The Smith Family Times

Birthday Bash '05

(Rob:)
Okay, we've got a lot of ground to cover here tonight, people, so let's get right to it!

We had a very eventful and enjoyable weekend here in K.C. Our 9th annual Birthday Bash (Tessa's 9th and my 40th) was a lot of fun and I have a lot of photos to show you, but first one of Tessa Jean and Abbey at their piano recital last week (see previous post):

They both did a marvelous job!

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People began arriving last week for BB '05. Gramma Judy came to town last weekend to help with Sam while his nanny is on vacation, and Gramma and Grampi Herzberg followed Friday afternoon. On Friday night, Uncle Tom, Aunt Lisa and their four kids drove down from the Twin Cities:

Tom and Lisa

Susan

40 boy

We have traditionally had a big inflatable jumpy tent for the bash, but last year we had to skip it because Tessa was still in her leg brace. The tent made a welcome return this year, for the first time adorned with corporate sponsorship:

(Thanks, Disney/Pixar!)

Tessa Jean, Gabrielle, Nathan, Katerina and Abbey in the tent

Susan takes a butt dive while Sam holds on for dear life

Sam launches

After jumping, attentions turned to sliding:

and power squirting:

Uncle Cody, Aunt Amy and Jude showed up later in the afternoon from Des Moines. Jude was his usual cautious self early on:

Once he found Sam's old fire truck, though, he was happy again:

While the kids played, Grampi, Tom and I played some Springsteen on the acoustic guitars and harmonica while Gramma Delores listens in:

Then, it was time for cake!

Tessa with her cool new ginormous ladybug (to freak out her Grampa Smith, who has a mortal fear of ladybugs)

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The next day, we recruited Bill and Abbey to come play some softball at Brookside Park---

Tom telling the outfield to move back because Susan is up to bat:

Team photo

Sunday night, it was time for sand volleyball, then Smiths vs Herzbergs in movie trivia. I'm not going to say who won, but let's just say their name rhymes with "myths" (see next picture.)

Kids dogpile on Tessa Jean:

(That's "Big Sam" on top)

Jude cracking up his dad:

Finally, the weekend had to come to an end:

We're thankful for the great family time together and for safe travels home. Lookng forward to the next Herzberg gathering this summer in Colorado!

Winners and Cardinals

(Rob:) This past weekend marked the yearly visit from Cardinal Nation to our fair city. Along with the team came their rabid fans, widely considered the best fans in baseball (at least by themselves).
This year was a particularly tough one for our cross-state brethren because it marked the 20 year anniversary of when the Kansas City Royals beat the Cardinals in the 1985 World Series. Here's a picture of my dad still trying to come to grips with the loss:

Candidly, Cardinal fans say they really aren't that shaken about the 1985 loss, since they also have World Series losses in 1987 and again just last year to think about.

Something else they have to think about is getting beaten by Royals on Sunday! The last-place hometown boys rocked the big-time division-leading Redbirds 9 to 2, capping off a weekend which saw the Royals outscore the Cardinals by a total of 22 to 13 runs!

Here I am with Dad and uncles Bob (I was named after him) and Lynn at the game Sunday:

Bob came in from Michigan and Lynn from Denver to watch the drubbing. Looking forward to next year, guys!

Tessa Jean modeling her softball braids:

Tonight we went to Tessa Jean and Abbey's piano recital and then watched Carrie win on A.I. More tomorrow!

Swinging Saturday

Blue-Eyed Swinging Boy Returns

(Susan): It has been a lazy day. Sam has the gimpies (sore throat) and so we haven't done too much. Rob bought some morels on his way to pick Tessa up from her sleepover. They were to die for!!!! Tonight is more baseball and babysitting for me. Tessa and her friend Abbey are watching Ella Enchanted and Sam and I are crashing with Justice League. More tomorrow. . . .

Fried Fungus

Japanese Iris

Smilin' Boy

Finally Friday

Sam shows his blue tongue

(Susan): Thank God it is Friday! Rob, his dad and buddy Dennis (or Dentist as Sam calls him) have gone to the Royals/Cardinals game. They just called and claim they will be on the ten o'clock news. We will just see about that. Tessa is off to a sleepover. Sam and I are chilling with a little Teen Titans and the Bold and the Beautiful. We have some cleaningup to do yet tonight and as always I have charts to dictate. The birthdays were fun, Tessa got a new doll named Marisol but she has been back ordered. She wanted little outfits for her dog Coconut and those did arrive. I found the coolest of cool gifts for Rob. He got a CD copy of a radio show done here in Kansas City called Cypress Avenue which was devoted just to Springsteen's acoustic music. He hasn't listened yet, but I'm betting it will be cool.
We are looking forward the the big birthday weekend and I must tell the Herzbergs I am planning a Monster Four Square Tournament.

Put Me in, Coach!

(Rob:) Tessa Jean's softball team played their first two games on Sunday! We're not quite sure what the name of her team is or whether they won both of their games, but one thing for sure is that Tessa Jean scored the teams first run of the season! Here's photographic proof:

Here's Tessa at bat in the top of the first inning (notice the green ball on it's way toward getting slapped into the deep infield)

Here she is on first base after beating out the throw to first!

The next batter also got a hit, moving Tessa to second!

Next batter, same deal!

Here's Tessa crossing home plate (partially obscured by the umpire)!

It only took her half an inning to surpass her father's career run total in organized childhood baseball. She went on to get three more hits and score two more runs! On defense, she played first, second, third and center field (which in this league of 2nd and 3rd graders is a lot like playing second base).
She played very hard and focused for the first game and most of the second, then made some very interesting designs in the dirt next to first base towards the end of the second game. Double-headers are tough!

