Baby Easton

On April 16 at 2:41 AM, the newest member of the Zickgraf family was born.  Another baby boy to keep Ford from feeling out numbered.  Easton William Zickgraf weighed 6 pounds 12 ounces and 21 inches long.  Both Cindy and baby Easton are doing well and the family can't get enough of him.  He is the perfect mix of both Izabel and Ford!  Izabel is such a good big sister and loves to hold him/ kiss him.  It is really fun to see the little kids with the baby and Ford doesn't quite understand how little he is.  Ford want to play with him, but is also very sweet.  It was so much fun to just sit and hold him.  Easton is a darling baby boy!  Everyone is happy that he has finally arrived.

The proud Aunt and Uncle

Ryan holding Easton like a football!

Izabel giving her baby brother a smooch

Izabel is such a little mommy 

Easton William Zickgraf

He can't wait to meet everyone!  

Easter Splash!

Easter couldn't have been a nicer day!  It was sunny, bright, and full of fun.  I had tons of fun because I was out of the house and spending time with the family.  Ryan had fun too and got a little carried away in more ways than one.  First of all on Saturday we went shopping to buy a few treats and eggs to hide for the kids.  At our first stop Ryan bought three bags of candy and no plastic eggs.  So we drove to Wal-greens and I told him to buy just a couple bags of candy and some plastic eggs.  Fifteen minutes later, he comes out with a huge bag full of easter candy and plastic eggs.  He spent nearly 35 dollars!  I couldn't believe all of the treats he bought!  We filled nearly 50 eggs and still have at least 8 bags of candy left.  I guess we need to return it, but Ryan reassured me by saying, "Don't worry it was all on sale".  So now we will be taking some of this candy to Utah this weekend to share with his nieces and nephews.  What we don't use I will be returning! :)  The kids loved all of the eggs for the easter egg hunt.  Better yet they loved all of the candy!  Ryan and my little brother Brian thought it was so nice that the next thing I knew they were jumping in the freezing cold pool!  Elly, Izabel, and Ford all enjoyed jumping on the trampoline, easter egg hunt, and dress up!  It was such a perfect Easter Sunday filled with a perfect easter message at church, good food, and family.  We missed all who couldn't be there.  We love you and miss you!    ......oh and a little update on my knee......it is feeling better each day and rehab is working my muscles back into shape.  I am walking around and headed back to work tomorrow.  Thanks again for all of your thoughts and prayers.

Brian attempting a cannon ball

Ryan trying a flip that ended in a back flop! :)

Izabel and Elly playing dress up.

Brian wanted his picture taken, but the girls didn't want him in it!

running out to find the easter eggs!

Elly posing!  Hmm I think Mary and Andy have a future dancer on their hands!

Andy removing the snow white dress before I could take a picture.  There aren't any boys Ford's age so he often gets stuck playing dress up with Izabel and Elly.

Sweet Izabel and Auntie Kristie

Ford and Uncle Ryan

The last few days were a blurr!

So I am finally feeling normal and I wanted to write a little about my first surgery experience.  I have been surely blessed to never before had stitches, broken bones, surgery on anything, and for the most part been completely healthy.  I went in early Friday morning for my ACL surgery.  I must say I was really nervous, but having Ryan with me helped to calm my nerves.  The nurse took me back and began her routine.  First I had to pee in a cup.........I hadn't had anything to drink or eat since 12 the night before so I was kind of worried!  They needed to make sure I wasn't prego.  So the test came out negative and then she proceeded to prepare me for surgery.  She took my blood pressure and put in an IV.  Basically she hooked me up to a number of machines which  drove me crazy!  Before numbing my whole left leg they gave me some sedative meds that seriously made me feel like there was a treadmill on the ceiling.  After the numbing started to spread though out my left knee both the nurse and anesthesiologist proceeded to prep the other five or six patients who too were having ACL surgery.  So I am laying on this bed hooked up to all of these monitors for what seemed like a lifetime!  After 45 minutes of waiting and ease dropping on the patients around me, the Anesthesiologist checks to see if I want to be asleep for the procedure.  I explain that I would like to be awake for the beginning and then put to sleep. They proceeded to transport me to another room where the surgery would be performed by Dr. Jennifer Miller.  They wash my leg, which is completely numb, so it feels incredible weird having someone basically massage iodine all over it.  They start the procedure and I am able to watch on the screen above me.  It was pretty crazy to feel the pressure and movement but no pain!  She explained everything to me, but had some bad news.  My medial meniscus looked okay, but my lateral meniscus was torn badly and they had to remove it.  At that point the doctor kept talking me through everything, but I kept thinking about not being able to run long distances and being limited on playing impact sports.  I started to hear what sounded like a lawn mower and a weed wacker.  The doctor said they were preparing my cadaver ligament.  They showed me the ligament, which looked more like a piece of beef jerky.  At that point in the surgery I watched what I wanted to and I asked to be put to sleep.  The next thing I remember is waking up still hooked to all of the monitors and feeling a little pain.  The nurse looks at me and asks if I am in pain.  She gives me more pain meds and leaves to get my mom.  (Ryan had to go back to work)  The nurse comes back in with my mom and asked if I was still in pain.  At that point I proceeded to ask if I could get all of the monitors off of me!  They were making me so claustrophobic!  They finally take off all of the monitors and wheel me out to the car.  Now the next few days after surgery were such a blur.  I just know my best friend Denae and Jake stopped by,  Heide and Trent, and  my sister Cindy with her two kids.  I really feel like I slept for two days straight!  Today I am feeling much better and I can put a little more pressure on my leg with out unbearable pain.  I am no longer taking the hard core pain killers and I  am feeling less drowsy.  I head in to rehab tomorrow and I am feeling a little nervous about what they will have me do.  At this point I am afraid to bend it.  It is getting better and less painful everyday.  A special thanks to Ryan and my mom for taking care of me.  Ryan was a trooper because for some reason the pain pills made me kind of angry and irritable.  So thanks for putting up with me!  Thanks for the prayers and support! 

