointing and naming all the characters.

Both boys have been excited to see the new Disney-Pixar movie Cars 2 since it came out a week ago. Since it came out the day I got my tonsils came out, I could not go right away. Cameron has asked almost every single day this month if it was the day we get to go. So, this morning, I took my meds and decided I was good enough to sit for a hour and a half in the theater since it's practically across the street from us. Both boys were so excited. This is the first time Trevor has ever been to the movie theater to see a movie and Cameron's 2nd time. I only got them a small popcorn because neither Zach or I were eating it and Cameron killed that bag with no problems. Last time he did a large by himself, I guess I should have gotten more. Cameron was entertained the whole time, hardly said a word except to point out a few characters he was eager to see. Trevor wanted food the whole time and I didn't have enough to last, so he was a little harder. There was an autistic boy in the very front that was about Cameron's age. He ran around the seats the whole time, never sat. Trevor kept saying he wanted to go on the stairs too. That was hard to explain why he couldn't, but the other boy could, but it was okay. Both boys ended up crawling on each of our laps toward the end of the movie. I'm so glad they enjoyed it! There weren't many people at our show either because we went at 10am. We will remember that for next time.

Note to people making children's movies: 2-3 previews is PLENTY! There had to be like 6 and after each one all of the kids wanted to know if Cars was coming on. They don't get that!

So, it has been so long since I've updated on here that I will have to just start from the most recent news.

Erin and I just went on an awesome trip to Costa Rica. We were gone 7 days. The first day was a little frustrating as Erin's flight got cancelled and we had to make some adjustments to our schedule, but after that, we couldn't have asked for a better trip! We went during rainy season and we were so lucky with the weather. The weather did not cause any of our plans to be cancelled. For the most part, we did our activities in the morning, then the rain came late afternoon or evening. We only had one day that it really rained for a LONG time. I kept a blog while we were there and then added pictures when I got back. Once the whole trip was updated, I created a book. Here is a link to a book that I created.
http://www.everlater.com/store/books/16541309218521

I really missed the boys while I was on the trip. I am very thankful for Skype! I was able to see them several times while they were either with Zach or with my mom. My mom watched them while Zach was at work, then Zach took them to see his parents for Father's Day weekend, and Willodene watched them one day. It all worked out very well. The most eventful thing that happened while I was gone with the boys was that Trevor got potty-trained! Grandma Hoeptner did her magical day of playing outside in underwear and he is now a big boy using the potty (the small potty that is, he is scared of the big potty). He is still having some trouble with pooping in his pants, he's only got to the potty a couple times for that, but he will learn. I have not been able to be much help since I wasn't home. Unfortunately, Trevor has to see a Urologist in two weeks because when he goes potty, pee squirts straight to the ceiling. We can control it a lot more sitting, but it is still all over. I wish we had found out about this before potty training as I worry it will make him regress (depending on what they say we will have to do).

The day after I got back from my trip, Cameron had his second teeth cleaning ever. This time I took him to my dentist instead of the pediatric dentist. He did fine! He is still grinding his teeth pretty bad. They said most kids out grow that, so hopefully that will be the case for him!

The following day, I had my tonsils out. I had this procedure scheduled 3 years ago, but got pregnant and just never had any time in the summer to do it until now. They said 2-3 week recovery for adults, so the summer is the only time I can do it. Today is day 6. I felt the worst I have felt this morning and didn't even get out of bed until noon, but since then, I've been doing pretty good and catching up on the world (via laptop). I just need to not over-do it. I talked too much with Zach when he got home from work tonight and now my throat is throbbing. I have not eaten anything but broth and ice cream. I'm so desperate for change that I had Zach get me some pudding (which I usually hate) and amazingly, it was the best pudding I've ever had! I have to stick to soft foods until I go in for my post-op appointment, which isn't for another 2 weeks. The doctor and tons of people said this was a painful experience, but I thought it wouldn't be as bad as they had said. I was wrong! Hopefully, I will not have to deal with strep any longer though and I will have a healthier year at school!

