View from the Bay

Liam's Owee

2009-05-27T21:14:00.002-05:00

Poor kid took a header and scraped his sweet little face on the concrete in the backyard. :(

More Door County Memorial Weekend

2009-05-27T21:08:00.002-05:00

Memorial Day Weekend in the Door

2009-05-27T21:01:00.002-05:00

We had a nice, long weekend in Door County with the Suchardas. Liam had a blast playing mini-golf, throwing rocks in the lake and riding his new motorcycle. Joe and I got to spend a nice evening out with dinner and another game of mini-golf, which Joe won by ONE stroke.

Fun at the Zoo

2009-05-27T20:21:00.002-05:00

We went to the Milwaukee Zoo in May with the Gassers who have Nolan, just a few months younger than Liam. The boys had a blast running around (as much as we would let them) and enjoyed eachother's company.

Blue Harbor Resort - April 2009

2009-04-22T15:10:00.003-05:00

Last weekend, we decided to do a mini-spring getaway to Blue Harbor Resort in Sheboygan. We picked a good weekend, it was freezing that Sunday and Monday! Liam was not as adventuresome as we had hoped, but he stayed comfortable in most of the wading pools with water spouts. He freaked out a few times when he had water dump out on him unexpectedly, and was a little reluctant at times to lay in the tubes with us on the lazy river. He was obviously too little yet to go on any water slides, but Joe enjoyed those, even going a few times by himself to the park after we put Liam to bed. Sometimes I wonder if I have two kids :) All in all, nice to have a weekend away and a Monday off work for Joe and me!

Skiing at Whitecap Mountains- February 2009

2009-04-22T15:01:00.002-05:00

Joe and I stayed for a couple nights in northern WI for a weekend of skiing. It was nice to be child-free for a few nights while Liam stayed at Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Gary's house. Highlights included both of us losing a ski on the lift (what are the chances?), of course, mine being quite difficult to retrieve, requiring a couple of expert skiiers to help us out as it had fallen on some rocky cliffs. Of course! And it was near closing time! I had one ugly spill (no witnesses, though) and thought I screwed up my knee but it ended up clearing up in a couple days. Phew!

Christmas in Door County

2009-01-01T22:06:00.004-06:00

I had to work on the 26th, so we visited Grandma and Grandpa Sucharda in Door County from December 27th through the 30th. We were lucky to get a few inches of fresh snow which made for some beautiful landscape and fun in the snow. Liam went sledding down an actual hill for the first time, other than just being pulled on the sled. He squealed in delight after the initial uncertainty. We had a great time relaxing and came home a few pounds heavier from Grandma's delicious Christmas cookies that cannot be resisted!

Santa Pays a few Visits

2009-01-01T21:35:00.003-06:00

Santa was a little too good to Liam this year. Favorite gifts included a Mickey Mouse Doctor Kit, lots of books, Sesame Street K'Nex, Elmo Live (which stayed at Grandma Kathy's house to maintain our sanity), a road rug for his cars, a slot car track (given to both Daddy and Liam as a combined gift - good Lord!), a ride-in Fire Engine, and a fire engine playset complete with firehouse, engine, firefighters - sort of a doll house for boys. And that was just the favorites... Next year, we will be writing Santa a letter to pack a lighter load to our house.

Liam and the Snowmen

2009-01-01T21:28:00.002-06:00

Liam has been cracking us up with these goofy snowmen we have in the house. He likes to place them strategically in different positions all over the house. The first picture is, unprompted, a "snowman timeout." The second picture, he is demonstrating "snowman go for a ride." What a character.

Chicago Trip - December 2008

2009-01-01T21:08:00.003-06:00

We went for our annual December trip to Chicago. Liam had his first train ride on the Amtrak Hiawatha and loved it. We tried to hype up the Santa visit, but as you can see, Liam was not into it. He wouldn't even look at Santa until we were walking out and he said, rather loudly, "Bye Santa!" At least there were no tears, but I couldn't get him to sit with Santa by himself. We did a lot of shopping, visited the Kristkindl (sp?) Market (a German Christmas market), swam in the hotel pool, and had yummy Chicago pizza and ate sushi another night. Liam loved this huge stuffed dog placed in the hotel lobby, so he had to give it a hug every time we passed by. The concierge told me they wash the thing every week, but I kinda doubt it!

