Horseback Riding!

The girls finally got to go horseback riding! They have been asking to ride horses for a long time now and it finally happened. Luckily, one of Zack's buddies (Bobby) invited us to his family ranch so the girls could ride. The girls absolutely loved it! They keep telling us that they want to grow up and be cowgirls. This year for Christmas they have put cowgirl boots at the top of their list. I suppose we'll have to wait and see what Santa brings them:) I was really surprised with how comfortable all three of them were while riding on the horses. They never even got scared. Poor Zack had to walk the horses all day because the girls were constantly begging for more. A huge thanks to Bobby, we really appreciate it!

Enjoying the Great Outdoors!

The weather was beautiful in the beginning of October, so Zack requested that we do some camping before fall settled in. I couldn't believe how nice it was to camp in the middle of October! Grandpa and Grandma Koehler even came along, which was a special treat because that doesn't happen very often. Zack fished for sturgeon while the girls caught crawdads. It was nice because the crawdads entertained the girls for the whole weekend.

This is a random picture of Keely at preschool. I had ducks come in for the letter "Dd".

Catching Up!

Welcome back to the Koehler blog! We know it's been awhile since you payed a visit, but what can we say - we've been busy, busy, busy!

I (Raquel) have yet to take a break from school, so its been a little hectic around here. This past year, I have read more books and written more paper's then I can count! Although, I am very happy to announce that I am on the Dean's List. Straight A's is not an easy thing to pull when you have three little munchkins running around, but I must say - it is nice to be recognized for something! I also managed to get a little scholarship money for this next school year, it's not a lot, but hey every little bit helps! Besides that, I have been busy taking care of my beautiful little girls.

Zack has also been very busy. Whenever I need something, he is always right there, willing and able. Well, most of the time that is. He has been serving in Young Men's for the past few months, and for those who don't know - it can be a busy calling at times. He absolutely loves it though and he is AMAZING at it! This next week, he will be taking the boys on a 50 mile hike... He is pretty excited about that and he has been preparing for it all summer. I'm sure he will be worn out and soar by the time he gets back home.

We just celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary! I know - It's crazy! As I reflect back on the years we've shared, my heart is overwhelmed. We've shared so much together. High's, low's, laugh's, and tear's. He is not only my best friend, but he is my eternal companion and that is something that I will always be grateful for.

As far as Mackee, Keely, and Izzie go - they are all growing like weeds. Mackee is about to start second grade - she can't wait! Keely will be in preschool with me this year, and Izzie is just getting started with the potty training business. All three of them have been enjoying the HOT summer!

Even though our lives have been busy, they have also been GOOD! We have felt Heavenly Father's presence and love in our lives, especially these past few months, and we are so grateful for all the many blessings that He has given us. We are healthy, happy, and safe! We have more then we could ever hope for, and we know it's all because of Him! We wish you all the best, and we hope all of you are doing well...

We have posted some old /new pics on the blog. We hope you enjoy!

Mackee Turns SEVEN!

Happy Birthday Mackee!

We can't believe it either, but Mackee turned SEVEN this week! This year for her birthday she wanted MONKEY's and lots of them!

We had a pool party in the backyard and boy was it a PARTY! She desperately talked me into getting a monkey pinata! I'm not a big fan, because they are expensive to buy and fill, but it's what she wanted, so she got it!

Keely and her turn at whacking the poor little monkey!

The birthday girl is the one who managed to break it open!

She had a great turn out! I love seeing her with her friends, because now she is getting to the age where they actually have real conversations. It's so cute to watch them play together!

Do you see the CrAzY Indian in the middle of all that?

Yep, sure enough that's Zack! Only he would be willing to jump in the middle of a pool with a bunch of crazy kids. What can I say - he is pretty AMAZING!
It wouldn't be a party without DAD!

Celebrating the 4th of July!

This year for the 4th, we were able to take a trip back home to Idaho Falls! It was nice because we got to see lots of friends and family. The girls loved it, because there was something new for them to do everyday!

Grandma Rae flooded the front yard so all the grandkid's could play in it, and boy did they LOVE IT!

We were able to spend some time with the Koehler side of the family as well. It was fun, because the girls got to get their faces painted, and they got to watch the famous fireworks down on the river! We also took them to the parade, but I manged to forget the camera. You didn't miss anything though, because we about froze to death while we were there.

I bought the girls all new dresses and bows for the occasion, but I never managed to get a pic of all three of them together. This is Mackee and Keely in Nana and Papa's beautiful backyard.

Izzie Turns TWO!

IZZIE has officially hit the terrific TWO's!

We decided to go with a ladybug cake this year, since she's as cute as a BUG!

This year we decided to have just a little family party for her. We figured this would be the last year that we could get away with it, so why not do it why we can.

She honestly didn't even seem to notice, and we made up for it with the gifts!

I can't believe she is TWO already! She is such a cutie, and what a blessing it has been to have her be apart of our family.

Keely Turns FOUR!

Happy Birthday to Keely Jane!

Keely turned FOUR back in April and is already talking about her next birthday! This year she picked Strawberry Shortcake as her theme.

I made her cake of course.... Overall, I was pretty happy with it. It was a lot of work (as always), but it was worth seeing the huge SMILE on her face!

