"Families Can Be Together Forever"

Koehler Family Vacation!

2011-05-08T16:05:00.000-07:00

We are so excited to share with you the events of our recent FAMILY VACATION! For the past two years our lives have been so busy that we decided that it was time for a break. Mom finally got a two week break from school, so what a better thing to do then to spend some much needed family time in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA!

For several weeks we planned a family vacation that included a vast amount of activities brought to you by: Universal Studios, Disneyland, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, SeaWorld, and the Pacific Ocean.

What made this trip so exciting was that the girls (Mackee, Keely, & Izzie) had NO IDEA! We kept the vacation a SURPRISE until the morning of. On Saturday morning we woke the girls up early, had new clothes for them to wear, did their hair, blindfolded them, took them downstairs, took off their blindfolds and shouted, "We're Going To Disneyland!" The table was decorated with Mickey Mouse tableware and Grandpa Koehler had HOT and YUMMY Mickey Mouse PANCAKES ready to go!

When we first told the girls they just stood there in astonishment! Then when it finally hit them ~ they all three started jumping up and down with excitement! IT WAS SO CUTE but I don't think they believed us at first. It was less than an hour latter when we were all loaded in the car and ready to go. It was quite the morning because we literally almost MISSED our flight. We had several things come up while at the airport but luckily we made it! The trip home was also event full because poor Mackee was throwing up in a crowded Los Angeles airport and while riding home on a bumpy airplane :(

We did so many fun things that it would take us forever to share them all with you, but we hope you enjoy all the fun pictures and the slide show that we have put together for you. IT WAS SO MUCH FUN! If you haven't ever been to DISNEYLAND then we hope you get to go one day. It is truly a place where MAGIC happens and DREAMS come true.

A HUGE THANKS to Grandpa and Grandma Koehler for coming with us and for helping with some the cost for the girls - we couldn't have done it without you!

FAMILY FAVORITES: Eating lunch with the Disney Princesses, seeing Mickey & Minnie Mouse, ridding on California Screamin', Hotel Tower of Terror, Soarin' Over California, and Indiana Jones. We also loved the shows at SeaWorld, feeding the dolphins, swimming at the hotel, and visiting the San Diego LDS Temple. Dad's favorite of course was fly fishing for Mako Sharks!

Disneyland 2011

2011-05-08T15:58:00.001-07:00

Universal Studios!

2011-05-08T14:26:00.000-07:00

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!

San Diego Zoo Safari Park!

2011-05-07T19:11:00.000-07:00

We also got to spend a day at "San Diego Zoo Safari Park!"
I was grateful that we got to ride on a transit for part of the time because it was HOT out and my legs were tired of WALKING! Overall, we had a pretty good time. Grandpa and Grandma Koehler also seemed to enjoy the ANIMAL ADVENTURE!

The park had a special butterfly exhibit while we were there. It was the coolest thing! They were all so beautiful. We were amazed at how BIG some of them were!

Mommy's favorite animal...
~ THE GIRAFFE ~

Look at these silly WORMS!

The neatest thing about watching the elephants was that we got to watch a baby elephant spray himself down with water to COOL OFF!
It was adorable!

Pictured below you will find a GORILLA! They were pretty LAZY while we were there but I don't blame them. I'd be laying in my den if it was 93 degrees out too!

Fun In The Sun!

2011-05-07T18:40:00.000-07:00

You can't go to Southern California and not visit the beautiful OCEAN. The weather was so HOT that the pacific water was actually warm. The girls had a blast looking for seashells and writing their names in the sand. We brought home a whole collection of interesting things.

Mom and Keely holding up their SPECIAL seashells!

Zack and his dad spent a day fly fishing out on the ocean, while us girls stayed and played at the hotel swimming pool. For THREE WEEKS all Zack could think about was this fishing trip! He spent much of his time tying up these massive orange flies and preparing rods and reels because he was bound and determined to catch a SHARK on his FLY ROD!

If you know Zack well, then you would know that HE DID JUST THAT!

Below the water is about an 80 pound Mako Shark! Unfortunately, he didn't get a very good picture. It was a "quick release" and his dad (who has serious balance issues) wasn't able to get a good shot. Regardless, they both had a great time and will always cherish the memory!

Sea World!

2011-05-07T18:20:00.001-07:00

We ended our vacation by spending a day at SEA WORLD! What a fun day it was... We watched dolphins, whales, and sea lions perform! We visited the polar bears, turtles, penguins, saltwater fish, beluga whales, and everything else that you can imagine. We rode on "Journey to Atlantis," ate ice cream bars, and "BEST OF ALL" we interacted with dolphins!

Keely Turns FIVE!

2011-05-07T17:52:00.001-07:00

Keely finally turned FIVE! It seems as though she had to wait FOREVER for this special day to arrive. Ever since her fourth birthday, all she has talked about is her FIFTH birthday... This year we went with a "Tangled" party theme. Keely loves the movie so much that there was no talking her out of it. She requested a simple Barbie styled cake, which I was more than happy to deliver since it was fairly quick and easy compared to some of the other cakes I have made.

Her second request was to have a SMALL lunch party with only those that she plays with or attends preschool with.

Thanks to my AMAZING friend (Jaclyn) we had the cutest party decorations ever!

Her favorite gift came from her grandma Koehler. Otherwise known as a Lalaloopsy Doll! She thinks its funny that their button eyes freak me out :)
Nevertheless, she sleeps with it every single night!

How did this girl get to be so SPOILED???

I think she got everything that she possibly could have wanted. A huge thanks to everyone who helped make this day special for Keely.
She LOVED it!

Enjoying The Great Outdoors!

2010-10-26T14:38:00.000-07:00

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".

Horseback Ridding!

2010-10-26T14:03:00.000-07:00

The girls finally got to go horseback ridding! 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 ridding 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!

Catching Up!

2010-07-31T17:42:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-07-31T17:17:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-07-31T16:45:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-07-31T16:18:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-07-31T16:04:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-21T09:44:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-21T09:25:00.001-07:00

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!

2010-03-21T09:02:00.000-07:00

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)

72hr Emergency Kits

2010-02-09T22:05:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-02-09T21:17:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-12-23T15:39:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Family,

We hope all of you are enjoying this holiday season. We are so sorry that you will not be receiving a Christmas card in the mail from us this year. Life has just been to busy for us these past few months and so we hope you will forgive us and enjoy the yearly update of our lives on our family blog instead. This past year has been very challenging for our family but also very rewarding. We have been very blessed and we are grateful for all the things Heavenly Father has blessed us with.