We Will Miss You Papa!

Jim Gurnow passed Saturday, May 14, 2011. Today was the funeral and we brought the kids. I didn't want them to go to the casket, but they both wanted to, especially Cameron. Cameron has had a lot of questions and I'm sure he will have more to come. Trevor just wanted to give him a kiss and said that he was sleeping. He kept asking why nana and mommy and daddy were sad. He was very sweet and they both behaved well! Jim was a very sweet man. My children could do no wrong in his eyes. He was a man that would be outside waiting for us in the pouring rain with a huge umbrella so no one got wet on the way in. He rocked both of my babies for years. He has been thrown up on more times than I can say (my kids both had horrible reflux), but it never bothered him! He took the kids on tractor rides, down to feed the chickens, watched them play, read them stories, told them stories, gave them lots of hugs and kisses, and treated them like his very own grandchildren. We were so lucky to have known him and for our kids' to have had him in their lives. He will be deeply missed!

Easter 2011

We got theh kids a trampoline for Easter. Cameron really likes jumping and it will be good for him. They loved the egg hunt. Grandma Hoeptner was here for it and then Seth and Amanda came over as well and we all had dinner together. It was a nice day!

Fun in the Sun

Cameron's health has been improving! He now only has an occasional cough. I really think the swimming is helping tremendously! Trevor has also improved and took his last dose of his steroid today (thank goodness! We're hoping our sweet baby comes back in the next day or so). Cameron is really enjoying throwing the water football. His aim is awesome!

Trevor and Aunt Erin

The view! Beautiful golf course with mountains in the background. Picture perfect!

Feeding Koi fish this morning.

Swimming his stuffed sting ray while watching the real sting rays (Zach won the stuffed one shooting a basketball into a non-standard hoop).

Climbing around in the fun zone

Here are some additional photos from Sea World. Fun day!

Here are some pictures from our first day. We flew after the kids' bedtime, so we had them in their jammies for the flight. They only ended up sleeping about a hour during the flight. We were very worried about Cameron, but he did fine. He coughed a lot on the flight and we had several dirty looks. One older lady came over and told Zach that he had a horrible cough to fly with. Zach told her that he had CF. We spent Saturday playing at the house and getting used to the time change. Mom and I went for a pedicure, which was great! Then Mark, Rosa, and my Grandma Hoeptner came over for dinner. The kids did great.

Sunday the boys woke up bright and EARLY. We had a few hours before we were leaving for Sea World. We spent about 7 hours at Sea World. The kids loved the first show (Cameron ate 2 buckets of popcorn there). As the day went on, the boys got tired and fussy! They finally fell asleep, but not for long. Trevor woke up in a horrible mood and cried for 2 hours. We finally decided it was time to head home. The steroids both kids are on just make them so irrational and it's hard to turn it around sometimes. Plus, I think the time change is hard to get used to, along with eating right and everything else.

This morning we got up and packed for the Desert. We dropped Shelby off at the kennel and then went to my dad's work for a visit. There are many people there that have supported us with Great Strides and would like to meet Cameron, so some of them came to visit. Cameron wasn't very social, but Trevor loved giving hi-5's and telling them about what he was doing. The kids, mom, and Zach went to McDonald's and then drove to Palm Desert. I stayed with dad so he could work a couple hours, then we headed out. When I got here the kids were already in the pool (Cameron couldn't wait). Trevor was scared. I unpacked the car and headed down there and by then Trevor was ready to get in and loved it. His eyes are bright red from the chlorine. He got to the point that he'd just fall in and assume someone was going to get him. Scary! We have to really watch him! The boys love the water, I think we're going to have a lot of fun down there the next few days. Cameron was getting very cleaned out with all the water in his nose and stuff. He isn't coughing quite as much either. I think this is really good for him!

Mom and dad are grocery shopping for food for the week and then getting pizza since it's getting late. Hopefully I'll download more pics as the week goes on.