Tonight we watched Bo rock the house on American Idol. In my opinion, his second song tonight surpassed Fantasia's "Summertme" as the most memorable "Idol" moment of all 4 seasons. (If you disagree with me- please post your nomination for top killer Idol moment in the comments section below)

Tessa Jean and Sam by the fence roses

Brainiac T. Poindexter

Bedroom Shift

Tessa Jean and Sam are toasting to the Great Bedroom Shift of 2005, which occurred today. Tessa's room moved temporarily to the first floor last year because of her leg operation, and Susan and I moved to the guest room on the second floor last fall because of bedroom/bathroom renovations. Today we made the big move of beds and clothes, etc, and for the first time in over a year, everyone wil be sleeping in their actual second floor bedrooms again.

Here's Gus trying out the new master bedroom- complete with new windows that actually work:

Aside from moving furniture, we made some time to go outside and play some softball in the backyard and enjoy the beautiful weather. Tomorrow is Tessa's first softball game- it's even a double-header!

Tornado Alley

Colorado Columbines are blooming

(Susan): We survived the tornado watch tonight, but not the seventy mile an hour winds. Both of the patio tables went airborne, umbrellas and all. We are all anxious for the weekend, Tessa to be out of school and pick out some purple shag carpet for her upstairs bedroom, Sam to have his mom and dad home, and Mom and Dad to scramble putting the house in some kind of shape for the big Memorial Day blow out super dooper double whammy family birthday party. We really do not want even family to see how we live. We need some extra hands moving our bedroom back if anyone wants to come over to help. Reports were good from the Minneapolis version of the Springsteen tour. We are strongly contemplating another city is anyone wants to road trip with us. Wish us a calm and speedy Friday!

Tessa and pink peonies

Sam the Man checking out the Colorado digs last weekend

Jack's new favorite perch

Mother's Day '05

(Rob:) Just back from another eventful, jet-setting weekend!

Susan and the kids and I flew to Denver on Saturday morning, then drove up to Winter Park, CO where we met up with Aunt Zanny, Uncle Jack and Mitchell along with Gramma Judy visiting from Florida for some more house-hunting.

Tessa Jean and I had come out last month to look at some potential family vacation homes and just last weekend I was out again with my friend Jon, who also may be interested in having a Colorado address for part of the year. This was Susan's first trip out to see the places that are on the market, and she agreed that this home just outside of Winter Park (in Tabernash) would fit our needs perfectly:

Here we all are trying to figure out how many people you can fit into the master bathroom shower all at the same time (crucial info when house hunting, and also the little-discussed fourth rule of real estate value):

The snow from last week was mostly melted, so Sam took the opportunity to do some rock-climbing in the yard amongst the aspen trees:

We're still looking at ways to try and make this gorgeous place our own. Stay tuned!
Click HERE to see a little video I made last month of the house and Tessa Jean skiing (very large file, don't even try it unless you have high-speed internet.)

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We drove down from the mountains back into Denver just in time to see Bruce Springsteen play a solo acoustic concert. Susan and I have seen him a bunch but this was the first time in this sort of a setting without the rest of the band along. It was an amazing and memorable show with many highlights, including nine songs from his new CD "Devils & Dust."

He played songs from eleven of his other albums as well, accompanying his voice with a combination of harmonica, acoustic and electric guitar, piano, pump organ and plain-old foot-stompin' percussion. Most were recognizable but stripped-down and reworked so that they sounded new and different, and in a couple of cases very old and different.

The setting lent itself to more between-song banter with the audience. He made a point of discussing last week's Kansas Board of Education's exhumation of the classic "Scopes Monkey Trial" evolution v. creation debate, which was embarrassing to someone who lives near Kansas and whose city is often wrongly (but understandably) confused with Kansas. He wisely opined that if Spencer Tracy's "Inherit the Wind" were released today, there would be picketing at the theaters.

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This morning Tessa Jean woke me up at 6:30 AM to help her make up a Mother's Day breakfast in bed feast. This is somewhat of a Smith tradition; when Suzanne and I were kids we often made french toast and cereal for Gramma Judy on Mother's Day, so today we did just that again:

Here's Susan getting the same treatment from Tessa Jean and Sam:

Zanny and Tessa Jean, fresh from their early-morning "steal-lilacs-from-the-neighbors" run:

Sam and Mitchell doing some jammin':

We made it home exhausted this evening at about 6:30. Exhausted except for Susan, who left right away to go play sand volleyball for 2 hours, (her new Sunday night obsession).

For me, it's the late showing of "Deadwood" on HBO, then my 8 hour impression of dead wood.

Pre-Concert Warmup

Let the party begin!

(Susan): Tonight we prepare for a pilgrimage to the Mile High City where we will, once again (Rob for the 21st time and I, for the 20th time), recharge our spirits with a Bruce Springstten concert. Our preparation tonight were intense in anticipation of tomorrow grand event. After balancing the checkbook, running to Hy-Vee for cat food, and dictating charts until after midnight, I am the last one to retire. I will have to pack in the morning. . . no retreat baby, no surrender.

Cinco de Monster Cookies

I see You!!

(Susan): Happy Cinco de Mayo! We had a little party with the Haines and made an awesome batch of enchiladas. The girls played outside until dusk as we have finally warmed up. Tonight we begin the pre-concert warm-up. BRUUUUUUUCCCE!!!!!

Got Milk?

Rob explaining the finer points of eating only whole grain cookies

Sam picks his favorite