Zack has been steadily working this year, which is the biggest blessing of all. Right now with the economy, which I am sure many of you are feeling the effects of, its not necessarily the best time to be in construction. However, thanks to the hard worker that he is, he has stayed working full time out to Micron doing what he does best (plumbing/pipefitting). Besides work he is currently playing on a city basketball team and helping me raise three beautiful little girls. Yes, for those of you who don't know, his church calling for the past year has been the WARD LIBRARIAN. This is a good calling for him because it forces him to TALK TO PEOPLE, something that is a little out of his comfort zone. He has spent much of this last year folding LOADS, LOADS, and more LOADS of laundry and I even have him cooking in the kitchen when necessary. "What can I say, desperate times call for desperate measures." Other than that he still has a passion for fly fishing and his new hobby GOLD PANNING. I am hoping that one of these days he will strike it rich or strike enough to at least pay for the hobby!

I (Raquel) have been so busy this past year that I hardly have time to sleep :) I wouldn't trade my life for anything though. This is my 5th year of teaching preschool and I still love it! I have a class of 13 kids this year and that's enough to keep me on my toes. When I am not tending to the children's needs or the housework, I am studying for school. Yes, for those of you that don't know, I am finishing my elementary education degree. Being a full time student has brought about many challenges and has really taught me how to balance my time, but I enjoy the learning and through much prayer I know I am doing what I am supposed to be doing. Right now my graduation date will be in December of 2011! Thankfully, I am not starting from the beginning and I only have two years left. I haven't had much time for hobbies lately but I do enjoy volunteering often at Mackee's school, and I am still currently serving as a primary teacher for our ward. This year I have learned that I HAVE THE BEST HUSBAND IN THE WORLD. I could never accomplish all the things that I do in a day without him. Although it can be challenging at times, he is right there supporting me every step of the way.

Mackee is in first grade this year and she is doing awesome! She gets a 100% on almost all her spelling tests, she is grasping the concept of reading, and she is even learning how to do math this year. Her teacher brags to me about how wonderful she is at school, so now I am just hoping that will transfer to the home sometime soon :) Lately she has taken an interest in wanting to play music and she is signed up to play soccer for the first time this spring. She is wonderful at helping me around the house and almost everyday she tells me she wants to grow up and become a mommy.

Keely is in preschool with me this year. It's been fun to teach her and watch her grow. She has been starting to make her own new little friends and it's so cute to watch her play with them. She is still the girly girl that she has always been. You can often find her all dressed up, carrying a purse, and wearing high heels. This past summer was the first time we could actually get her to touch a fish without freaking out.

Izzie is as busy as ever. She follows her sisters around the house all day and her favorite thing to do is eat. Don't let that little girl fool you though, she can almost out eat her mom and dad. Her new thing lately is to pack around a baby. She loves wrapping them up in blankets while pretending to feed them. She has brought a lot of joy into our lives, but we will be so happy when she is old enough to be potty trained :)

We hope all of you are doing well and we hope the Lord blesses each one of you. We love you all and we wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love,

Zack, Raquel, Mackee, Keely, & Izzie

Visiting Family

2009-12-23T14:57:00.000-08:00

We traveled back home to Idaho Falls over the holidays. We spent time feasting for Thanksgiving and then we recently went back again to have an early Christmas with grandpa's and grandma's. I couldn't post all the pictures because there are just to many, but here is a sneak peak of our trip back home.

Izzie with her new glow worm. "Thanks to uncle Garett" it's her favorite toy. I just had to throw away her old one, so she was exited to get another one.

Keely with her favorite thing "dress-up clothes" from Grandma Koehler. For those who know Keely best, they know she is as girly as they come. All she wears these days is dress-up clothes. She is always begging me to paint her nails for her, and she is notorious for sneaking into my purse and putting on my lip gloss.

Mackee with her new guitar "Thanks Grandma Rae!" This was the most wanted item on her list this year and ever since she got it, she hasn't stop playing it. She can already play "Jingle Bell's" on it, and it's adorable to watch.

Just a cute picture of Adyson and Izzie!

Finally, I am posting a picture of me and my adorable niece and nephew (Treyson & Aubrie). How fun it is to have a set of twins in the family. I am so glad though that I am the aunt and not the mom. Raegan, I don't know how you do it - your AMAZING!

Just a fun picture of me and my cousin Sherise.

While we were down in Idaho Falls I got to spend some time with my BEST FRIEND since kindergarten "Chantele". I was so excited because I also got to see her mommy "Rose" who was literally my second mom while growing up. I LOVE YOU GUYS!

New Moon!

2009-12-23T14:10:00.000-08:00

A group of us girls went to see New Moon back in November when it hit the big screen. Needless to say we were NOT dissapointed. It was so much fun to get together. Afterwards we all enjoyed dinner at Red Robin.

This is a picture of us sitting on the floor at the theatre. We arrived really early so we could get good seats. For two years in a row now we have been the first one's into the theatre, which is a must when you have a group of 13 or more.

I was so excited because my Aunt Melissa and my cousins Sherise and Katie drove all the way from Blackfoot to come and watch NEW MOON with me! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME :)

GO TEAM EDWARD!

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-04T12:22:00.000-08:00

I know many of you have been waiting to see these fun Halloween pictures. My apologies for not getting them out sooner, I have been extremely busy. Poor Keely had the swine flu for almost two weeks, that explains why she is wearing pajamas in all the pictures. We were very thankful that her and Izzie both, felt better for Halloween.

To start off some holiday fun, the girls decorated a spooky haunted house out of gingerbread.

Carving Pumpkins!

Mackee's Pumpkin!

Keely's Pumpkin!

Mommy and Izzie's Pumpkin!

Keely The Cowgirl!

Izzie The Duck!

Mackee as Hannah Montana!

Family portrait at Trunk or Treat!
Can you tell that Zack obviously went as himself...

I think they got everything they wanted, including a trip to the dentist!

Isn't she cute?
If only she knew we weren't going to let her eat it all.

We thought you should know that Keely actually won a costume contest this year because her cowgirl hat had blinking lights on it. You should have seen how proud she was when they announced it.
She received a gift certificate to McDonald's.

Halloween Fun!

2009-10-19T19:39:00.001-07:00

My time with the girls lately has been more limited than I am used to. I guess that is part of the challenges of going back to college. So this past week I decided to surprise Mackee at her school and whisk her off early so all of us girls could go on a mommy daughter date. Some of my friends and their children joined us as well. I took the girls to a place called The Berry Ranch. Otherwise known as a pumpkin patch. We spent time together going through a hay maze, playing on some old farm equipment, and picking out pumpkins. The girls and I loved it and I think as mom's it's important we make time for such small and simple things.

A cute picture of Mackee and Keely on the wagon with some of my friends children.

Mackee and Keely were fascinated with all the old farm equipment.

Mackee and her pumpkin!

Izzie sitting on some pumpkins!

Keely and her pumpkin!

I also wanted to celebrate some holiday fun with the girls by making a craft. Thanks to my sister Raegan for the idea, we decided as part of our family night this week we would make some SPOOKY GHOST'S.

