Creature Feature

One of Hannah's latest finds ...this click beetle.  We have found some even bigger than this one! 
These are fun for kids to play with...if you press on them, they click! ...snapping themselves to scare you off.  The tiny ones will use the click to turn themselves over when they get stuck upside down.
Their enormous eye spots make them look kind of scary, but they are just your basic beetle.

Graduation!

Moriah graduated from the Alabama School of Fine Arts high school last night.  It was a lovely event in a fab venue, the old Alabama Theatre in downtown Birmingham.  My pictures aren't too great, but we had an awesome time!  So proud of our oldest daughter!

Jim's Mom and sisters were all there, but we couldn't find them in the crush afterward.  So our family photo includes my parents, all of us and our Aunt Sandra and Uncle Richard Gerhardt.

Had to add this other pic that Aunt Sandra took that evening...it is just too cute!

Creature Feature

The other night we had a visitor...this huge polyphemus moth!
I should have put my hand in the photo so you could see this moth was around 5-6" across. 
Next time I will do better!
My kids love insects, bugs, moths, butterflies, snakes, frogs, whatever...so I thought I would make this a regular category in my posts, for you to see what we are living with out here in the boonies.

Another Awesome Performance by the TYO!!

Last night was the final performance for the Tuscaloosa Youth Orchestra.  It was another great success!  They played Grieg's Triumphal March, a Toccata by Girlamo Frescobaldi, The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart and Pines of Rome by Ottorino Respighi.  Absolutely fabulous!  Every bit of it!  (And not just cause my kids were playing!)
This time around, Norman Huynh conducted two pieces and Andy Pettus the other two. 

Norman is a student at UA and he has been working with the TYO this past semester as the assistant conductor.  He does such a great job with the kids!  (Practically a kid himself!) 
I just can't say enough good things about this program!!!
Sooooooo thankful that my girls have the opportunity to take part!

Proud Mama,
Amy

Big City Fun

More fun in the Big City yesterday when we were there for medical appointments yesterday. 

We had a few minutes to go check out this guy...

Josh was especially excited about this.  He had never been to Vulcan Park and since he is studying Greek mythology in his school materials, he is all about the Greek gods.  It was a warm, breezy day in Birmingham and just perfect for this quick break. 

We did our appointments, some shopping and saw the Vulcan AND made it home in time for a quick dip in the kiddie pool in the back yard before bedtime.  Busy day.

Amy

Happy Mother's Day!!

To all you mothers out there!
And especially to my Mom...

Here she is...just a few years back.

Love you, Mom!

Amy

Recital video...the Picasso version ?

Yesterday was definitely one of THOSE days, but we did manage to actually make it to the first recital on time.  The kids played pretty well and I made a valiant effort at recording their performances.  But there was some issue with the video camera (battery died?) and the video portion of my still camera was also having personal problems.  But here is some kind of recording of some portion of Abby and Hannah playing the Bach Concerto for 2 violins.  Magi Shumanova accompanying on the piano.  Hannah says she looks like a Picasso in most of this video.
Didn't get anything of Josh or Sarah Ying.

I'll have another chance to get it right on Friday...and then there is always the TYO performance.

Epic photographer fail.

:o(

Amy

Okay further fail...can't figure out how to get the bad video uploaded at all...
will await the arrival of our techno-savvy daughter this weekend.

Well, I cannot figure this out.  Had no problems last time I downloaded a video onto the blog, but it won't do it now.  So sorry to everyone who has been anxiously waiting for the spectacular performance of my girls doing Bach's Concerto for Two Violins, lol!  I know how disappointed you are, snort!

Wordless Wednesday