Naomi's in five dances this year, but I'm not going to post them all right now. They're pretty similar to what she did last year. However, this one is her big moment-- she got her name in the program and everything! Here is the Doll Dance.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Nutcracker 2012
Naomi's in five dances this year, but I'm not going to post them all right now. They're pretty similar to what she did last year. However, this one is her big moment-- she got her name in the program and everything! Here is the Doll Dance.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Band videos
These are from a couple of weeks ago-- it took me a while to get them uploaded. They are from the high school instrumental music concert. Mitchell is second chair trombone in the symphonic band.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
Band videos
Today we have a selection from the Summit Ridge Middle School fall concert, featuring Nicholas on trumpet. This song is called "Ghosts in the Graveyard" and was his favorite piece that they played. And yes, he is really playing. He always holds his trumpet pointed down like that.
Next up is the Dakota Ridge High School marching show, as performed at the Arapahoe Marching Festival last weekend. I was zoomed in a little close, so you can't see the whole field, but in my defense it is kind of hard to video a marching show. Anyway... this year's show is "Full Steam Ahead." The kids took 3rd in the 4A division, 6th overall, and are currently ranked 9th in the state going into next week's State Championships.
Next up is the Dakota Ridge High School marching show, as performed at the Arapahoe Marching Festival last weekend. I was zoomed in a little close, so you can't see the whole field, but in my defense it is kind of hard to video a marching show. Anyway... this year's show is "Full Steam Ahead." The kids took 3rd in the 4A division, 6th overall, and are currently ranked 9th in the state going into next week's State Championships.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Dance videos
These videos are from the final performance of the "My Time to Shine" song and dance workshop that Naomi took this summer. They had about six weeks to learn four songs, and they had to sing and dance at the same time.
"Seize the Day" from Newsies:
"We're All in This Together" from High School Musical:
"Why Should I Worry" from Oliver and Company:
"Turn Up the Music" from Lemonade Mouth:
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Fun with cousins!
Lesli's family came to visit us for a couple of days at the end of their epic journey. The kids had a great time together, playing Zoo Tycoon and Galactic Dance-Off and going to the pool. But the highlight was probably the Rockies vs. Padres game we went to on Friday night. The Schei girls had never been to a baseball game before, but they were very enthusiastic! The only one who wasn't excited about the outcome of the game was poor Roger S., alone in his Chargers hat. But even he enjoyed the fine selection of 80's music provided by the stadium. We all enjoyed the fireworks display at the end as well. Thanks for coming to visit, Scheis!
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| Fireworks! |
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| The little kids at the baseball game |
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| The big kids at the baseball game |
Friday, June 1, 2012
Middle school spring concert
These videos are from the end-of-the-year concert at the middle school. It included all of the instrumental music groups and even some of the teachers and staff. Unfortunately, I can't remember which song was which now, because it took me a couple of weeks to get everything posted. But it's fairly self-explanatory. The man with the "cymbal solo" is the principal, Mr. Goldberg, whom we got to know much better than we wanted to this year ;-)
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Swan Lake pt 2
Here are the last three clips from the ballet performance.
Next up will be Nicholas' last band concert of the year, coming up next week.
Next up will be Nicholas' last band concert of the year, coming up next week.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Swan Lake 2012
After watching Swan Lake, Nicholas asked what the plot of the ballet was. I told him it was about a princess who was enchanted by an evil sorcerer, so that she was a swan during the day and a girl at night, or maybe the other way around, I couldn't remember which. He said, "So she's a were-swan? Or a reverse were-swan?" I suppose so...
Naomi was a swan (not a were-swan) in some of the dances, and a villager in others. These clips were from the Friday night performance. She says that she made some mistakes, and my videography is not the best, but I forgot my camera on Saturday so this will have to do.
There are three more clips that I will post tomorrow.
Naomi was a swan (not a were-swan) in some of the dances, and a villager in others. These clips were from the Friday night performance. She says that she made some mistakes, and my videography is not the best, but I forgot my camera on Saturday so this will have to do.
There are three more clips that I will post tomorrow.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Naomi's school picture
3rd grade spring picture!
Ballet videos from Naomi's latest performance coming in the next few days...
Ballet videos from Naomi's latest performance coming in the next few days...
Monday, April 30, 2012
Band videos - April
In the past couple of weeks, Nicholas had Solo and Ensemble and Mitchell had his spring band concert. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get any video of Nicky playing his solo. He did a great job though-- got a 1.
These two videos are from Mitchell's concert. It's the high school symphonic band. You can't actually see Mitchell-- you can get a little glimpse of his trombone slide but that's about it. But he's definitely in there somewhere!