Keely got a little excited about drawing her face on, but it was fun to see her get creative.

It's just a plastic garbage sack that is formed over a wire hanger. The picture below gives you a better idea of what they look like once you hang them up.

D is for DUCKS!

2009-10-19T19:10:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine owns two ducks and every year she brings them into my preschool on the letter "D" day. This year I got some cute pictures of Keely and Izzie and thought they were worth sharing.

My babysitter was sick that day so Izzie ended up joining us for preschool. It was a fun day to have her. She was so cute and soft with the ducks. To my surprise she didn't even get scared.

First Grade Fall Program

2009-10-19T18:58:00.000-07:00

Mackee's school put on a first grade fall singing program.

It was adorable to watch.

Of course Mackee was not shy one bit.

What can I say - she loves being the center of attention.

After the program I had several parents come up to me and tell me they watched her because she was so stinking cute! She was very DRAMATIC!

Eastern Idaho State Fair

2009-10-04T20:01:00.000-07:00

Our lives have been so busy that I am just now getting around to making this post. The pictures were just to cute not to share, so better late then never.

The most exciting news we have to share right now is that Izzie is finally walking. (Sorry no picture at this time). On top of that, Mackee is doing really well in school and has earned a 100% on almost every spelling test she has had so far. Keely is doing well with preschool and has been busy making lots of her own friends. As far as me, I am lucky I have time to even make this post. When I am not locked in the bedroom studying then I am working on preschool stuff, or cooking and cleaning. Life has been very busy for us and has brought upon some challenges but it has also been good at the same time. The good news is that, I am doing very well in school so let's hope I can keep it up. Zack has been Mr. Mom pitching in whenever he can to help with the girls so I have plenty of study time. Bless his heart, I don't know what I would do without such a supportive husband. Don't worry though, I am arranging a fishing trip for the poor guy so he can have a break.

About a month ago we got to go to Idaho Falls and spend time with our family. One of the fun perks of the trip was that the whole family got to go to the Eastern Idaho State Fair together. It was a blast and the girls loved it. They got to go with their cousins so that was icing on top of the cake for them. A huge thanks to Grandma Rae and Grandpa Barry for taking us...

A family full of COWGIRLS!

Mackee, Sydnie, Kambrie, Izzie, Keely

The girls loved the petting zoo!

Izzie wanted to touch all the animals, unlike her sister Keely she wasn't scared of any of them.

Rides, Rides, Rides, and more Rides!

What a good Grandpa! We made Barry take the girls on the carousel, because none of us wanted to get dizzy.

Mom and Keely on the train ride. We had to impervise since Keely didn't hit the height requirement on a lot of them. She didn't seem to mind though.

GAME TIME!

I think the dollar store would have been cheaper on grandpa's wallet, but the girls LOVED their prizes!

Parking $15.00, Entrance $60.00, Food $100.00, Rides $70.00, Games $50.00

Time Together With Family - PRICELESS!

Back To School!

2009-09-01T14:13:00.000-07:00

"Beyond our study of spiritual matters, secular learning is also essential... I urge you to pursue your education - if you are not already doing so or have not done so - that you might be prepared to provide if circumstances necessitate such. Your talents will expand as you study and learn. You will be able to better assist your families in their learning and you will have peace of mind in knowing that you have prepared yourself for the eventualities that you may encounter in life."

President Thomas S. Monson

"My dear sisters, don't ever sell yourself short as a woman or as a mother. Do not let the world define, denigrate, or limit your feelings of lifelong learning and the

values of motherhood in the home - both here mortally and in the eternal learning and benefits your give to your children and to your companion. Lifelong learning is essential to the vitality of the human mind, body, and soul. It enhances self-worth and self-actuation. Lifelong learning is invigorating mentally and is a great defense against aging, depression, and self-doubt."

Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

You read it, you guessed it! I am going back to school. After much thought and much prayer, Zack and I finally feel that the time is right for me to finish my education. However, I have transferred schools. I am not going back to Boise State like I had always intended, I am attending NNU. They have an excellent elementary education program and I am looking at being a college graduate in 2.5 years. WISH ME LUCK! I am going to need it on top of being a full time mom, wife, preschool teacher, primary teacher, house maid, and personal chef. I must say though that this was not an easy decision and it wouldn't be possible if I didn't have an amazing husband who is very supportive and willing to take on extra roles in the home to make sure our family is well taken care of.

Not only is mom going back to school, but Keely started preschool this year. She is so excited to finally get to stay during preschool instead of being shipped elsewhere so mom could teach.

Pictured below is Keely at

"Back to School Night"!

Mackee and her first day of FIRST GRADE! We just can't believe how fast she is growing. The early mornings have been smoother then I expected and I have found that I get more done during the day, but I do miss her being away for so long.

Mackee at "Back To School Night" with her new first grade teacher Ms. Cash
Don't you just love the side pony tail.

Total 80's look!

Gotta Love These Girls!

2009-09-01T13:19:00.000-07:00

The girls wanted to show off their dresses before we headed out the door to church so Zack snapped a few quick photo's,

I love these dresses (thanks to my wonderful aunt Melissa), I only had to buy one out of the three. When we were at church this little girl (Sydney), looks over and tells her mom "they look like baker's". I JUST LOVE IT!

Izzie BUSY! This girl will not stay out of stuff... She is into everything and she is not even walking yet. We are happy to announce though that she will take 3-4 steps occasionally, but other than that she has no interest in walking. She absolutely loves pulling out the bottom of the stove drawer and climbing in and out of it. It's kinda cute because after pulling all the cake pans out and literally throwing them on the ground, she does attempt to put them back.

Mackee's New Toy!

2009-08-16T20:32:00.001-07:00

We got to go camping this past weekend up to Mackay, Idaho with Zack's side of the family, and uncle Garett decided to spoil Mackee yet again for her birthday. He is famous for this. He bought her a pink 22 riffle. Of course she absolutely loves it, and believe it or not she had excellent shot placement and it was her first time using it. She must get that from her mother! A huge thanks to uncle Garett for such a special gift that will be getting used quite often.

Mackee and her daddy!

Shot placement results after the first couple of shots!

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING FOR A SIX YEAR OLD!

Mackee was pretty excited to get such a neat gift. No worries though, this gun will be locked in our safe and safety rules will be reiterated every time it is used. It's exciting for me as a mom to see her use it because it brings back so many memories of my dad taking me out to learn how to shoot when I was little.

So not that we are trying to brag about our talented daughter, but you know fly fishing is more important then hunting in this family. Below is a picture of Mackee showing off her Brooke trout and her famous Cinderella fly rod built by her dad.

On top of all the outdoor fun. Izzie had some fun of her own while camping. Whenever her sisters would take her for a ride in the JEEP, she would laugh hysterically every time. It was so cute!

Just Another Cake!