Hospital Admission

Cameron went for his check-up before our trip to see if we should switch antibiotics and was told he needed to be admitted and put on IV antibiotics. So, we've been here since yesterday. I got no sleep last night, someone came in every 30 minutes at least. Cameron didn't get great sleep. Then we spent a frustrating morning waiting on meds and breakfast. He was so hungry he scooped the butter right out of the container with his finger and ate it once he was done with his bacon and pancakes. The nurse laughed. I didn't even care, I was glad he was getting fat. He is doing CPT every 4 hours here and has been using a vest for the first time. He laughs when it's on because his voice sounds funny from all the shaking. He sometimes complains it's too tight, I think he's just not used to the feeling. It's pretty neat though, I think it knocks a lot around in there. His Uncle Seth and girlfriend Amanda came to visit, which was a nice break. They brought him McDonald's (thank goodness because he didn't like one single thing on his lunch tray from the hospital). He only had about a half hour nap until he was woke up for something else. However, while he was sleeping, he had a surprise delivery. Grandma and Grandpa Hoeptner sent a bouquet of balloons. He LOVES them. He hides in them and likes to carry them around the room. People always say you can't have enough balloons in a hospital room and I guess it's true, he thinks they are pretty cool. He keeps asking people which is their favorite. Then, Aunt Erin sent a gift with 3 zoo lovies in it. Cameron picked his favorite and then sorted all of his lovies by size and where they needed to go around him for him to sleep. Silly boy! He even said he thinks he's going to give one to Trevor. How nice of him. One of the teachers on my team came out and brought Cameron some treats I thought he'd like and then we went to dinner so I could get a good meal and get out of the room for a little bit. Zach came after work to be with Cameron. Nana was nice and kept Trevor late tonight. Zach got him after I got back from dinner. I miss Trevor! I wish he was closer so that he could visit easily. Maybe tomorrow or Friday. I'm having Trevor withdrawal. It's hard with him here though because he likes to push buttons, open and close things, etc. He thinks it's a fun, new place. He was very good the other night though and tucked in with Cameron to watch a show. If he could do that more of the time here he could hang out a little longer. We'll see. Tomorrow morning some time Cameron will do his PFTs. The results from that will determine whether we need to cancel our trip for sure and how long he will need to be here. So, we're hoping for a miracle.

Right now he's finally asleep. He's calling things out in his sleep, tossing and turning, calling my name and seeming frustrated, but asleep so not making much sense! His face is bright red and it's cold in here. Ahhhhhhh!! I hate hospitals!!!

Spring Sickness

Well, spring has sprung and everyone in our house is sick! Cameron has been sick since last Sunday. His cough sounds worse than I've ever heard. He sounds like a dog barking. He's finally able to sleep, even with the coughing at night, but he hasn't really been improving yet. We went to the children's hospital and had a bunch of tests run as well as a chest x-ray. All looked okay, with the exception that he has an infection. We are waiting on his throat culture. Once we get that, we're hoping we can provide him with a specific antibiotic to help kick this more quickly. Trevor started coughing just at night a couple nights ago and is now sounding pretty bad. So, we will be going to the Sunday sick care at our pediatrician. He's pretty cranky as well. I know a lot of this is sparked by allergies! Zach got up today and said that his throat has a lot of drainage now as well and it's bothering his ears. We are going on our trip in just 6 days, I need this household well!!!! I'm mostly concerned for Cameron because this type of thing is hard for his little body to kick and there's always the risk that he's going to have breathing troubles. I really don't want that happening when we are away from our doctors!
I'm trying to get some new jewelry done so I can try to raise some money for our CF team. We are only half way to our goal so far and we have about a month to go!

Last week we went roller-skating. My school does a PTA fundraiser once a month. Cameron and I have been going. He is getting really good. He can now slide when he skates, rather than just stepping all the time. Zach was able to come for the first time, but he couldn't skate because he was still in his foot boot. So, I took Trevor out there. He wanted to do it so bad, but he was scared to death and wanted me to hold him out there, so he ended up just watching.

