Reunion Vacation

We are currently in New London, CT, enjoying our stay at a beach house.  We came up Thursday for Andy's and my 20th reunion at the Academy.  We're sure we aren't old enough to have graduated 20 years ago, but here we are anyway. :)

The weekend was crazy and full. The kids enjoyed meeting other kids out at Stonington Lodge for the class cookout Friday night (Andy and I chuckled - one fourth of the kids out there were ours!). Joshua was the hit of the party.  At one point, he came up to our classmate, Dante, and started talking with him.  Dante asked him his name.  He replied, "Joshua".  Wanting to know who this outgoing little bugger belonged to, Dante asked him his last name.  Joshua replied, "Wilson".  Impressed with his verbal skills, Dante asked him his age.  Joshua replied, "Ten".  Dante guffawed and hooted, "You're too short to be ten!"  To which Joshua replied, "Nah, I'm just joking with you.  I'm really four!"  Who's kid is that anyway?!

Joshua's antics didn't stop there. Saturday during the football game he skipped sitting with the family in order to squish up next to Pete Gassan.  He talked Pete's ear off and kept him laughing.  At one point Andy looked over to see Joshua and Pete karate chopping one another.  When Pete left, Joshua sidled up next to Matt Stuck and proceeded to keep him entertained throughout the rest of the game.

And his antics still didn't stop there.  Sunday Joshua kept our classmate, Karl Robinson, who stayed with us at the beach house (brave soul), entertained whenever he turned around.  And then on Monday, while we were getting lunch at a deli in Boston, I turned around from ordering to see Joshua talking to a young pretty woman at the lunch bar.  He was seated next to her on a stool and had her ooohing and ahhhing over how cute he was.  Oh brother!  We will have to keep our eyes on that one! :)

Nathan is working hard trying to earn his drivers license.  I told him that our trip to CT was his final exam.  He drove up 95 from just north of DC, clear to the beach house.  He got to experience the New Jersey Turnpike (which wasn't too bad), an hour of stop and go merging to cross the George Washington Bridge in NY (that was a great experience for him!), the CT slinky (that's what Andy and I call driving in CT - you will be driving down the highway and all of a sudden all the cars will slam on their brakes.  Everyone slows way down, then suddenly picks up speed again, for no good reason.  Annoying, but great driving practice.).  On the way home he requested to not drive through New York, as he wants to look around, so he will pick up after New York so that he can experience driving through DC.  Fun for him. :)

He is also trying to earn his license by being extremely good and watching the JJ-PIG's so Andy and I could go out with our classmates.  The Friday night cookout was a bit challenging with a tired screaming Joy Anna.  Nathan did his best to entertain her, but she finally wanted only Mama.  Saturday night was an adults only dinner so Nathan held down the fort until we got home...after midnight! :)  Then Sunday several of our classmates were still in town so we went out again and Nathan again watched the kids.  Several of our classmates commented at how mature he was and how good he was with all the kids.  He certainly is and Andy and I were so grateful for his willingness to serve us by watching his younger siblings.

Monday we took the kids to Boston (again, Nathan got to drive!).  We visited the USS Constitution and walked the Freedom Trail to Bunker Hill.  Then we drove to Concord and played Pooh Sticks on the Old North Bridge.  I think running around and climbing trees at the Old North Bridge was the kids favorite activity. :)  On the way home we stopped at a McDonalds (after paying over $50 for small sandwiches at the Deli, we needed something more economical to feed the family).  While we were ordering food, Joshua found some old ladies talking together at a table.  He proceeded to join their conversation and keep them entertained until Andy showed up at the table with dinner.  Don't know who's boy that is...

This morning we finally went to the beach with the JJ-PIG's.  Nathan stayed behind to work on school.  Though the weather has been cool and rainy, it was fairly pleasant at the beach and the kids had fun playing in the sand...and then the water.  They were freezing sandy messes when we came home.  We had hoped to visit Rocky Neck State Park this afternoon, but it was raining again so we didn't make it.

In the morning we plan to visit the Nautilus Submarine and museum, then we will go ahead and start heading home.  There isn't a good time to leave here in the morning without hitting bad traffic somewhere, so we thought an afternoon departure would be best.  We plan to make it to Grammy's house, who will be returning home from a week's vacation herself about the same time we roll in!  We will head the rest of the way home Thursday morning.

Well, no pictures for this post, as Nathan hijacked my computer with the photos to work on his debate case.  I will post a photo bomb when I get it back.