2009-08-16T20:22:00.000-07:00

I am posting this cake because I know some of you enjoy seeing what fun things I can do in the kitchen. I made this cake for one our good friends (Kotton Corder). He graduated from the electricians trade so this was the best idea I could come with on short notice. I won't decorate a cake for just anybody but since I am married to a man who completed a trade program I know what hard work and dedication it takes to achieve something like this. He was very deserving of it. Yes, it's all 100% edible including all the tools on the side.

Happy Birthday Mackee!

2009-08-02T20:27:00.001-07:00

Our baby girl turned 6yrs old on August 1st! We can't believe she is growing up so fast. What a joy she has been to have in our lives. For those who know Mackee best know that she is very outgoing and very loving. She can make a friend anywhere she goes and is always willing to help you. When she grows up she wants to be a mommy! She loves to swim, fish, camp, ride her 4-wheeler, and help her mommy bake in the kitchen. She has a mind of her own and is not afraid to tell you what's right and what's wrong. We love her for that because sometimes she reminds us as parents of the things that we are suppose to do. Mackee we love you and we hope all your dreams come true!

Mackee chose to have a SNOW WHITE birthday party this year! What a fun party it was. She had over 21 friends show up to celebrate this special day with her. A "friend" party is what she asked for so that is what she got. The cake was a lot harder to put together then it looks, but most importantly Mackee loved it and so all the hard work was worth it in the end.

Princess Mackee! Isn't she cute?

We played lots of fun games. Mackee's picks were: mining for gold, bobbing for apples, musical chairs, and red rover. I think the bobbing for apples was the hit of the day!

Thank you to all those who came to make this day very special for Mackee, she loved every minute of it!

2009-07-14T16:06:00.000-07:00

Koehler Family

Est. July 17, 1999

This month Zack and I our celebrating our TENTH ANNIVERSARY. It's hard to believe that we have been married so long. He is the man I fell in love with so many years ago and he is still the man that I am head over heel's for. Even back when we were dating I could picture myself raising a family with this man. Here we are today with three beautiful little girls. I can't say it's always been easy juggling a family, career, bills, church callings, recreational activities, etc, but we have always found a way.

At the end of the day the only thing that matters is that I have my best friend to share it with.Thank you sweetie for all that you do for me!

Happy 10th Anniversary!

Celebrate our anniversary with us by checking out our slide show of LAS VEGAS. A huge thanks to Grandpa & Grandma Koehler and the Bowman Family for helping us with the girls. We couldn't have done it without you...

2009-07-14T15:59:00.001-07:00

INTRUDER!

2009-07-14T15:19:00.000-07:00

So while the girls and I were up to Green Canyon for the week, Zack called and told me we had an INTRUDER in the backyard. Well, come to find out it was this guy!

A ROCK CHUCK!

Zack was not about to let him destroy our backyard or tear up our beautiful garden so he decided to take some action. So he borrowed our neighbors high powered pellet gun and shot it in the head several times. Well, Zack said it just sat there looking at him so finally after awhile Zack decided to use something more powerful. Notice the arrows in the picture.

When we got home the girls asked daddy where the rock chuck was at now and they were disappointed to find out that he was laying in a land field somewhere.

Ocean In A Jar!

2009-07-14T14:12:00.000-07:00

For activity day this week we had the kids paint with pudding and make an ocean in a jar. It was a fun activity, enjoy the pics!

Directions: Fill the jar 1/2 full of water and then add in 1-2 drops of blue food coloring (if desired). Then add in all sorts of sea shells, rocks, sand dollars, etc. Fill the remaining jar with OIL and then secure a lid on the top. Watch your kids enjoy finding their sea shells by looking into the blue ocean water.

Have your kids paint a picture with pudding. When they are done let them enjoy licking their fingers!

Swimming In The Creek!

2009-07-14T13:54:00.001-07:00

We went camping with some of our friends (Curry Family) this past weekend. The kids absolutely loved it and who knew that swimming in a freezing cold creek could be so much fun!

Mackee and her friend Trinity floating down the creek. It was so cold that they were the only two willing to submerge completely under water. They loved it!

I had to post this cute picture of Izzie. We had to put a bandanna on her head because she wouldn't keep a hat on and the sun was hot that day!

Happy Birthday America!

2009-07-02T19:46:00.000-07:00

For activity day this week we celebrated America. We let the kids frost and decorate their very own cake. We turned on some patriotic music and away they went with the frosting and some fondant cutouts. It was cute to see them celebrate it like a real birthday!

I think we have some future bakers on our hands! Maybe that is why Heavenly Father blessed us with all girls. We could use a few more Betty Crocker's.

I am sure their future husbands will appreciate it!

No More Training Wheels!

2009-07-02T19:32:00.000-07:00

Mackee has officially learned how to ride her bike without training wheels. It took lots of practice thanks to the help of her daddy, but she finally figured it out. I was beginning to wonder if she would ever get the hang of it because she seriously had no sense of balance. She has only crashed a few times. Nothing a band-aid can't fix!

Good Job Mackee!

Keely is now a proud bike rider in training...

Izzie doesn't seem to mind just sitting back and watching...

Rainbow Necklaces & Face Painting

2009-06-18T19:55:00.000-07:00

ACTIVITY DAY!

Rainbow Necklaces: 5 drops of your favorite food coloring mixed with 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol. Let large pieces of pasta soak in the mixture for 1hr. After the pasta dries out let your kids string it onto yarn and make a pretty necklace. Make all the colors you want!

I am not the most talented face painter, but I tried. Thankfully, the girls don't expect perfection.

Keely and her butterfly!

Mackee and my attempt at Cinderella!

Notice the pretty necklaces they are wearing!

Field Trip

2009-06-18T19:27:00.000-07:00

Krispy Kreme & Settler's Park

Last week for activity week we took the kids on a field trip. We took them to Krispy Kreme and then to Settler's Park. The kids loved watching the doughnuts being made at Krispy Kreme. The cool thing was that we took Mackee's report card in and she got 6 free doughnuts for 1 report card. So we got to eat for free plus they gave all the kid's these cute hat's to wear.

(Mackee, Keely, Allie, Jace, Jackson)

Izzie & Jackson

Oh, aren't they cute!

Keely playing in the water at Settler's Park. She does NOT like to get wet.

We picked the perfect day to go because it wasn't to hot and the girls loved it. We enjoy playing at this free park often becuase it's AMAZING. It's loaded with water toys, music toys, swings, a rock wall, & a very large playset.
.

Looks like some climbing monkey's
if you ask me!

Bird Feeder's & Homemade Pizza's

2009-06-10T14:19:00.000-07:00

Now that school is out my friend Janell and I have planned out summer activities to do with the kids. We meet once a week and so far the girls are loving it. I will try and post all of our weekly activities in case some of you are looking for fun things to do over summer break. Last week our activity was to make bird feeder's and homemade pizza's.