Today we went to a birthday party at a bouncy place. The kids jumped and ran around non-stop for a hour and a half. Zach and I were also able to participate as they needed our help at times. Plus, the boys got a kick out of us doing it too. I personally thought the tall slide was fun! They took good naps, then we were able to play outside for a while. It's a beautiful day. Zach and I worked on the yard a bit and the kids played in the mud. They are in the bath as we speak!

Proud of his metal.

Cameron writing his name on the sidewalk.

On the way to the Celebrity Dinner Party.

As usual, life has been busy! It's been a while since I've updated. February was filled. Cameron had basketball every Saturday. He loved it. He would smile with his tongue out running back and forth on the court, making sure to check that we were watching. He was one of the top shooters and got much better at dribbling.

Zach and I went to the CF Celebrity Dinner Party. My support group made the center pieces. They were themed wind chimes. We put a lot of effort into making them special in hopes of raising a lot of money. We raised over $5000 for the foundation! Well worth the effort.

Just this last weekend, we were given free VIP tickets to the Broadway show, "Madagascar." We were only given 2 tickets for 2 different show times. So, Zach took Trevor while I went to basketball with Cameron. Then, Cameron and I went later that night. The kids loved it. I think Trevor was even more entertained than Cameron. It was a neat experience for them and they did very good during the show. There were tons of other kids, all asking questions during the show (not as quietly as they should), so our kids were not out of place. :)

Trevor and I got sick Sunday and have not been great since, but are doing better. Luckily Cameron and Zach have been in the clear so far. We are hoping and praying Cameron will be completely healthy for our trip to California in a few weeks. I am scared to let him go on a plane if he is having any chest issues.

A big change for me is that I just started my Scentsy business. I had my kick-off party and am now looking for people that want to host a party. If you have never used one of these wickless candles, it is the time to try! You can order at any time from my website: www.courtneycurecf.scentsy.com. I am using half of the money for our own medical related bills and the other portion towards our Great Strides team. First I have to make profit!! So, I've been busy trying to get that going and then trying to get fundraising going and people to join our team for Great Strides. It's been a slow start this year, it's making me a bit nervous. Zach is putting on a duathalon this summer, but that will not be until August and will go towards next years fundraising. So, if you're local, be sure to join our team. If you're not and want to walk, let me know and I can tell you what to do. Hope everyone is doing well!

Basketball Season Begins

This has been a great weekend! We started with Cameron's first basketball game of the season. His team name is the Nuggets. We were nervous about him playing on the 4-5 year old team because that would mean there would be kids almost 6 and he's pretty little. However, he fits in fine and seems to be one of the better shooters. They all look like they're having so much fun and that's what it's about. He was pretty proud of himself for making all the baskets and he was a good listener for his coaches. I was proud of him. Grandma Hoeptner came to watch the game and then took both boys to McDonalds and then to the cabin for the night. Zach and I got some cleaning done around the house and worked out (which feels like work to me, but Zach loves!). Then we went out with a friend of mine and her husband. We had dinner and then went to the Comedy Caravan to see Etta Mae, it was lots of fun and my face hurt from smiling and laughing so much! Good for the soul! This morning we woke up, cleaned some more, went to church, then Zach worked out and I found a dress for the CF Celebrity Dinner party and then met mom to get the kids. Tomorrow we're going to just have a family day at home. Play some games with the kids, listen to some music, watch tv, make some snacks....I'm looking forward to it. This will only be a 3 day week for me. Zach and I are going to Gatlinburg for a couple nights and my mom is watching the kids. We were given the place to stay by a dear friend of mine, a fellow CF mom, so we were very excited to be able to take this opportunity!

Snow Day

I've already had 3 snow days! We had one this last week. It was actually a really fun day. I stayed home with the boys and we played all day. When they got up from their nap, we bundled up and went outside to play in the snow. Cameron wanted to pull Trevor on the sled, but we were going up the driveway and it was pretty hard for him. My strong-willed little boy did not want to give up though! He finally let me 'help.' They played in the backyard for about a hour, going on the slide, making snow angels, and mowing the lawn. So cute! I had fun watching them!