A couple of weeks ago, Brenna had her first Wildcat Band Concert.

I got ROTTEN pictures, but I'll share anyway.

Coming in and setting up.

She was sitting in the second row, so it was very hard to get a photo of her.
This is the entire band during one of the numbers.

If you look very carefully, you can see her in the second row,

almost in the middle of the row, next to a bassoon.

There's one a little closer.

She did a great job. The band did a great job. I can't wait for the Christmas Concert!

CBU Water Polo Game

About a month ago, we all headed to CBU in Riverside to watch Eric play waterpolo. He's on a full ride water polo scholarship there. Brenna was the official water polo photographer, but since our camera is not any good at action shots, all we got were photos of Eric sitting in the water.

CBU is a really beautiful campus. It was a very hot day, so after the game, we all went out to a shady spot on the grass to wait for Eric to get changed.

Then, we all headed over to his dorm to wait for him to shower and get ready so we could all go to dinner. The rules are very strict and the girls could not enter Eric's apartment. Plus, his air conditioning had just broken, so it was H.O.T. in there, so we all waited out on his porch.

We all went and had Mexican food. We had a great time.

Just outside of the restaurant was a fountain that shot up at funny intervals. Gavin and Parker discovered it and were fascinated. Kyle and Whit are such great parents, they let the kids play until they were soaked, then changed them into jammies for the ride home.

It was a GREAT day!

Eric's VHS Graduation

Wednesday, June 17, 2009, Eric Joseph Carnohan graduated from Vista High School! There was great rejoicing in the Carnohan home as there were times during the past four years when we were not sure this day would ever come.

Seriously, we are very proud of Eric. Not only did he graduate, but he has been offered a full tuition/books water polo scholarship at Cal Baptist University in Riverside. He will attend for one semester and play polo. Then he will return home and prepare for his two year mission. He plans to leave for his mission on or shortly after his 19th birthday on April 5, 2010.

Where's Waldo? (I mean Eric.)

This is my favorite picture. He looks so adult. (Don't let it fool you, though!)

Eric, Brenna, Mom, Gavin, Whitney, Parker, Dad

Kyle had to work, but Whitney came to graduation with both babies!

Gavin and Parker were exceptionally good even though it was very long.

Travis, Eric, and Mulheim

Matt, Eric, and Travis

Eric is an Eagle Scout!!!!!

Tonight was Eric's Board of Review for his Eagle Scout rank. This is a picture of him being very silly before he went. Although you can't tell from the picture, he was pretty nervous about the Board of Review. It is a pretty rigorous interview before a panel of 4-5 lifetime scouters. Eric knew it would be difficult.

Eric rocked it! He was able to express himself well. He answered all their questions and concerns. He showed the panel that he is, indeed, Eagle Scout material.

We are very proud of him. It is a great achievement and puts him in the ranks of the few who have made the necessary sacrifices.

Congratulations, Eric!

Fun Feis in Seattle

Brenna had a feis (Irish Dance Competition) this weekend in Seattle. Joe, Brenna, and I flew toSeattle on Thursday. We stayed with my cousin Frank and his wife, Kristi. Our flight didn't arrive in Seattle until 9:30 p.m. on Thursday night, but Kristi was a great sport and came to the airport to pick us up. I'm really bummed that I didn't take a picture of their beautil house. They live in Auburn in a quiet area near a big pond surrounded by woods. It felt like we were staying in a cabin in the mountains. It was wonderful.

Brenna didn't compete until Saturday, so on Friday, my Mom and Dad came with us and we spent most of the day at Pike Place Market on the Seattle waterfront. We had a lot of fun.

We saw lots of beautiful flowers! (along with just about anything else you can think of to buy.)

There was every possible kind of food to buy, but we, of course, opted for fresh seafood.

Joe was very happy.

This is why!! Clam chowder, Crab cocktail, Fish and Chips. Mmmmmm.

Saturday morning, we got up and Brenna got ready for her feis.
She was supposed to start competing by 1:30, but they were running a little late, so she didn't really get started until after 2:00.
The waiting is a little nerve-wracking.

But, finally, they were ready to start.

Brenna danced in 8 dances. In each competition, she had between 9 and 18 competitors.
In two dances, she took second place and in another, she took a first place.
Her last dance was a trophy competition with 18 competitors.

SHE TOOK FIRST PLACE AND WON HER VERY FIRST TROPHY!!!

At the beginning of the competition, I didn't realize that we were not allowed to take video while the competitors were dancing. After I had recorded two dances, an announcement was made that there was to be NO video recording during the competitions. Oops!! I stopped.

Here is a very short video showing part of one of Brenna's dances.

HOORAY FOR BRENNA!!!!

Concert

Brenna's beginning band concert was this week. For a group of kids that has only been playing for 7 months, I was very impressed. Here are a couple of pictures from the concert. Sorry about the red eyes. I can't make them go away. The video sound isn't the greatest, but it gives you an idea of how good they sounded. We are very very proud of Brenna!

Greek Day

It was Greek Day for the Sixth Graders and Roosevelt Middle School last Friday. Here are a couple of shots of Brenna, Rylee, and Nicole in their togas. They were beautiful Greek maidens.

Shiny Rims

So, Joe got a bee in his bonnet a few days ago and decided to clean the rims on the Suburban. They were BLACK with road dust and it was not just going to wipe off. In fact, it wouldn't come off even with soap and water.


So Joe made a trip to the auto supply store and came home with a concoction that he mixed up, and voila! After a lot of elbow grease, here is the result. VERY NICE!

GAVIN!!!

Brenna had a little photo shoot with Gavin the other day.

Please enjoy the many faces of Gavin.

Eric's birthday

Eric turned 18 on April 5. He had a big party that Friday night.

Here are a couple of pictures from that night.

Sunday Fun

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Kyle, Whit, Gavin, and Parker came home with us after church yesterday. We all hung out and had a lot of fun together. As I was making dinner, I happened to look into the living room and saw Brenna reading to Gavin and Parker. I ran to get my camera. When I peeked back in, Parker saw me with the camera and gave me a big smile. He is already posing and he's not even a year old. What a ham!



Later in the day, Brenna brought her rat, Dumbo, downstairs to play with Gavin. She took this video of them together.