Bird Feeder's: Let your kids spread peanut butter all over large pine cone's. Then have them roll the pine cone's in bird seed. Hang the pine cone's from a tree and enjoy watching the birds eat off of it together!

Homemade Pizza's: Let your kids spread pizza sauce on top of ENGLISH MUFFINS, then have them top it with their favorite toppings. Bake in the oven until the toppings are cooked and then enjoy eating lunch together!

Kindergarten Graduation

2009-06-10T13:31:00.000-07:00

Mackee Rae Koehler

Has officially graduated from kindergarten. She is growing like a weed, and before long she will be headed to 1st grade. We are so proud of her. She has spent the past year working hard on sight words, shapes, math, telling time, segmenting, patterns, and reading. She loved kindergarten and even though she was the youngest student in her class you would never know it because she did very well! Mackee says her favorite thing about kindergarten was getting to go out to recess. She loves to play and is quite the little social bug!

Mrs. Parke and Mackee
WOW! What an amazing teacher she had!

Kindergarten Graduation Performance!

CAMP-OUT!

2009-05-27T14:07:00.000-07:00

We went camping over Memorial weekend. It was our first trip of the season. We went up to "Silver Creek Plunge" with some good friends of ours. We had a blast! Fishing, 4-wheeling, swimming, campfires, & exploring. You name it we did it!

Here is a picture of Mackee on the brand new 4-wheeler her dad insisted on getting. One of the sporting good stores close to us was going out of business and we just happened to show up right after they marked it down 40% off... Spoiled rotten if you ask me, but Mackee absolutely loves it and she does amazingly well on it. She is a little speed demon though so we have to tell her over and over not to go to fast on it.

I always try and find fun activities for the girl's while we are camping and this trip they got to decorate some really cute princess crowns. All of our friends that went with us have girl's as well so it was the perfect craft.

Mackee kissing our dog "Porter". I don't think I have ever posted a picture of him before but he is apart of our family so here you go.

The campsite we stayed at had a natural hot springs swimming pool. It was so nice and warm - even I loved it! It makes for the perfect bath while camping because believe me our kids know how to get dirty...

80's Night!

2009-05-27T13:17:00.000-07:00

My friends and I had an 80's Party This Week!

For those of us who were willing to dress-up, totally brought back some memories.

We played an 80's trivia game and watched the movie Mannequin together. It was so much fun! The thing I remember the most about the 80's was my mom wearing those pretty leg warmers while she worked out. I totally wish I had a picture of that one mom! Notice the stirrup stretch pants that I am wearing. NICE!

Cathy, Raquel, & Janell

Cabbage Patch Kids were a total hit

during the 80's.

Does my friend Shera remind you of one?

These are The Days of Our Lives as stay at home mommies!

Izzie's 1st Birthday

2009-05-20T19:22:00.000-07:00

Happy 1st Birthday

Izzie Arlene Koehler

We celebrated Izzie's 1st Birthday over the weekend. It's hard to believe she is ONE already. We had some good friends over to celebrate with us which we are so thankful for. It's special occasion's like these that we hate living so far away from family. The party was lots of fun. We roasted hot dogs over the fire, watched the kids (including Zack) have a water balloon fight, and admired Izzie's attempt to eat the tissue paper.

It wouldn't be a party without the cake, so this time I chose to make a Carebear cake in the shape of the number one. I don't think Izzie cared much for the way it was decorated but she sure loved eating it.

We love you Izzie and we are so blessed to have you be apart of our family. You are truly a CHILD OF GOD, and your sweet spirit has brought such a peaceful feeling to our home.

Izzie's Crawling!

2009-05-07T12:24:00.000-07:00

AND SHE IS OFF...

Finally after 11 month's IZZIE ARLENE is crawling. She has been our latest crawler but she finally figured it out. It's so cute to see her find her way around the house. Although I must say it was kinda nice that it took her this long to be mobile. Now we have to worry about stairs and all the things she seems to find which go directly in her mouth.

On top of crawling she has progressed in so many other ways. She is clapping! It's adorable because sometimes it's almost like she is proud of herself. She is also saying "da, da, da" and "hi". She waves bye bye and can blow kisses. The Kisses exspecially will make your heart melt.

I have to post a picture of these adorable socks. My mom's good friend Ramona made them for Izzie and there are darling. Even Izzie loves them. Thanks Mona can't wait to see what other cute things you come up with.

Mackee is not only the big sister but she is our little mommy. She loves Izzie to pieces. She will beg me sometimes to let her pick out Izzies clothes for the day and then asks if she can dress her. It's like she has her own personal doll.

Here is a pic of Mackee dressing her.
Izzie was so impressed she was clapping!

Raegan's Baby Shower!

2009-05-03T16:56:00.000-07:00

I went to Idaho Falls over the weekend to throw my sister a baby shower. It was a lot of work pulling it all together but it turned out fantastic and I really enjoyed spending time with her and the rest of my family. She had a really good turn out and got more stuff than you could imagine. There was literally so many gifts that we had to start transporting them to the bedroom because there was no room for them!

Here is the beautiful pic of Raegan on the baby shower day. Doesn't she look fabulous for being pregnant with twins! She is currently on strict bed rest because she is dilating and having to many contractions. Her doctor wants her to make it a few more weeks. They gave her a couple steroid shots this past week to helps the babies lungs develop faster and have been dosing her with lots of medication. We are excited for their arrival but we are praying she can make it to 35 weeks.

For those who know me well, know that I am borderline OCD (just kidding) so I had to make sure that everything was just right and color coordinated. No fancy cake this time. I just made some good old fashioned yummy cupcakes.

We played the game "The Price is Right"! It was a lot of fun, and I think the guest enjoyed it more than the dirty diaper game we played shortly after.

After spending the weekend with my sister it makes me so happy not to be pregnant right now, but I am ecstatic that she is! Hang in there sis, it will be over with before you know it.

Happy Birthday Keely!

2009-04-13T20:24:00.000-07:00

Keely's 3rd birthday fell on Easter this year and so to top off the birthday fun we traveled as a family to Idaho Falls to celebrate both of the special occasions. For those who know Keely well, they know that she absolutely adores Tinkerbell so of course it was only natural for her to pick that as her party theme. Thanks to aunt Raegan we had Keely's party at her house and it couldn't have turned out any better.

All Keely wanted for her birthday was to play with her cousins Sydnie and Kambrie and of course some BUBBLES for blowing. The girls had a blast the entire weekend and Zack and I were worn out by the time we got back home. but the drive was well worth it because they had so much fun.

I made Keely's Tinkerbell cake and I was glad that all the hard work paid off because she literally sat and stared at it all day... Thankfully it survived the 4 1/2 hr drive.

