Halloween 2008

Taylor and Matthew had a great time on Halloween this year. Taylor was a 'girl' bat and Matthew was a scary pirate! The weather was perfect and they both got plenty of candy. Now, there is no truth to the rumor that Pam and I will steal all the 'good' candy when the kids go to bed!

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Izzy The Aussie

In June, we got a new addition to the family; Izzy the Australian Shepherd. We found Izzy at a local breeder who has been breeding Aussies for 20 years. Izzy was one of 10 puppies at the farm and it was hard choosing just one of these adorable puppies! But, Izzy bonded immediately with all of us, so we decided to give this little cutie a good home. Izzy has her own room at our house and is currently doing very well in obedience training. Aussies are a lot like border collies in that they are very smart and are primarily bred for herding. Izzy gets plenty attention at our home and has been a great addition to our family!

Click here for pictures (warning, she is so cute you might want one of your own)!

Dale Hallow Lake 2008

In August, the LaZur, Prather, Stiles and Mueller clans made their annual pilgrimage to Dale Hallow Lake in Tennessee. This trip always involves lots of swimming and water skiing since there are three boats available. Matthew had an outstanding time with all his cousins and was not afraid to try anything this year. Taylor also had fun getting pulled on the tube behind a boat and spent most of the week with her cousin, Olivia. The Dale Hallow trip is always a great time to get all these families together and we look forward to this trip every year!

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Outer Banks Trip 2008

In June, the LaZur, Prather and Stiles families vacationed for a week in OuterBanks North Carolina. We rented one large house within walking distance to the beach and its own swimming pool. Matthew and Taylor had an awesome time playing with their cousins Grant, Zack and Will all week. The OuterBanks beach and large waves were also a big hit with the kids since we don't get to surf in waves this big anywhere else. The families also made a trip to the Carrituck Lighthouse and the the historic Kitty Hawk Dunes for the best kite flying in the south. We hope to return next year to this great location!

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Matthew's 4th Birthday

Matthew turned 4 this year and is really coming into his own. Matthew's party was held at his current favorite place, Monkey Joes. This is an indoor park with lots of jumpy houses and slides. Matthew enjoyed two hours of running, jumping, sliding, cake eating and present-opening. Matthew is just starting to develop his circle of friends from the neighborhood and from school, and having his party away from the house was a first for him.

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Taylor's 7th Birthday

Taylor turned 7 in April and is now in second grade. We held her birthday party at our house on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. The party was a Webkinz themed party since Webkinz's are her current favorite (expensive) hobby! All party goes had to bring their favorite Webkinz and many games and even the cake had this theme. Pam did a great job organizing this party and everyone had a great time, especially with the jumpy house we rented in the back yard.

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Breakfast With Santa

Now that December is here, it was time to visit Santa. We visited Santa at the annual Breakfast With Santa at the neighborhood clubhouse. While Pam and Andy munched on biscuits, Taylor and Matthew sat on Santa's lap to talk about how good they have been this year and all the presents they wanted. This was Matthew's first year visiting Santa and he was a little skittish at first. But as soon as Santa gave him a candy cane, he was all ready to hop on Santa's lap! Taylor and Matthew are keeping their fingers crossed that Santa remembers to bring them what they asked for Christmas!

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Halloween 2007

Taylor and Matthew had quite a fun time this Halloween. The weather was perfect and lots of candy was ready to be 'gotten'. Taylor was dressed up as one of the High School Musical characters (I forget which one, but she would remember) and Matthew was Spiderman (even though he has never seen the show?). Taylor and Matthew walked the neighborhood with friends Devin (who was also Spiderman) and Annika (who was Dora the Explorer). Once the night was over, Taylor and Matthew filled the kitchen table with their candy and made sure to count each piece (of course to ensure nobody would 'steal' any)!

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Grandfather Mountain Trip

In mid-October, we traveled with the Browne family for a day at Grandfather Mountain State Park in North Carolina. The weather was perfect and the fall colors were spectacular! The kids also had a great time visiting the outdoor zoo and hiking up to the top of the mountain. Matthew refused to be carried on the hike and was able to move his little legs fast enough to get to the top! At the top of the mountain we all crossed the famous Swinging Bridge to enjoy more fabulous scenary. Since we had so much fun, we hope to make this an annual event!

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Matthew's 3rd Birthday

Little Matthew Phillip LaZur turned 3 on August 12th. His birthday party was held during the Prather/Stiles/Mueller/LaZur family vacation at Dale Hallow Lake in Kentucky. In between boating, water skiiing and swimming, we all found time to have cake and open presents to celebrate Matthew turning 3. Matthew was 'in his element' with all the boys on the trip and was quite the 'water bug'. Matthew looks forward to spending many more birthday's with his cousins!

Click here for all the pictures of the big birthday celebration!

Outer Banks Trip 2007

From June 9th to 16th, the LaZur family vacationed together at the Outer Banks in North Carolina. This was the first time to the Outer Banks for any of us and the trip exceeded our expectations. The beach and surf is outstanding and the views are breathtaking! Our rental house had views of the ocean from all angles. We also had fun swimming and surfing in the huge waves and the kids throughly enjoyed playing in the sand! A week later, and we are still finding sand in our stuff (and on Matthew's body). Taylor and Matthew just had a ball playing with their cousins: Makayla, Ryan and Kevin. We look forward to getting together again next year!

Click here for lots of pictures of this great trip!

Taylor's Kindergarten Field Day

At the end of Taylor's kindergarten semester, the school holds a 'field day' where all the kindergarten classes get to participate in fun and games outside. On a steamy May day, Taylor and her classmates participated in various activities including tire races, water carrying races and 'digging for gold'.

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Prather Family Reunion 2007

On Memorial Day Weekend, we attended the Prather family reunion in lovely Grahn, Kentucky. Prior to the reunion on Sunday, the Prather and LaZur families had a great time at the Carter Cave State Resort. Carter Caves is one of the oldest state parks in the country and the caves have been explored by millions over the past 150 years. The kids especially enjoyed the cave tours which involved a history of the caves and then going completely black inside the cave (as part of the tour) when the tour guides turn out the lights. We highly recommend this tour if you are ever in the area.

Click here for a few pictures of the X-Cave Carter Cave tour.

Taylor's 6th Birthday Party

Taylor celebrated her 6th birthday on April 30th. Taylor's party was held at the Mega-Art, where all the little partiers enjoyed making pottery, in addition to the usual cake and ice cream. Taylor especially liked the cake this year since it was in the shape of a princess castle. It was 'almost' too pretty to eat!

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Family Florida Trip 2007

The Prather and LaZur families decided to visit Florida in April for the yearly family vacation. We rented a few rooms right on Madeira Beach, right across the street from John's Pass. The first few days events were rained out, but the rest of the week the weather was perfect! The kids had a great time at the picture perfect beach!

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Mimi's Birthday in Charlotte

Donna Prather visited us a few weeks ago in Charlotte where we celebrated her birthday. Donna won't reveal her age, but we guess it is between 50 and 100. Taylor and Matthew had a great time helping to create and decorate the cake, and of course were not shy about eating it!

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Matthew's Preschool

Matthew started preschool last fall right after he turned 2. After a 'learning curve', he has adjusted well and has plenty of friends in class. Matthew attends preschool three days a week (M, W, F) for the full day. Matthew is learning a lot in preschool, including potty training, speaking and sharing (hasn't quite mastered this yet).

Click here for a few pictures of Matthew in preschool.