These two videos are from Mitchell's concert. It's the high school symphonic band. You can't actually see Mitchell-- you can get a little glimpse of his trombone slide but that's about it. But he's definitely in there somewhere!
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Hawaii -- Day 7
Our last day in Hawaii was tricky, because we had to check out of the hotel at 10 am, but our flight out wasn't until 9 pm. We decided to head down to Waikiki, which is the famously crowded and touristy part of the island that we hadn't visited yet. We started at the Waikiki Aquarium, which was nice and reasonably priced. Then we walked down Waikiki Beach, and watched people boogie boarding in the waves, then stopped for lunch.
We still had the coupon from the boat ride earlier in the week, for another free chance at seeing some whales. They took us out on a smaller boat this time-- still no whales. The captain said that they had seen some the day before, so apparently we just had bad timing. But it was another fun ride.
We headed back toward the hotel, where our bags were being held in storage, and decided to take one last walk along the beach. The resorts there are spaced along four man-made lagoons. We walked all the way from our resort, past the Disney resort (and a wedding party taking pictures on the beach) and back again. Back at the first lagoon, we spotted another sea turtle bobbing along in the shallow water.
As the sun set over the lagoon, it was time to say goodbye. We were happy to return to (cold) Colorado, our own home and our dog, but we will always remember our time in beautiful Hawaii. We would love to go back someday.
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| Yes, Nicholas is the tallest in the family... |
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| And this is what Mitchell thinks about that! |
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| Waikiki Aquarium |
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| Waikiki Beach |
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| Cool trees on Waikiki Beach |
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| Naomi liked this statue |
We still had the coupon from the boat ride earlier in the week, for another free chance at seeing some whales. They took us out on a smaller boat this time-- still no whales. The captain said that they had seen some the day before, so apparently we just had bad timing. But it was another fun ride.
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| Another view of the Black Pearl |
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| I took a picture of Naomi on the boat... |
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| And then she took one of me |
We headed back toward the hotel, where our bags were being held in storage, and decided to take one last walk along the beach. The resorts there are spaced along four man-made lagoons. We walked all the way from our resort, past the Disney resort (and a wedding party taking pictures on the beach) and back again. Back at the first lagoon, we spotted another sea turtle bobbing along in the shallow water.
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| Looking at the turtle |
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| Sunset at the lagoon |
As the sun set over the lagoon, it was time to say goodbye. We were happy to return to (cold) Colorado, our own home and our dog, but we will always remember our time in beautiful Hawaii. We would love to go back someday.
Hawaii -- Day 6
On Monday, we decided to do a little more hiking. The boys wanted to go to Manoa Falls, a trail that climbs up through the rainforest and ends with a waterfall. Sounded like fun... so I plugged the name into the iPhone and we took off. Before long, however, we were lost again. The directions on the phone didn't seem to be anywhere close to where I thought the trail should be on the map. We drove around for ages, ended up on a scenic outlook that had some cool scenery and some wild chickens, and then found the trail that the phone wanted us to take. After crossing a stream and hiking along it for a while, it became obvious that it wasn't the right place at all, so we went back to the car. Roger picked up the phone and decided that I had picked the wrong directions from the options offered and said I was "fired." So I declared that Mitchell could ride shotgun and take over navigation duties for the day.
After the hike attempt, we decided to go up to the Dole Plantation. This had been on Naomi's list since she had seen it on a TV program about Hawaii a couple of weeks earlier, and heard that it had the world's biggest maze, made out of local plants and in the shape of a giant pineapple. The idea is to go into the maze with a time-punched card, find eight stations along the way, and then come out again, and compare your time to the leaderboard with the fastest times. The record for completing the maze is eight minutes. We did it in just under an hour. We also stopped in the gift shop and bought some pineapple-related snacks. Not, however, an actual pineapple-- those were selling for $8 apiece, and we had bought one for $1 at Safeway a couple of nights before.
We had no real agenda for the rest of the day, so we just drove around, looking at the side of the island we hadn't seen yet. Mitchell claimed that he did better at navigating than I did, but of course it's hard to get lost when you don't have a destination in the first place.