Keely with her cousins Sydnie & Kambrie, her sister Mackee, and her buddy Preston.

I can't believe my little girl is now 3yr's old. It's amazing how fast she is growing. Just over the passed month she has been surprising Zack and I with her speech and how big she acts. She is mommy's big helper. We love her dearly and we are so thankful to our Heavenly Father for letting her be apart of our family.

Keely and Grandpa Koehler!

Keely's birthday was so special that she even had a pirate show up at the party!

(Thanks Grandma Koehler)

Thank you to all those who attended Keely's special day!

She is loving all her gifts!

Painting Easter Eggs!

2009-04-13T20:10:00.000-07:00

Mackee and Keely painted eggs with their cousins during the b-day party! They had so much fun doing it that they didn't even want help from the adults.

Believe it or not, 9 dozen eggs latter the mess wasn't all that bad to clean up! We actually found that brown eggs color darker so it was kinda fun to use both brown and white eggs.

Why use the egg holder's when your hands work just fine! It only took two solid days to get them puppies cleaned...

Twilight Party!

2009-03-25T11:20:00.000-07:00

So over the past week I have been having to much fun with TWILIGHT! The DVD released on Friday night (March 20th) at midnight. My friend Jessica and I went to Wal-Mart the night it came out and we participated in a scavenger hunt that the store put on. The first person done with the scavenger hunt won the Special Edition Twilight DVD and they also got to be the first person in line to check out. Well after running threw the store like a mad women (good thing I hit the gym on a regular basis) my friend Jessica and I actually WON the scavenger hunt! It was so awesome. There was probably over 200 people there that night buying the movie - it was crazy! Plus we got some really cool Team Edward Tattoo's and Do Not Disturb Door Hangers just for going to the event.

On top of all that fun I hosted a Twilight Party for some of my Twilight Friends that are in my ward. My friend Jessica and I spent the afternoon decorating the house for this special occasion and she even brought over her TWILIGHT FRAMED POSTER (I am totally jealous of it). We started the night off by leaving the kids at home and meeting for dinner at TGI Friday's. After dinner we all came back to the house and we played a Twilight Trivia game and had ice cream sundae's. Then all twelve of us snuggled on the couches and we watched EDWARD once again (That was my 4th time). We had a lot of fun until I finally kicked everybody out at 2:00 am.

I can't wait for the 2nd movie NEW MOON to hit the big screen.

Enjoy the slide show!

Twilight Madness!

2009-03-25T11:19:00.001-07:00

2009-03-18T21:19:00.000-07:00

I am sorry I don't have pics for this post - I was to tired to get the camera out. However, since this is our family journal I wanted to post about our holiday fun for St. Patrick's Day. In the morning we found that the Leprechauns visited our preschool room. They left green painted footprints on the tables, chocolate cold coins, and paper shamrocks. They turned everything upside down in the room - silly Leprechauns! That night we had a "green" family dinner. The table had green colored shamrocks all over it and special glasses filled with Leprechaun juice. We got to eat green mashed potatoes and miniature green cupcakes for dessert. We finally ended the day with a St. Patrick's Day storybook.

THE GIRLS LOVED IT AND ARE ALREADY LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING IF THEY CAN CATCH A LEPRECHAUN NEXT YEAR!

Recreational Activities!

2009-03-16T15:22:00.000-07:00

Steelhead Fishing

Zack got to take his annual steelhead fishing trip with his dad this past weekend. They FLY-FISH the Clearwater up by Grangeville Idaho and as you can tell by the pics they were successful. They had a pretty good time all except for the fact that Zack's dads car broke down and left them stranded. Thanks to Raquel who drove 8hr's to rescue her hubby. Don't worry though I milked it for all it was worth! Zack was running errands and taking care of the kids for me when we got home and I am sure he will be giving me a much needed back massage tonight to make-up for it.

While dad was gone me and the girls had a (partial) weekend of fun ourselves. Our ward had a karaoke party so me and some of my friends lip-sang as midgets. It was pretty funny! We hip-hoped to a song about "The Three Little Pigs". Afterwards we were judge by "Amerian Idol Judges" and they told us our performance rocked and that we were on our way to VEGAS...

Performance By: Jessica, Raquel, Janell, & Christie

The girls and I had a mommy daughter day on Saturday. After they did all their household chores I took them to lunch and then shopping. I bought them these adorable robes on clearance. We then came back home and snuggled on the couch with a bowl full of chocolate ice cream topped with their favorite whipped cream out of the can. We then watched a movie until we got the bad news that dad needed help! It was a lot of fun spending time with the girls and I even let them sleep in our bed (except Izzie) because dad was gone and they thought that was quite the treat!

Saturday Day Night Fun!

2009-03-08T17:51:00.000-07:00

On Saturday night we had some family fun by making snickerdoodle cookies, building a fort, and watching a family movie together.

Mackee and Keely are sure good helper's in the kitchen.

Their favorite part is getting to lick the utensils.

Cousin Katie stayed with us for the weekend. What fun she was to have in our home. The girls adore her. A big thanks to her for babysitting for us so Zack and I could go out on a date the night before.

I snapped this adorable picture of the girls watching the cookies bake in the oven. They were so excited to EAT THEM!

The finished product! YUM YUM...

I think the girls will make fantastic bakers some day!

After cookies Dad said it was pajama time! Then dad helped the girls build a fort, but first he let them ride down the stairs on the cushions. They loved it!

As you can see my living room was converted into a fort using the kitchen table

GREAT IDEA DAD!

(No wonder why he won't let me buy a new table)

Finally, we all snuggled up inside the fort and watched a family movie!

It was a lot of fun. Thanks to Katie who was willing to actually sleep in the fort

overnight with the girls so that Zack and I could sleep in our own bed.

(Sorry there are no pics of Izzie, she was already fast asleep in her own bed!)

Izzie Arlene Koehler

2009-02-19T12:36:00.000-08:00

Izzie is now 9 months old! She is growing so fast and she is so much fun... I love this picture of her. She loves, loves, loves this jumper (thanks to Janell). She fell asleep in it the other day and it was so cute because Zack and I would just sit there and watch her and she would just start jumping while she was still asleep. She has been such a blessing to our family. She is rolling all over the place and looks like she wants to crawl but is still not doing it quite yet. We love her to pieces and we will keep you updated on her baby progress.

Valentines Day!

2009-02-19T11:47:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun as a family for VALENTINES DAY!

My cousin Sherise and her hubby Nate came and stayed with us for the weekend. It was a lot of fun! However, I did have to light a candle after Sherise left. Thanks to those box of chocolates she ate and then aired out while staying with us.

First thing Valentines morning - we went to the Boise Temple as couples and then afterwards we had lunch together. Thanks to my friend Tiffany who babysat for us (we couldn't have gone without you, so thank you so much!)

