Family Visit, Walden Pond, Fun in Boston, and Kristen and Pete's Wedding!!!

Woo hoo!!  I made it to the end of August!  Boo yah!  (Too bad it's November right now, but I'm getting there.)  :-)August had a lot of activity this year.  My parents came to Boston for a week prior to the celebration of my sister Kristen and her husband Pete's wedding!!!  What a wonderful reason to visit, huh?  Since they came a week before the wedding, there weren't too many things to do at the beginning of the week.  So, I packed everyone into our little Prius and whisked us away to a few destinations before last minute wedding arrangements had to be made.
Our first stop was one of my favorite places to visit in Massachusetts, as well as my father's:  Walden Pond.

Here's the boys checking out the replica of Henry David Thoreau's
hut that he built while he was staying at Walden Pond.

Mom, William, and Thoreau.

Mom, the boys, and Thoreau, pondering the meaning of life.

Mom and Alex on the lonnnnng way down to the pond.

It's pretty steep, so Dad kept an eye on William.

Alex and Mom at Walden Pond.

William and Dad along the beach at Walden Pond.  It was a really nice day.

The definition of serenity :-)

Alex is starting to learn how to read.  He did really well, but got
stuck (understandably so, on Thoreau). 

Alex and Mom hiking the trail around the pond.

William likes to spontaneously dance every
once in a while.  :-)

William kept up for quite a while, but slowed down
and got tired.  Here's my dad, trying to coax William
to keep going.

Alex checking out the ducks.

William, Dad, Mom, and Alex at Walden Pond.

:-)

Up the hill to the spot where Thoreau built his hut.

The memorial to Thoreau

So cool!

The boys were trying to stack rocks on top of one another, too.

I can understand why he chose this spot.  :-)

William got pretty tired at the halfway point, so
Dad propped him up on his shoulders and took off down
the rest of the trail.

Ah-ha!  The perfect spot to stop and have a picnic lunch.

I love this picture.  William was drinking it all in.

Our handsome big boy

Love it

Eating yummy sandwiches on rocks that served as a natural bench.

After lunch, the boys took off their socks and
walked around in the water amongst all the guppies
and critters.

It was a lovely way to cool off.

Brudders :-)

Since we went to the beach a lot this summer, Alex REALLY wanted
to get into the water.  We told him that his extra set of dry clothes were
in the car, so unfortunately he couldn't play in the water that day.

Alex's solution?  Oh...he started pulling down his pants and underwear
and had no problem being naked in the water!  Lol!  Oh this kid.  We
told him that it was public indecency and that he should pull his pants back up.

William, as you can tell from this picture, dipped his bottom AND diaper into the pond
while he was playing and got completely soaked from the waist down.
Since we were only half way through the trail, I decided to take off his overalls,
change his diaper, and....

Little man went pants-less for the remainder of the hike!

As you can see, he had no problem with that.  :-)
Our boys are not shy.

Me and a pants-less William Billiam :-)

We finally ended the hike and
decided to sit on the rocks in front of the pond
and chill for a bit.

Mom, Alex, and Dad (William was unwilling to pose for a picture at the time).

"Hey mom!  I'm Bob the Builder!"
(Alex, as we were driving to school one morning.)

While my mom was helping my sister with last minute wedding arrangements, I decided to take my Dad and the boys to Quincy Market and the surrounding areas in Boston. 

Me and William on the carousel.

Alex on the carousel near Quincy Market

We walked along the water and then
found this beautiful fountain.

What's a stop to downtown Boston without
a visit to Mike's Pastry?  :-)
We stopped by Mike's and they gave
William and Alex a free butter cookie!
How nice of them :-)

Alex, enjoying his free butter cookie.

Fountain fun!

William loves to splash in the water.

This guy prefers to stay dry.

Alex was posing nicely, while William wanted Alex out of the stroller.

Mommy and Alex selfie in Boston :-)

The boys frolicking around.

Did I mention this guy loves water? :-)

Our charming Casanova

Prince Charming, at your service.

Dad and Alex, hanging out.

So cute!

Splashing around!