Liam Enjoying the Snow - December 2008

2009-01-01T20:56:00.002-06:00

Liam's 2nd Birthday - November 2008

2009-01-01T20:31:00.002-06:00

Liam's 2nd birthday had an "Elmo" theme, complete with a homemade birthday cake by yours truly. (Not recommended unless you know what you're doing). Favorite gifts included matchbox cars, a little fold-up playhouse, a huge dinosaur to sit on, along with assorted other great toys from family. Liam got to see his cousin, Will, who's just about 6 months, here. We kept the party to only immediate family, hence, a little less chaos.

The Multi-Tasker

2008-11-06T14:48:00.002-06:00

I had to laugh the other day when I saw Liam riding his car and talking on his Mickey phone, all while wearing Mr. Potato Head's glasses. I guess I might make phone calls while we're in the car??? The glasses thing he's been doing for a while, though. He'll wear them while he's working at his work bench or just playing. It cracks us up!

Halloween 2008

2008-11-06T14:35:00.003-06:00

Liam was a lion for Halloween this year. It was his first trick-or-treat experience, as he didn't eat candy last year. We went to four houses on our block and Liam had more candy that night than he had eaten in his whole life! Joe decked out the house rather well, as usual. Liam also enjoyed the "spooky guys" on the porch that Daddy put out. I was just glad Liam allowed us to put on his "spooky lion" costume. That was the only way we could get him to wear it, to say it was very "spooky."

Fall Fest In Door County

2008-11-06T14:07:00.005-06:00

We went to Door County a few weeks ago to visit Grandma and Bop-bop. We also planned the weekend to meet up with friends, Heather and Matt. Unfortunately, Matt was rather bored in Door County, but we did go a drink with them for an adult evening out while Liam stayed with the GPs. We had fun looking at the fall colors, relaxing, visiting and Joe and I took part in a corn maze that we do every year.

Weekend sans Liam

2008-10-11T23:30:00.003-05:00

For our 5th anniversary, Joe planned a weekend for just the 2 of us at a B&B in Sheboygan Falls. What's in Sheboygan Falls, you ask? Well, the village of Kohler, a quaint little town where Kohler bathroom fixtures are made (I'm pretty sure they make more than just that, too). Sheboygan Falls itself has an adorable little downtown area with historic landmarks (our B&B was one of them), cute shops and the greatest department store you've ever seen right downtown- racks of toys to clothing to toiletries - sort of the Target of the, well, the decade before there was a Target. We also dined in Sheboygan and took a tour of the Blue Harbor Resort Hotel/Waterpark on the lake (okay Liam wasn't completely out of our minds - at least mine) and fantasized about owning super cute houses in Sheboygan for CHEAP! By the way, this is the first full weekend I've been away from my nearly 2-year-old son. I was definitely ready for this. Joe took a great pic of the river (whose name escapes me right now) right near our hotel. Oh! And I convinced Joe to go to a Haunted House - the Dominion of Terror. Great name, huh? And no, he was not comforting at all, nor were we the oldest people there which I was pretty sure we were going to be. We later visited a local brewery called the Hops Haven, formerly Port Washington Brewery, were we played some shuffled board (I won) and Joe was able to take home some brew- I think the Cherry Stout was his fave.

Harvest Fest September 2008

2008-10-11T23:24:00.002-05:00

Joe, Liam and I went to Harvest Fest at State Fair to enjoy some fall fun. Liam wandered around in a petting zoo, jumped around in some hay, picked out some funny looking gourds and ate an apple that shortly was dropped onto the ground, of course!

