This is a sponsored series.

Welcome to our Families of Lake Country Family Fun series! We will be featuring families from the greater Waukesha County area who are fans of Lake Country Family Fun. We hope you enjoy getting to know your neighbors and other families in your community!

This series is sponsored by Uptown Art in Sussex.

Uptown Art in Sussex offers a social art experience. They combine the arts of painting as well as the art of music to create a unique experience for the amateur or skillful artist. Their studios provide hands-on art instruction, paint supplies, canvases, aprons, and everything you need to have a great time and create your masterpiece. They also offer classes for kids starting at age 5 and are a great place to book your child’s next birthday party. Check out their website for more details to plan your next creative social experience!

Our seventh family is the Taugher family from Hartland.

A little bit about the Taugher Family:

The Taugher family, Jack, Kimberly, and their two children, Layla (7.5), and Miles (4.5), live in Hartland. Jack is from Waukesha County and has lived here nearly all of his life, except for about one year. While Kimberly is from Orlando, Florida, and her family still resides there. The Taugher family makes a yearly trip to Orlando to see Kimberly’s family and enjoy the Florida weather.

Kimberly asked that her family be featured on Lake Country Family Fun in November to highlight and bring awareness to National Adoption Awareness month. She relayed that she and Jack built their family through adoption from foster care. “Not everyone can adopt, but everyone can help.” The Taugher children, Layla and Miles are biological sister and brother, and were adopted locally. They continue to be a licensed foster home, providing respite to other foster families.

Regarding November being National Adoption Awareness month, Kimberly helps her church with a fundraising project called Lace Up, a 5K race held this past Saturday. Kimberly has been helping with a foster care and adoption ministry that leads Lace Up, called Mission: Hope, for the past eight years. Mission: Hope also does mission trips and continuing education for foster and adoptive families.

One of their favorite things to do right now as a family is go to Six Flags. They have been to Fright Fest three times this season. Kimberly reported that Miles usually has no fear, but was scared by a character at the last visit. Layla loves roller coasters, while Miles loves the kids section and the attractions he can ride pending his height. Jack and Kimberly enjoy the kids getting their “thrill-seeker” energy out, and then being tired from walking the whole park, which makes the drive home very quiet. 🙂

Locally, the Taugher family really enjoys Nixon park in Hartland for its many attractions. There is the splash pad, extensive playground, the pond to walk around, and the shallow river access. Kimberly reports that her children can easily spend four hours there, fully engaged and entertained during the summer. Jack also enjoys the Ice Age trail and Lapham Peak for hiking with the kids. Lapham Peak is so scenic and great for pictures. When home, the Taugher family likes to play games with their kids outside, go on bicycle rides, and engage in sensory-loaded activities. Jack and Miles will go on a four-mile bike ride without batting an eye. Layla also enjoys playing with neighborhood friends.

What they love about Lake Country Family Fun:

Kimberly reports that she and Jack have been following Lake Country Family Fun for about four years. Kimberly met Melissa Peterson, creator of Lake Country Family Fun, through a Craigslist ad that Kimberly was selling, and then by running into Melissa in the community often. Since then, Kimberly has helped Lake Country Family Fun with the past two Hartland Kids Day events and participated in the Oconomowoc Costume Swap. Kimberly relays that she likes to volunteer and give back to the community. She understands the energy and details that go into planning and running a big event and wants to make sure it runs smoothly.

Kimberly mentioned that Jack likes to look at the Lake Country Family Fun events calendar and weekend guide to plan out what to do for the weekend. Kimberly loves the Kids Eat Free Guide the best. Also, Kimberly stated that she looks up the Indoor Play Guide routinely and the Easter Egg Hunt Guide annually. Their family favorite staples for indoor play are the Big Backyard in New Berlin, Flabbergast in Sussex, SkyZone in Waukesha, and Midwest Twisters in Hartland. It is also a family tradition to look up Lake Country Family Fun’s 4th of July guide and attend all the parades that they can.

A fun fact about the Taugher Family:

A fun fact about the Taugher family is that they have a parrot, Alex, who is a very boisterous pet. They refer to him as their “cool pet”. Kimberly informs LCFF that Layla and Miles tolerate him, but Jack will carry Alex around on his shoulders for all to see.

Another fun fact is that Jack and Kimberly have 36 nieces and nephews. Jack is from a family of six kids, while Kimberly is one of seven siblings. Kimberly relays, “thank heavens” that they don’t have to buy presents for everyone anymore. 😉 Now they draw names at Christmas. Most of Kimberly’s nieces and nephew are in Florida; although, some are in Utah and Georgia. They have their own private Facebook group to keep the family updated and post pictures.

Favorite Movie to watch together as a Family:

The Taugher favorite family movie changes over time. It was Disney’s Frozen about two years ago, but now they are selling the DVD, because they watched it too much. Ha! Kimberly says that they are looking forward to Disney releasing some movies on Netflix to watch more classic Disney movies. Currently their favorite movie to watch as a family is “The Little Prince”; a movie from Netflix. 

Did you know that there are over 1,300 children in Wisconsin waiting for a forever family?

To learn more about children available for adoption, contact the Coalition for Youth, Children and Families.

Are you a fan of Lake Country Family Fun that would like to have your family featured in our series Families of Lake Country? Please send us an email at lakecountryfamilyfun (at) gmail (dot) com!