Philadelphia: Part 2

WEDDING DAY!

Saturday started bright and early for the ladies as they prepared for the big day in Katie's suite with hair and makeup.  Getting glam is hard work especially when you have to also drink your mimosas!

Meanwhile, the boys swam, ate breakfast, and relaxed around the hotel. 

Brooks really seemed tense about the whole thing.

Pictures started at the church in the early afternoon hours.  Marie was able to be a part of all the girl-time festivities including hair, makeup, and helping Aunt Katie get dressed.  

Pictures went really well and all 5 kids did a great job!  It's tough to stay focused while trying to look so darn cute and eat a sucker in between photos and saying "cheese!"

The Ceremony was so special and everyone could tell how much thought and preparation Katie and Greg had done to make their ceremony unique and intimate.

Marie and Bennett pulled of their duties as flower girl and ring bearer without a hitch. However, Brooks fell asleep on the job while Allie and Ryan decided to save their energy for entertaining the guests in the balcony during the ceremony. Andy and Andrew filled in as assistant ring bearer and flower girl nicely. 

After the ceremony, the wedding party took a few more photos with the bride and groom at a nearby park before heading over the reception at The Moshulu, a ship with the reception was taking place. 

The reception was filled with fun, dancing, and delicious food.  The kids danced the night away and one by one they began falling asleep. Brooks surprised us all by being the entertainer of the night with his dance moves. 

It was such a wonderful wedding full of so much love. 

We are one blessed family.

Philadelphia: Part 1

We enjoyed our whirlwind trip to Philadelphia for Aunt Katie and Uncle Greg's Wedding the last weekend in September.  As I look back through the photos I realize why we were so tired when we came home!  We packed a lot of fun into a little bit of time, but that seems to be our usual anymore.

We flew out with a whole crew on Thursday morning out of Minneapolis.  The kids were very excited for their flight and loved being able to take their own luggage and help Allie and Ryan.
Thankfully there was one adult for each kid so the trip was actually quite simple!  

I wish I had a picture of our little ducklings all in a row following each other on and off the plane. 

When we arrived in Philly we went straight to the hotel and unpacked, then grabbed dinner along the boardwalk near the hotel.  That are was perfect for kids: parks, fun oversized games, the river, and good food.  The adults found the beer truck too so they were all happy as well!

After a quick late night swim it was off to bed!

Friday morning the girls headed off to brunch while the boys swam. Mid day was saved for some rest or sight-seeing.  We chose sight-seeing with the help of Uncle Nathan and a kind man with a horse and buggy.

In a short time we toured the Liberty Bell, Constitutional Hall, the first library founded by Ben Franklin, and of course a legit Philly steak and cheese sandwich.  

Friday evening was full of wedding festivities with the rehearsal and dinner.  There was also an incident with a certain flower girl's earring but all is well after her hero of a daddy found the silly thing. Some paid a little better attention during the rehearsal than others (ahem...Brooks and Allie), but at the end of the evening everyone had their parts of the ceremony ready to go!

 

 The grounds of the church were gorgeous so we couldn't resist getting some pictures taken...some may or may not appear on Christmas cards later this year.

 

That evening, the kids and I fell into bed while Andy enjoyed visiting with so many friends and relatives who traveled to the wedding and listening to Greg and his band.