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| The site of a battle in which King Kamehameha drove a bunch of troops over a cliff. |
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| The kids were grossed out by the story, but the scenery was nice. |
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| Wild chickens! |
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| All of the kids swung on this vine that we found on the trail. |
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| Naomi with her walking stick |
After the hike attempt, we decided to go up to the Dole Plantation. This had been on Naomi's list since she had seen it on a TV program about Hawaii a couple of weeks earlier, and heard that it had the world's biggest maze, made out of local plants and in the shape of a giant pineapple. The idea is to go into the maze with a time-punched card, find eight stations along the way, and then come out again, and compare your time to the leaderboard with the fastest times. The record for completing the maze is eight minutes. We did it in just under an hour. We also stopped in the gift shop and bought some pineapple-related snacks. Not, however, an actual pineapple-- those were selling for $8 apiece, and we had bought one for $1 at Safeway a couple of nights before.
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| Kids with their finished card, at the end of the maze |
We had no real agenda for the rest of the day, so we just drove around, looking at the side of the island we hadn't seen yet. Mitchell claimed that he did better at navigating than I did, but of course it's hard to get lost when you don't have a destination in the first place.
Hawaii -- Day 5
On Sunday morning we made it to Hanauma Bay. After a brief film in which singing fish asked us not to step on them, we were able to head down to the beach. It was beautiful, and everyone tried their hand at snorkeling. Roger and Mitchell were best at it, but we all did a little, even the non-swimmers. (Breathing through a tube underwater? Not natural. Just saying.) Naomi liked the goatfish (with a little mustache) and the redlip parrotfish. Mitchell was most excited about swimming with a sea turtle.
Roger took some videos underwater...
We finished snorkeling around lunchtime, and headed back to the hotel to eat and change for our boat trip. Nicholas had requested that we do "something on a boat," and Naomi wanted to see a dolphin, so we were excited to get the free whale watch cruise from the hotel. The kids loved the boat-- they hung out on the deck and enjoyed the ride. They were also excited when the crew told us that the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie had been filmed right there in that area, and that the Black Pearl was docked nearby. We sailed right past it and took pictures. However, we didn't see any whales (or dolphins, mermaids, or pirates.) At the end of the trip, they said that since we hadn't seen any whales, they would give us all a free ticket for a re-do.
We ended the day with dinner on the grill at the hotel and an early bedtime. Naomi was asleep the minute her head hit the pillow. She has never slept so well in a hotel before-- she won't be pleased the next time we all cram into a tiny room and she gets the spot on the floor between the two beds!
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| Monk seal sleeping on the beach |
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| Nick's ready to snorkel |
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| The snorkelers |
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| Naomi the fish girl |
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| Swimming with the turtle |
Roger took some videos underwater...
We finished snorkeling around lunchtime, and headed back to the hotel to eat and change for our boat trip. Nicholas had requested that we do "something on a boat," and Naomi wanted to see a dolphin, so we were excited to get the free whale watch cruise from the hotel. The kids loved the boat-- they hung out on the deck and enjoyed the ride. They were also excited when the crew told us that the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie had been filmed right there in that area, and that the Black Pearl was docked nearby. We sailed right past it and took pictures. However, we didn't see any whales (or dolphins, mermaids, or pirates.) At the end of the trip, they said that since we hadn't seen any whales, they would give us all a free ticket for a re-do.
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| The Black Pearl-- no sign of Captain Sparrow though |
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| Kids enjoying the boat ride |
We ended the day with dinner on the grill at the hotel and an early bedtime. Naomi was asleep the minute her head hit the pillow. She has never slept so well in a hotel before-- she won't be pleased the next time we all cram into a tiny room and she gets the spot on the floor between the two beds!
Monday, April 9, 2012
Hawaii -- Day 4
On Saturday morning we got up and headed for Pearl Harbor. Roger loves airplanes, Mitchell is a history buff, and Nicholas likes boats and big guns, so we had to go. We ended up spending most of the day there, except for a break at lunchtime when we went over to the flea market at the nearby stadium to get souvenirs. The boys liked the USS Missouri, or "Mighty Mo," and Naomi's favorite was the USS Bowfin submarine. We also saw the Arizona Memorial and museum, the submarine museum, and the aviation museum. It was all very interesting, and Mitchell got lots of good information he can use when he takes US history next year.
In the evening, we drove into Chinatown in Honolulu for dinner. We found a great little restaurant with delicious Chinese food for dinner. Naomi said it was almost as good as Panda Express.
In the evening, we drove into Chinatown in Honolulu for dinner. We found a great little restaurant with delicious Chinese food for dinner. Naomi said it was almost as good as Panda Express.
