together a few times a year for weddings, but as the weddings became few and far between we made a vow to each other to schedule one weekend a year where we would all plan to get together. This year the DeSombres hosted our reunion in Seymour, CT.
I flew out of Midway on Thursday morning with Jen Yohnka and her two boys Sam and Miles. Neither Brandon or Jen's husband Bill would be accompanying us for the weekend, so I got to play the surrogate parent (or maybe playmate is more like it) to Sam and Miles. The boys did great on the plane, but as we sat waiting for a gate at LaGuardia we all got a bit antsy. To keep Sam from swinging his feet and kicking the seat in front of him, I took his stocking feet and started rubbing them. Well that did it. For the rest of the weekend every time we got in a vehicle Sam's feet would be in my lap and he'd request a massage.
By late afternoon about half the group was gathered at the DeSombres with the adults catching up and the kids playing in the yard. Jake was a trooper and easily shared his toys including the hot commodity of Bakugans. These Transformer like spheres that opened into robotic creatures when placed on metal or "gently" knocked into another object were new to me, but apparently a very popular toy.
As dinnertime approached we packed up and headed downtown to eat at Hot Tamales, a Mexican restaurant. Dinner was good, and we were all entertained by the Mariachi Band that serenaded us with "La Cucaracha" and "Guantanamera" as well as the kids' requests for "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and "The Wheels on the Bus." Luckily Aaron was able to help out the band with the lyrics to the last song. It was fun for all, and the Premores were ready to fiesta!
The next morning we headed south to the beach on the Long Island Sound. Our crew was 
complete as Rachel, the Burns and the Whiteheads met up with us. We spent the day in the cool water jumping waves and giving boogie board rides. We made castles in the sand and watched two horseshoe crabs in what should have been a private moment for them in the surf. We had lunch at the picnic tables then the troops headed back to the water. They were quickly lured back towards the parking lot when the ice cream man pulled up ringing those recognizable bells. Everyone came running for popsicles and ice cream for a sweet end to the beach day. Pictures show Wyatt, Tom, Sam and Aaron in the water; Maddie with her blue popsicle face; Miles sporting Wyatt's sunglasses; and Jason and Joe manning the grill. We headed back to the house/hotel for naps followed by a cookout at Jason and Kristin's.
complete as Rachel, the Burns and the Whiteheads met up with us. We spent the day in the cool water jumping waves and giving boogie board rides. We made castles in the sand and watched two horseshoe crabs in what should have been a private moment for them in the surf. We had lunch at the picnic tables then the troops headed back to the water. They were quickly lured back towards the parking lot when the ice cream man pulled up ringing those recognizable bells. Everyone came running for popsicles and ice cream for a sweet end to the beach day. Pictures show Wyatt, Tom, Sam and Aaron in the water; Maddie with her blue popsicle face; Miles sporting Wyatt's sunglasses; and Jason and Joe manning the grill. We headed back to the house/hotel for naps followed by a cookout at Jason and Kristin's.
The next morning we headed out to The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk. The aquarium is one of the largest attractions in CT with over 500,000 visitors a year. Located along the Long Island Sound, the aquarium strives to preserve and protect the local waters and their inhabitants. They have a harbor seal pool with scheduled shows for feeding, sand tiger shark tank, loggerhead turtle exhibit and an intertidal touch tank where we could ask questions about the horseshoe crabs we saw the day before. We also got to see their penguins and my favorite the river otters. There were 25 of us with a 1:1 ratio of adults to kids with one extra adult. We had plenty of room to explore and I think everyone enjoyed the experience.
After everyone had their fill of the aquarium we headed across the street to The Brewhouse to fill our bellies. Feeling maritime-y, but not the least bit sympathetic for our new aquatic friends, I opted for the chowder and lobster roll. It didn't measure up to the Lobster Shack experience we had in Maine on a previous reunion, but that was a given. After lunch, the kids weren't the only ones ready for a nap.
The rest of the weekend we spent hanging out at the DeSombres. The kids played in the blow up pool with water slide and ran through the sprinklers. Cathy organized an obstacle course, Jen led Simon Says and Jason created some games of his own and followed up with the classic Duck, Duck, Goose! The troops were entertained.
Long gone are the days of staying up late and closing the bars. What we have now is a more meaningful kind of fun. Most of us have been friends for almost 15 years, and it has been great getting to really know everyone and their families, to watch the kids grow and see their personalities surface and develop, and to really appreciate the people we all have become. This year we got to meet Maddie, Addison, Miles, Benjamin and Joel. We missed seeing Kimmy, Brandon and Bill and the Darters who were preparing for the birth of their son Tommy which occurred August 19th. Our initial core group was less than a dozen, but our family has grown almost three times in size.
Next year we hope to find a house big enough for all of us (by my count that should be 33 if all can attend) so we don't have to be segregated and retire when the kiddos do. Maybe we'll need two houses, but as long as the adults still out number the kids I think
we'll be fine. Hope to see everyone again before another year passes, but if not see you next August!
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