HOLY COW! This girl made out like a bandit :)

Kickin' Off Spring with SOCCER

Mackee started spring soccer this month and how CUTE it is to watch her play. They had their first game this week at 9:30 am and we literally froze our butt's off! As you will notice - the girls are all playing in their coats. My hands were so cold that I only managed to snap a few pictures.

She LOVES playing this sport - it makes me wonder if she is going to be more into sports then girly things like dance and gymnastics.

Lucky her - DAD is the team coach!

He is AMAZING with these girls! I love watching him with them.

At the game I heard him say "do you wanna play sweetheart?" to this adorable little girl on the opposite team.

Can you tell he has THREE little princess at home?

GO TEAM!

Steelhead Fishing

For those of you who know Zack well, then you know that he has a strong passion for fly fishing. He managed to get away for two weekends in a row this month so he could go fish the Clearwater with some of his friends and family. Although the fishing wasn't that great - he had a good time. Except for his ANNUAL speeding ticket that he got on his drive up there. It never fails - every year he gets a speeding ticket when he goes on a "guys" weekend trip! Needless to say I told him from now on he gets to be the back seat driver when he takes these trips.

New Moon Party!

It wouldn't be a GIRLS NIGHT OUT

without a NEW MOON!

All of us girls will come up with any excuse to have a party so once again on 3.20.10 when the dvd released for NEW MOON we celebrated!

JaMmIe PaRtY GrOuP!

Jaclyn, Shera, Camie, Deidre, Raquel, Cathy, Jaymalee, Annette

I made everyone a cute character necklace to wear - it was fun because we pretended we were that character for the night!



What can I say - I have gOoFy friends!



I am so grateful to be blessed with such great friends!
Although I love being a wife and mother,

it's so nice to get together and have some
ME TIME once in awhile :0)

72 Hour Emergency Kits

This past week we have been speaking to the girls about BEING PREPARED! So we decided that it was time to beef up our 72hr emergency kits. For those of you who don't know what a 72hr kit is - then you should know that it is everything that you would need to survive for 72hr's. Unfortunately in today's world you never know what could happen so it's important to always be prepared. More importantly though, we have been counseled by our prophet and the president of the United States to do this.

So we took the girls to Cabela's to pick up some emergency items to go inside our individual backpacks. What a learning experience this has been for them. Needless to say, they now know all about emergency blankets, compasses, waterproof matches, hand and foot warmers, and everything else that you can imagine.

We did however, finally decided to upgrade some of our backpacks and lucky for Zack he gets to carry the big one now. ACTUALLY, he won me over on this one because he will be needing it for a 50mile hike that he will be doing this summer with the young men since he got a new calling. He is no longer the ward librarian - BUMMER! He is now the priest advisor for the young men so his ginormous backpack will come in handy even if there is no emergency.

His picture speaks volumes, but he is prepared - ARE YOU?

It's heavier then it looks!

RAQUEL is prepared - ARE YOU?

GOOD LUCK WITH THAT IZZIE!
IZZIE is prepared - ARE YOU?

KEELY is prepared - ARE YOU?

MACKEE is prepared - ARE YOU?

We all hope and pray that no emergencies ever come our way, but regardless it is a reality that we need to be prepared for. It is our jobs as parent to protect our children and keep them safe so if you don't do it for yourself then please do it for them.
If you are not prepared then we challenge you to become prepared!

72 Hour Kit Suggestions

Enough food and water for 3 days

A change of clothes

Cash

Identification card

Emergency blanket

Whistle

Compass

Hand and Feet Warmers

Waterproof Matches

Newspaper or fire starter item

Flashlight & batteries

Pancho

Water Bottle or Canteen

Knife

Rope

Leather Gloves

Small Tarp

Mess Kit

Small portable stove with fuel

Bathroom items (toilet paper, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap)

Diapers / Wipes

Something comforting from home for your children (stuffed animal, color book & crayons, etc.)

Scriptures

It is recommend that you either vacuum seal your items or put them in a Ziploc bag to keep them from getting wet.

Catching Up!

Now that it's February I have finally found the time to post our Christmas Eve / Christmas Day pictures! Celebrating this last Christmas was so much fun because for the first time in eight years we got to stay home and celebrate under our own tree.

This meant new traditions for our family... On Christmas Eve we got to go visit Santa. Sorry no pics - the kids were to scared! Then we came home and played games together and painted our own ornaments. The kids loved this! I also loved it because it's not only way cheaper but it's also more memorable.

Izzie loved painting for the first time!

Keely and her purple Christmas Tree.

It's her favorite color!

Mackee and her angel because she is one!

Mom and her snowman!



Nice job Dad - it was perfect for his lump of coal!



On Christmas Eve we watched a movie together and then sprinkled reindeer food on the front lawn for Santa's reindeer. It was so magical! You should have seen the girl's faces, they were so excited for Santa to come. When the morning time came we all crept downstairs as a family to see what Santa had left for us....









THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU LEAVE SANTA CHEESE WITH HIS COOKIES!



Staying home this year as a family was WONDERFUL! I am not going to lie... We almost didn't know what to do with ourselves because we didn't have to run from one family to the next. My favorite part though was being able to have Christmas dinner together. Zack made a delicious ham and I made homemade rolls along with plenty of other side dishes. It was so much fun because I got new table linens and dishes and we let the girls eat on them. They were so excited to have the privilege of eating on grown up plates, and I must admit they did a fantastic job of not spilling or breaking anything.