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| Kids at the Mighty Mo |
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| Who's got the bigger guns? |
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| Naomi on the Bowfin |
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| Nick and a big cannon |
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| I don't remember what the heck this thing is. But whatever it is, Naomi wants to be in charge. |
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| The Bowfin submarine |
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| The kids called this "Meatman" after the Mythbusters episode |
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| Mitchell next to a Mitchell Bomber |
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| Kids in a helicopter |
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Hawaii -- Day 3
Our third morning started out slow, with the kids going to the pool while the adults went to the gym and then the vacation club office. They had offered us a free whale watch cruise if we would listen to the time share pitch, so we went. We were actually kind of tempted... the place was that nice... but sanity won out in the end. Maybe someday!
After lunch, we headed up toward the North Shore. We didn't stop much, except to get shave ice at the famous Matsumoto's. But we did watch the sights out the windows and were impressed by the big waves.
We made our way around the island to the Polynesian Cultural Center. When we bought our tickets online, they suggested that we get there around noon, which seemed way too early for a 5:30 luau and a 7:30 show. But when we got there at about 2:30, we quickly realized the website was right. We saw pretty much everything, but didn't stop to watch many of the demonstrations or shows, and we didn't have time to take a tram tour of the town or a try a hula lesson. But we enjoyed the things we did, like the canoe rides and spear throwing. Nicholas especially liked the big war canoe.
In the evening, we all went to the luau. Although our kids are not known for being adventurous eaters, they tried all kinds of things-- kalua pork, poi, fish that was "not exactly cooked," and even purple dinner rolls made from sweet potatoes. The evening ended with a show full of all kinds of dances from around Polynesia. The boys were especially impressed with anything involving fire.
The kids actually fell asleep in the car on the drive back to the hotel. Another late night-- who said vacations were for relaxing?
After lunch, we headed up toward the North Shore. We didn't stop much, except to get shave ice at the famous Matsumoto's. But we did watch the sights out the windows and were impressed by the big waves.
We made our way around the island to the Polynesian Cultural Center. When we bought our tickets online, they suggested that we get there around noon, which seemed way too early for a 5:30 luau and a 7:30 show. But when we got there at about 2:30, we quickly realized the website was right. We saw pretty much everything, but didn't stop to watch many of the demonstrations or shows, and we didn't have time to take a tram tour of the town or a try a hula lesson. But we enjoyed the things we did, like the canoe rides and spear throwing. Nicholas especially liked the big war canoe.
In the evening, we all went to the luau. Although our kids are not known for being adventurous eaters, they tried all kinds of things-- kalua pork, poi, fish that was "not exactly cooked," and even purple dinner rolls made from sweet potatoes. The evening ended with a show full of all kinds of dances from around Polynesia. The boys were especially impressed with anything involving fire.
The kids actually fell asleep in the car on the drive back to the hotel. Another late night-- who said vacations were for relaxing?
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| A big canoe |
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| Learning to throw spears |
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Rowing a canoe.jpg)
Three kids and a tiki
At the luau
The kids with some of the hula dancers
Nick and his fancy war canoe
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Friday, April 6, 2012
Hawaii -- Day 2
On Thursday, the plan was to get up early and head to Hanauma Bay for snorkeling. We had been warned that since it is a nature preserve, only a certain number of people are allowed in every day, but the guide book had suggested being there by noon. So we figured we had enough time to stop in Honolulu for some breakfast. After getting (just a little bit) lost again, we ended up at IHOP. Little did we know that it would turn out to be the world's most expensive IHOP-- nearly twice what we would have paid for the same meal in Colorado! The kids made up their own "Hawaiian" word to describe the prices... heckalotta money.
We arrived at Hanauma Bay at just after 9 am, to find the parking lot full. We had missed our chance. But we were already dressed for the beach, so we just drove up the coast for a while to see what we could see. We ended up stopping at Kailua Bay for swimming and a picnic lunch, then headed over to Electric Beach to try a little boogie boarding.
In the afternoon, we went back to the hotel to check out the pools there. The kids tried out all three pools and the water slide, while the adults sat in beach chairs and sipped a soda. We finished up the day by making steaks on the hotel grills, and watching the sunset from our balcony.
We arrived at Hanauma Bay at just after 9 am, to find the parking lot full. We had missed our chance. But we were already dressed for the beach, so we just drove up the coast for a while to see what we could see. We ended up stopping at Kailua Bay for swimming and a picnic lunch, then headed over to Electric Beach to try a little boogie boarding.
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| Boys at the beach |
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| Naomi ready to snorkel |
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| Naomi was here |
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| Kids being silly |
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| Roger tries boogie boarding |
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| So does Mitchell |
In the afternoon, we went back to the hotel to check out the pools there. The kids tried out all three pools and the water slide, while the adults sat in beach chairs and sipped a soda. We finished up the day by making steaks on the hotel grills, and watching the sunset from our balcony.
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| Sunset |
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