Fun with Nature September 2008

2008-10-11T23:16:00.003-05:00

We took a nice Sunday visit to our local Boerner Botanical Gardens. Liam enjoyed the freedom of exploring the nature paths and even used his first walking stick for our "hike." Never mind that he held on to it for a total of about 2 minutes before it went in the stroller...

Oompaa! September 2008

2008-10-11T23:06:00.003-05:00

The Sucharda family attended our annual Oktoberfest! In Glendale, WI, of course and not Germany :( much to Joe's dismay. We had a great time listening to the German band, eating German food (okay, it was just weiners for crying out loud!) and of course drinking das bier. Mind you, I have not an ounce of German in my body, but Joe and Liam do...

Living the Good Life- August 2008

2008-10-11T22:58:00.003-05:00

We are so fortunate to have friends with a boat! So much work and expense to own, and much better to know people that own one, right? Anyway, our friends, the Rooneys, who live in Chicago decided to bring their incredible yacht up to Milwaukee for a wedding and stayed the whole weekend. We had fun with another couple, the Moloneys, on the river and lake near downtown Milwaukee. 'Bout time I had a night to let loose! Woo-hoo!

Summer Fun - July 2008

2008-07-29T15:08:00.002-05:00

Just a few pics of some of the fun we've been having this summer - the Humboldt Park wading pool, out with daddy, and the first time in the sprinkler --don't know why it took me so long to get this out -- who knew something so easy could be SO MUCH FUN! WOW! But, then come the temper tantrums when it's time to put it away...

Our Little Rocker

2008-07-29T15:04:00.002-05:00

So, Joe and Liam are hanging out one day and Liam just walks up to Joe holding his Elmo guitar just so. Could we have a future musician on our hands?? Uncle Vince (who plays the guitar) was quite proud to see this shot. He even has the messy, long hairdo of a modern rocker! We have been meaning to get that hair cut again...

A Fun Night Out! - June 28, 2008

2008-07-29T14:58:00.002-05:00

Our friends, Mike and Melissa, got married at Pier Wisconsin at Discovery World, overlooking Lake Michigan with awesome views of Milwaukee. We had a great time dancing, enjoying beverages, a fantastic dinner and having good conversation with adults (YAY!) We realized we need to get out more! Needless to say, we don't have any pictures of the beautiful bride and groom, but we got some great shots of ourselves and the city...thanks to Joe.

Liam meets the Golden Eagle - June 25, 2008

2008-07-29T14:53:00.003-05:00

We went to a BBQ on MU's campus to introduce the new B-ball coach, Buzz Williams. Good food, family-friendly and not a bad way to spend a weeknight. Liam was very intrigued, yet a little freaked out by the Eagle. It was quite funny.

Baby William's Baptism- June 15, 2008

2008-07-29T14:37:00.004-05:00

Joe's sister, Anne and her husband Ben had a baby boy, William, in April and we were chosen to be the Godparents! And, no, the family did not aim to color-coordinate that day.

Liam's new playgym

2008-05-07T16:14:00.003-05:00

Okay, this is from April, so I'm a little late. Liam got a new climber/slide/ball play area and he loves it! We finally got gates placed in the front and back yards so he's free to roam in our yard safely and we don't have to worry about him running off. Everytime we walk outside he wants to play with his "BALL!" (like he's never seen one before) which sometimes poses a problem when we just want to walk through the yard to get to the garage...

M-I-C-K-E-Y....

2008-05-07T15:54:00.004-05:00

Yup, that's the whole fam in Orlando at Disney World. We had a really good time. Liam had his first plane ride and we were pleasantly surprised

that he handled it rather well. We stayed at a resort near Disney and went to parks 4 of the 7 days we were there. We visited the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and Epcot. Also visited friends in Tampa, - Steve, Heather and baby Jackson Darrey for an afternoon. Rest of the time spent at the resort pool, playgrounds and just lounging around. The weather was perfect - mid 80s, not at all humid (!) and down to the 60s-70s in early am and evenings. Especially since Milwaukee during that week was averaging in the 50s! At 18 mos., Liam won't remember a thing but he had a great time while we were there! Oh! And I got to spend my 31st birthday in "Japan" at Epcot eating yummy sushi...