When we got back we took the girls swimming for the afternoon. Then to top the night off we had a special Valentine Dinner at home. It's been tradition for us the last couple of years to decorate the table and make it a family event. The girls loved it.

The girls got their special Valentine Pillowcases from mom & dad as their big gift. Then of course thanks to Grandma's and Grandpa's they got more candy then they will be allowed to eat! They loved every bit of it though so THANK YOU!

Surprise Birthday Party For Zack!

2009-02-08T21:45:00.000-08:00

Zacks birthday is on Tues. Feb 10th and this year I decided to go all out. I planned a surprise adult birthday party for him "another year down the drain" and it turned out better than expected. My goal was to embarrass him and I am pretty sure I succeeded. I did however make sure that it was only our closest of friends at the party for his sake but the pics were to much fun not to blog about.

I made him a toilet bowl cake since he is a plumber and all.

Don't worry it was all edible including the tootsie rolls.

"Everything Turns To Crap After 32"

To get the night started I talked some of his closest buddies into dressing up like "Old Grannies". Needless to say they did better than expected because they were all knockout's. They sang a karaoke song just for Zack. All my hubby kept saying to me was "you are so dead".

Isn't He Cute?

It wouldn't be a birthday party without the gifts right? So "The Grannies" found some cute undies "yes, they were clean" and signed them personally just for Zack so he could have a keepsake of this speical event.

Once we got all the embarrissing stuff out of the way we played some fun couples games. They were all a lot of fun. I think all of our guts were hurting by the end of the night from laughing so hard.

The girls had to shave the boys with a spoon blindfolded!

Then we played a couple of games using apples. Our winner's were Aaron and Janell. They were more cordianted than any of us. Good Job Guys!

Who's wife can pop the balloon the fastest?

I am pretty sure Zack and I won that one.

Are you good enough to belong in the stick club?

Janell is for sure! "You GO Girl"

I think some of the boys may have pulled a muscle or two trying this one out but it was funny to watch.

This party was a lot of fun and I just want all our friends to know how much I appreciate them for coming and for making it one of the funniest nights I have ever had. It will not be forgotten. A huge hug and kiss to my hubby who was a good sport. Happy Birthday Sweetie!

SLUMBER PARTY!

2009-02-08T21:03:00.000-08:00

Mackee and Keely got to have a slumber party with some of their neighbor friends because they finally filled their marble jars... The girls earn marbles when they do things that they are suppose to. After two long hard weeks of listening, going to bed when asked, being kind, and doing chores they finally got their reward. Sleepover's are not something that happen very often in our home so it was a very special occasion. They had a blast doing eachother's make-up, painting their nails, dancing, watching a movie, and eating breakfast together.

Enjoy the pics!

Me And The Girls!

2009-01-29T12:04:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to make a post about the benefits of being a mother who stays in the home. Although it can be very stressful at times, it is so worth the end result. You get so many more opportunities to see the cute things your child does and to hear the special things they might say. I love my girls! These are some of the moments I got to share with my girls this week.

We baked cupcakes while I watched them decorate with mounds of chocolate frosting and loads of candy sprinkles.

I watched the girls "go fishing" inside the house with a stick and a sheet while learning about the importance of family.

We played bingo together on the TV!

We washed the dishes together. Who knew that Mackee could rinse and Keely could put them in the dishwasher at such a young age.

I did the girls hair and then they did mommy's hair!

We snuggled eachother in the middle of day while drinking hot chocolate.

I listened to Mackee read when she didn't even know I was listening!

We chanted Izzie on to crawl even though we knew she wasn't going to move.

I watched them sleep at night while giving them hugs and kisses...

We did homework, gymnastics, and even learned how to keep our underwear dry at night!

We laughed, we played, we cried, we kissed booboo's, and we hugged all in the same day.

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Keely got to come to preschool this week and she did amazingly well with all those 4yr olds. We were learning the letter "O" so our snack of the day was OCTOPUS on a bed of green sea weed.

Here are some cute pics of the girls.

Ultrasound Results

2009-01-21T14:04:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to announce to everybody that my sister Raegan had her ultrasound today on her twin babies that are due to arrive late May... 1 BOY & 1 GIRL! We are so excited for her. Raegan said both babies look great. They are paternal twins (seperate sacks). The boy is 9 oz and the girl is 7 oz. I am posting this for her for all our extended family becasue she still doesn't have a blog. Get on that Raegan will ya!

2009-01-20T10:12:00.000-08:00

Today marks the 44th presidential inauguration for the United States of America...

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I am posting this because our family

BELIEVES IN CHANGE!

More people were present at today's inauguration then ever before throughout the history of the United States of America. We still have hope and we still have faith. Let this be the beginning of a new America. A land of opportunity, optimism, and freedom.

FAMOUS QUOTES FROM PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA

"There's not a liberal America and a conservative America; there's the United States of America."

" It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get to where we are today, but we have just begun. Today we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our chidren is just a little bit better than the one we inhabit today."

"If we aren't willing to pay a price for our values, if we aren't willing to make some sacrifices in order to realize them, then we should ask ourselves whether we truly believe in them at all."

“Today we are engaged in a deadly global struggle for those who would intimidate, torture, and murder people for exercising the most basic freedoms. If we are to win this struggle and spread those freedoms, we must keep our own moral compass pointed in a true direction.”

"My job is not to represent Washington to you, but to represent you to Washington."

"I don't oppose all wars. What I am opposed to is a dumb war."

44th President Barack Obama

2009-01-20T10:11:00.001-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAQUEL!

2009-01-19T21:10:00.000-08:00

I turned 28 this past week and boy did I get spoiled. The night of my b-day Zack and the girls decorated the table and cooked me a fabulous steak dinner along with the best homemade birthday cake ever. Ontop of all that excitment Zack took me on a very special overnight date over the weekend. I got taken out to lunch at the Pita Pit, then to Edwards for a movie, then to the RED LION hotel in downtown Boise, and then out to Applebee's for dinner. It was so nice to get to spend time together as a couple, we had a lot of fun. Thanks to grandpa and grandma Koehler who drove all the way from Idaho Falls to come baby-sit for us. We couldn't have done it without them!

Mackee got tested at kindergarten this week by her teacher for report cards and she did awesome! I was lucky enough to see the early results because I was volunteering. I watched her from a distance in the classroom and I knew she had gotten every answer right but at the end I asked her how she did and she looked at me and said "I DID AWESOME"! That's my girl... So I came home and baked her a giant size chocolate chip cookie as a reward. She was ecstatic that the whole thing was just for her.

Date Night...

2009-01-09T21:53:00.000-08:00

Boise Temple

This week has been really crazy for me but also very rewarding. I spent much of my time taking care of Mackee who has a severe sinus infection, I clean up throw-up, I got locked out of the house by my two year old, had some buisness complications with preschool, and I found out that one of our friendly neighbors passed away.