Sunny Arizona and basketball

This past weekend Ryan and I enjoyed some NCAA basketball games in sunny Arizona!  I met a few of Ryan's friends and had tons of fun hanging out with them.  Besides basketball we enjoyed getting lost on the freeway's of Arizona, swimming, shopping, eating, and staying two extra days thanks to US Airways.  Our flight home was scheduled for Sunday and when they announced that the flight was over sold Ryan was more than overjoyed!!!!!  He was like a little kid saying, "Kristie can we please offer to stay so we get the free flights, hotel, and meal vouchers."  Of course I was on up for an extended vacation and the opportunity  to fly for free on our next vacation.  We couldn't pass it up.  So we spent the remainder of the day learning the Phoenix train system and all day Monday laying in the hot sun by the pool.  We left Tuesday morning and as we left the beautiful hot sun we flew into a sea of gray clouds!!!!!!!!!!!   Boise weather is terrible!  Cold, cloudy, rainy, and now I want to go back tomorrow!  Instead I get to have knee surgery........hoorah!!! :(  Wish me luck!  I'll post once I am off of the pain meds and feeling normal!  

The group outside Cardinal Stadium

another group photo at the NCAA basketball game

This is Ryan's favorite vacation........I too had fun

UConn vs. Missouri

photos taken from the car.  We were lost and I found an orange field.  So I took a sample :)  Nothing beats a fresh picked orange from the tree.

posing with the cactus........

Ryan entertaining too of the cutest boys ever!  I swear one looked exactly like Ryan.  These were his friend Greg's kids.

This cute boy is 29!!!!!! today :)

So my adorable husband turned 29 today!  We enjoyed lunch together and then had a few people over for dinner and cake.  I made his favorite cake with rainbow chip frosting.  I made it in the sheet pan so there is more frosting then cake......he really likes it that way....:)  For his birthday we are headed to Arizona for the NCAA basketball games, which he is more than excited for!  I must add Ryan wanted me to get more excited about the games so he had me fill out a bracket.  I just guess which team will win and this year I am beating him!  I don't think he is too happy about it, but it is getting me more excited to watch basketball  all weekend because I am so darn competitive.  So we are traveling again to some warm weather and basketball.........what more could Ryan want for his birthday?!  Let's see a BACK SCRATCHER!  I bought him a dollar backscratcher and he grinned from ear to ear.  I think he likes it :)  I also wanted to post the top 10 reasons why he is so wonderful.  

10- he is my other half and takes great care of me

9-he has the most adorable eyes and smile( just thinking about his cute face makes me happy)

8- he stays up late with me even when he has to wake up early!

7- he cooks.....need I say more :)

6- he actually enjoys running with me!

5-he loves to travel and visit new places.

4-he is a hard worker and is always willing to serve

3-he is spiritually strong and lifts me up

2-he pampers me and is always helping me out with whatever projects I come up with

1-he loves me with his whole heart!

Babe I love you so much and I look forward to all of the many birthdays we will celebrate together.

Now the best part is what a cute boy Ryan is ........

here he is as a youngster.  Look at that bleach blond hair and baby blues.

Love ya and Happy Birthday!

29 years young!

Ryan blowing out his birthday candles!

a few more photos of Ryan through the years......

Just a quick thought!

So I don't have any pictures to post of this past weekend trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  For some reason I didn't find the energy to take any photos.  The volleyball games took a lot out of me and I mean a lot!!!!  I ended up tearing my ACL!!!!  After the initial shock of it all I am beginning to see that although life is difficult it will get better!  I am supposed to have surgery in a few weeks and I am ready to work hard to get my left knee strong again.  I more or less wanted to post this unfortunate news to say that I am so grateful for the man I married!  He has been so calm and even when I was rolling on the court yelling a few choice words he was right by my side comforting me.  It is amazing to think that I am so lucky to be blessed with such a perfect man for me!  I am also blessed that I have wonderful friends and family who have been there and will continue to be there for support.  I'm not sure why certain events happen, but I do know I will look back and know that it taught me ......something......right?  ......maybe patience......faith.....one day I'll know why?  In the mean time I am struggling with the fact that I can't go 100 percent seven days a week!  I guess I need to slow down!  Maybe that is why it all happened......who knows?  I'll keep you all updated!

One fabulous year and a few more Maui pictures!

So officially Ryan and I are celebrating a full year together!  It has gone by so quickly and we have had so much fun.  I am excited to spend many more years with him.  I had to post the picture below because he looks so darn adorable and I just want to pinch his cheeks!  I love him SO MUCH and I look forward to the many more adventures we will share together.  Oh and I had to post a few more pictures of the beach.  We miss it and Idaho is so cold right now.....I am freezing and turning pale white again.  Good thing Ryan loves me so much he actually is allowing me to turn up the heat!!!! ha ha

The picture below is Aiden smiling after spitting up on his Uncle Ryan.  He thought it was pretty darn funny!

the kemp boys checking out one of the beaches......they looked identical walking out to the ocean so, again I had to take a picture.

Ryan looking for sea turtles.......he didn't find any at this spot!

Sunday church with an ocean view.  Nice location!  Tempting though I wanted to run across the street and into the ocean :)

One last view of beautiful Maui, Hawaii