Shave and a Haircut?

2008-03-09T17:57:00.003-05:00

Liam received his first haircut this January at daddy's barber. He was young enough that it wasn't scary and he sat very nicely the entire time! He was just curious about the place and wondering what the heck was going on. No complaints! Oh, and his first haircut was free! An added bonus...

Liam's Playground (my kitchen)

2008-01-16T14:33:00.001-06:00

Liam has been enjoying making a mess out of the kitchen for several months now, but I couldn't resist taking pictures of him climbing into the cupboards and oven drawer.

Oh, what fun it is to ride...

2008-01-16T14:26:00.000-06:00

We went on a walk in Door County during Christmas week after some newly fallen snow. Liam had his first sleigh ride! He loved it and actually fell asleep, ( as you can see in the 2nd pic) which cracked us up!

Owww.

2007-12-08T13:05:00.000-06:00

So, I wore a pair of shoes (boots with heels) this weekend that I haven't worn in a while and I ended up taking them off after a couple hours because my toe was bothering me. I've had this pain before so I really didn't think anything of it. Monday and Tuesday go by and it still irritates me, but no biggie. Go to work on Wednesday and by the end of the work day, I'm hobbling around like a gimp and people are looking at me funnily. What the heck?

Turns out I broke my sesmoid bone in my foot (tiny bone right beneath the base of the big toe)! The doc said it may have been an old injury from my running days that was just re-irritated by wearing those damn shoes, because it looked like where the bones were split apart, part of it was rounded instead of jagged, indicating that this rounded part may have started to heal itself. Okay, so am I ever going to be able to get back to running again??? And, um, it's kind of hard to do the job of a physical therapist with a broken foot bone! Luckily, I'm wearing this walking boot and I have nice co-workers that are going to help out with difficult (hard to lift) patients. As for chasing Liam around the house when Joe's at work or out of the house, I guess I'm on my own with that one...

Money vs. Convenience

2007-11-29T22:34:00.000-06:00

Crap! I was all set in taking this new job really close to home, cutting down my commute time by 30 minutes or more (even for a pay cut!) But it did have a sign-on bonus which helped, too.

So today, my boss at my current job asked if I would stay on for considerably more money per hour (it would be $8 more an hour than the job I accepted). The only drawback would be that I would be considered "pool" staff instead of part-time so would not earn benefits (which I don't use now) nor would I earn vacation time, etc but she said I could still work my 3 days per week. BUT, with the increase in pay I'd probably only want to work 2 days per week, thus reducing my weekly commute.

Ugh! I was so excited about FINALLY making a decision, now I'm confused again.

There are other benefits to working at this other setting besides being close to home dealing more with my professional development as a PT.

Comments welcome!

Prince for a Day (actually for the whole year...)

2007-11-27T12:01:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Liam's 1st Birthday on November 11, 2007 (actual birthday is on Nov. 7th). Liam was amazed at having 22 people in his "palace," and bewildered by everybody singing "happy birthday" to him. Among his favorite gifts - a Radio Flyer car, tons of MU gear and puzzles. He was hilarious eating his own personal carrot cake, but certainly liked the cream cheese frosting best. On Joe's side of the family, they do a tradition for a child's first birthday where the child picks from 5 objects to signify what his life will bring. The objects are: coin money, bread, a book, a rosary and a shot class. Liam chose the money with the bread being a close second! Hopefully that means he will find success in life! BTW, on Joe's first birthday, he chose a shot class if that's any indication...

Um, am I doing this right??

2007-11-26T21:59:00.000-06:00

Well, we've done it! The Sucharda Family has finally started a blog for anyone who cares to view it! I'm not sure how often this will be updated but we'll give 'er a try. Unfortunately, this is the best, most recent family photo of us - not the most flattering and you can barely see the cutest of the trio! Liam has taken center stage as far as photos are concerned and the family photo apparently hasn't been a high priority! This was taken on a camping trip at Mauthe Lake (near West Bend, WI) in September.