Although life can be stressful at times, it is so nice to know that there is somewhere on this earth where we can go to get away from it all. The Temple!

Zack and I went to dinner and to the Boise Temple tonight with our good friends Aaron and Janell Bowman. It was such an awesome experience... When we arrived at the temple there were so many church members there serving that there was no parking available in either the Temple or the LDS Church parking lot next to it. I have never seen a temple so busy before. The temple workers didn't even know where to put everybody. Not only was the spirit thriving inside this holy place but my heart was so overwhelmed because I had the opportunity to perform sacred ordinances for women born in the early 1600's... For those of you who are members and reading this right now then you will understand that those people have been waiting a very long time for their temple work to be done.

I am so glad we got the opportunity to go this week. It's not always easy getting there. Especially when babysitters have to be arranged and sick children need your attention, but once you are there it is so worth it! Not to mention the blessings that come from it.

If there was ever a place in the world where we need to go

then let this be the place.

Fly Fishing In The Great Outdoors!

2009-01-04T21:30:00.000-08:00

Fishing With The One You Love...

A huge part of our family life is fishing in the great outdoors and I realized the other day that I have no fishing pictures on my blog. So I managed to find a few that I had available and thought I would post them. All of these fish even the salt water one's have been caught on fly rods.

Zack and I have had a lot of fun catching fish together.

It's one of the many things that made us fall in love with one another. Even though we don't get to go as often as we would like since our time goes to raising our children these days, we still love to share this talent as a couple whenever possible...

Wading The Owahee River in Oregon

Drift Boating The Snake River
Eastern Idaho

Owahee River, Oregon

Plantoon Boating in Hoodsport Washington

Fly Fishing Salt Water in
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Zachary and his Dad "I get to sea sick"
Don't kid yourself by the size because these little guys kick butt!

Christmas in Idaho Falls!

2008-12-28T23:39:00.001-08:00

2008-12-28T22:35:00.000-08:00

GOING HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS!

We finally made it home safe and sound from our 5 day trip to Idaho Falls for the holidays. It was so much fun and I think it will take us a week to re-coop from all the late nights we had. I don't think Zack and I made it to bed anytime before 2:00am the whole time we were down there. We stayed up late playing games every night and they were just too much fun!

On Christmas Eve our familes came together and we had a sock party, ate fondue, played games, had a gift exchange, let the kids break a pinata, and had Mackee and Keely act out the nativity.

Mackee and Keely baked cupcakes and sprinkled raindeer food all over the front yard for Santa. It was so cute to see them experience the magic of Christmas.
When we tucked the girls in bed that night Mackee said "mommy, can we check to see if Santa ate the cupcakes before we look to see if he brought us any presents". I think she was more worried about Santa getting enough to eat then anything because when she woke-up she said "mommy, Santa must have been thirsty because he took the cup of water we left him with him". Opps! She insisted on water not milk...

The girls got everything you could imagine and then some for gifts. I am still trying to figure out where I am going to put it all. Then to top it all off while we were down there we got do a bunch of activities. We got to go out to Grandma Rae's and go snowmobiling and sledding. They had so much snow pilled up just from the driveway we actually had a huge hill about 15feet high that we got to sled down. We also got to go bowling with Zack's side of the family for an afternoon. Grandpa just about fell down everytime he bowled and we found that we all bowled much better on the Wii then we do in real life.

The highlight of the trip for me was my girls night out when me and my family went to see TWILIGHT again! Yes, I am still addicted. Don't worry though my heart belongs to my husband. I keep telling Zack I want a poster to put on the back of my bedroom door so Edward can watch me sleep at night but so far that hasn't happened. LOL

Zack got to take my cousin Lindsay fly fishing at a nearby pond and even though they froze their butts off because they float tubed they still had a lot of fun. I think they decided to give up when the eyelits to their rods kept freezing up so they couldn't cast.

I wish I could share more but that would take forever so please enjoy the slideshow that I put together.

Thank you to all of our family for your help with our girls and to Farren and Melissa for your hospitality! I think Zack and I gained about 5 pounds from all the yummy food, but it was worth it!

"Don't worry Sherise, if you are reading this I will be hitting the gym this week."

2008-12-20T10:17:00.001-08:00

It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas!

This year Grandma Rae sent our gifts home with us early. The plan was for her to go to Palm Springs for the holiday so she wanted us to have our presents. Well, even though her plans fell threw we decided as families to go ahead and open up our gifts early this year. There was no sense in Zack and I hauling all those gifts (enough for a toy store) all the way back across the state. It was kind of nice for a change because we got to unwrap some gifts under our tree, which never happens. (Enjoy the slideshow)

Thank you Grandma ~ We all love you very much!

The Best Present of All Came Early!

Ontop of all the excitment, that same night we also found out that my only sister Raegan is going to be having TWINS... We are all so excited. I can't wait to see my nices -or- nephews due to arrive sometime in late May. The best part of all is that I get to enjoy two babies at once but not have to get up with them in the middle of the night!

Congrats Sis ~ I am so happy for you!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-20T10:15:00.001-08:00

2008-12-20T09:14:00.000-08:00

The Little Town of Bethlehem!

This week we had the opportunity as a family to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. We got to go visit The Little Town of Bethlehem (inside Boise). It was a really neat experience and we manage to survive in the freezing cold. Ontop of all that we also got to go Christmas Caroling with Clyde the camel.

The Innkeeper

Hark the Harold Angels Sing

Away In A Manger

Joseph & Mary's Donkey

Preschool Fun!

2008-12-20T08:19:00.000-08:00

Special Preschool Visitor's

This week for Preschool I had a Santa Claus come and visit my class during our Christmas party. All of my students loved him and I even let Mackee stay home from kindergarten for the party. It was just to much fun, and she loved it!

A big thanks to our good friend Glenn. We couldn't have done it without him. He made the perfect Santa... (SHHH)

Another fun visitor we had at preschool this week was Fireman Mick! He came to teach all the preschool kids about fire safety. He even let's all the kids try on his gear for fun...

Our snack of the day was a S'more ontop of firewood. I am sharing this because all those reading this post should talk to their kids about fire safety. It would make a great FHE night as well. It is extremely important and yes it can happen to you. My grandparents house burned down all becuase of an extension cord so watch out! After talking about the following things then you should make the yummy treat below to share with them.

*Talk to them about the emergency phone number 911 *practice setting off the smoke detector and teach them to crawl out on their hands and knees (below the smoke) * stop drop & roll *assign a special meeting place (our's is the mialbox). Whenever your kids see a fireman have them hold up two fingers - this tell's the fireman that they know you know to replace the batteries in your detector two times a year.

S'more Cupcake on Firewood

Firewood=pretzel sticks, S'more = cupcake, frosting, sprinkled grahm cracker crumbs, mini marshmallows, hershey bar chunks.