We were walking through Quincy Market and Alex
heard a woman playing guitar and singing.  He was
completely mesmerized, so we stopped and listened to her
for a while.  Alex loves street performers, just like his Daddy.
William was pretty interested, too.  (He just has resting grumpy face.)

Our city babies

On August 22, the wedding party and their significant others met at the Artists for Humanity Epicenter in South Boston to do a rehearsal for Kristen and Pete's wedding.

Our handsome boys!!  They were so excited
to wear their "fancy clothes" and "fancy shoes."

Love, love, love our dapper men!

Awwww!!! :-)

The boys were very excited to see their Uncle Pete.

Pete's older sister Tara, greeting the boys as well.

Kristen's friend and bridesmaid, Alicia, Pete (holding William -
because he wouldn't go to anyone else), Kristen, and Peter Sr.
listening intently to the directions for the rehearsal.

Pete walking his darling parents, Norah and Peter down the "aisle."

Pete's younger sister Shannon, awaiting directions.

The bridal party lining up...and this is where I had to quickly put down
my camera so that I could get in line as well.  :-)

Afterwards, we went to Pete and Kristen's apartment in Cambridge and had a lovely dinner of incredible barbecue from Red Bones.  It was such a lovely gathering of the wedding party and parents where the guests shared their stories of Pete and Kristen.  A fun evening with lots of love and laughter!  Unfortunately Joseph couldn't make it because he had an overnight shift that started that evening, but he was definitely there in spirit.  :-)

The boys were quickly ushered to the guest room where they ate
their dinner and watched the movie Aladdin.  Thank goodness, they were
perfect angels...no seriously...they were awesome.  :-)

The Lavelles!!  Tara, Pete and Shannon.  A gorgeous family.  :-)

Mom, William, Alex, and Me, getting in some snuggle time before the food came.

Kristen wanted to jump in on the snuggle fest.

Tara, Kristen, Shannon, and Me! :-)

The delicious cake, cupcakes, and cookies that
Alicia handmade for the rehearsal dinner!  Kudos!!

The setup :-)

The fathers chat :-)

Kristen telling everyone the seating arrangements.

I had to run in and check on the boys...yep!  They were still being awesome.  :)

Mmmm!!  Barbecue....delicious!!

Candids of chatter :-)

Mom and Dad enjoying the dinner.

More candids :-)

Dad and Mom :-)

Kristen and Pete hugging it out.

Kristen with one of Pete's groomsmen Mike and his adorable wife, Renna.

Pete with his classic Bud Light and Kristen, addressing the guests.

Tara and Shannon giving their speeches.

Kristen and Pete loved hearing what their friends and family had to say.

The Lavelles :-)

Sissies!

The boys looooove some good soul food.

Me and the 'rents taking a selfie!

The (former) Waples family :-)  Love this pic!

Me and the beautiful couple

Ok...normally I would never wear something like this,
but I think I pulled it off...whatdya think?? :-)

The boys enjoying their cookies and Aladdin.
I couldn't have asked for a better night...they made me so proud.

Our original seating arrangements.

Goin' to the chapel and they're gonnnnna get marrrrried!  August 23, 2014!!!  The day that my little sis married the man of her dreams!  I'm so happy that they found each other and that we could all be there to celebrate together.  :-)

Me and my sister drinking Prosecco and getting the party started
in the bridal suite while the makeup and hair ladies worked their magic.

Mom getting her hair done.

Kristen getting her makeup done.

Another one of Kristen's great friends and bridesmaid,
Carissa bein' sassy.

Kristen getting her hair done.

Woo hoo!!  Me after I got my makeup done professionally!
I've never looked like this in my life.  Loved the bold lip.

Time to get my hair done!  Before...

....and after!!  So much better and so fabulous.

Me and Mummy!

Me, Mummy, and Weez.  :-)

The lovely Lavelle ladies!

On the way to the venue!!  Here's a shot of my sister's
bouquet that my mom put together that had my grandmother's rosary on it.

The blushing bride.

Mom putting in Kristen's veil.

Our cutie patootie boys were playing around with the computers
while we were waiting for our pictures to be taken.
Alex was the "flower boy" and William was the "ring bearer."

Norah (Pete's mom), Joseph, and Shannon chatting.

Kevin, Tita Lilian, Tito Bee Eye, and my Dad, chatting before the wedding.

Me and William Billiam, hamming it up.

Dad, Me, and the Jubbernaut :-)

Me and my love!  So glad he was able to rally like a trooper
after working from 7 p.m. to noon the next day.  He had 2
hours of sleep, got the boys ready, and made it to the wedding.
Love you, love!

After the ceremony....it's party time!!!

Me and one of our childhood friends (and
his mother is one of my godparents), Jonathan!!
He's essentially family.  :-)
He traveled all the way from Cali with his incredibly
charming boyfriend Erik to celebrate with us!!!
It was sooooo great to see him, catch up, and
dance the night away!

Me and William....it was starting to get late.

Joseph and Alex, who was ready to shake a tail feather!

Familia!

Peter Sr. and Norah giving their speech.

While Kristen and Pete listened lovingly.

Mom and Dad giving their speech.

Cake cutting time!

Aww!  They were so nice to each other.

Very dainty, Pete.  :-)

And now...it's a HUGE selfie session because I wanted to make sure I got pictures with all of our relatives before they left.

Tita Ging, Me, and Tita Rachel!  My aunts from New Jersey.

Me in a hunky man sandwich with Erik and Jonathan! :-)

Tita Grace and Tita Lu!!  These ladies have been in
our lives since I was about 8 years old.  :-)

Tita Ging and Tita Sylvia!!  So glad you could make it
with Tito Andy (not pictured).

Tito Tito!!!!  A fun dance and drink partner and the
favorite of William and Alex.  :)

Me and my beautiful cousin, Diane, who came with her
now fiance, Andrew, all the way from California!
It was soooo much fun dancing with you two!

One sloppy one at the end of the night with my mummy.  :-p

The first slow dance :-)

Last dance!

Pete and Kristen thanking everyone for coming.

Woot WOOOOOT!!!

An absolutely fabulous gathering of wonderful people celebrating the love of two beautiful people.  A perfect evening.  Congratulations, Pete and Kristen!  May your dreams be realized through one another and may you challenge each other everyday to be the best versions of yourselves.  Hugs, kisses, and lots of love to you both!

Annnd now for the day after.  Thankfully, the boys were soooo pooped that Alex slept in until 8:30 a.m. (which is really amazing for him) and William slept until 10 a.m.!!!!  They were pretty pooped out from all of the partying.
Since my aunts and uncles had to get back to New Jersey, I asked them to come over for a quick visit to see the house and say good bye to the boys before they left.

Spot the dachshund!!  Oscar loooooves
a warm pile of freshly washed clothes
and enjoys making a bed in them.

Tita Rachel, William, Tito Tito, Alex, and Tita Ging hanging out in our living room.

Tita Lu and Tita Grace checking out the lock board that Gramps and Dad
made together for the boys.

Tito Tito really enjoyed building Lego towers with Alex.

I harvested some veggies, basil, and rosemary from my garden
and the Titas took some back home with them.  :-)

Tita Grace, hamming it up.  :-)  She always cracks me up!

Alex, Tita Grace, Tita Ging, Tita Rachel, Tito Tito, and Tita Lu
givin' some love to the camera.

William did not want to join in on the group picture.

Here's everyone trying to convince him to get in on the smiles.

High five!!

There ya go!

Annnnd a fist bump for good measure.

Last minute hugs for Tito Tito from Alex.

And one for Tita Rachel as well.

Kiss kiss!

And the next day I had a delightful brunch with my cousin Diane and her (now) fiance Andrew.  We met at Max Brenner's, enjoyed a very decadent brunch, and then walked around the Prudential Center.  Thanks for humoring this old lady and letting me chat you up about my love for Boston!  Come back any time (you know...permanently) :-)!!

Andrew, Me, and Diane hanging out in the Pru.

*Phew!!*  What a week!!!  Lots of living, love, laughter, and family packed into one week.  So much fun and so glad that we could all do this together.  Until next time...

Love and kisses,
Nikki