The 4th

So for the 4th of July this year we went to Michigan to spend time with family & then enjoyed a few days away in Northern Michigan near the lake, just Michael & I.  One of the reasons we decided to do the 4th in Michigan was that Michael's mom had just retired after 20 years with the US Probation office.  Needless to say, she's pretty happy to be retired!  Michael & his sister, Wendy, grew up in a little town outside of Lansing called, Mason.  Mason has several little community parades throughout the year & the 4th of July parade is always fun.  Michael's sister had made the kids matching 4th of July outfits, so a short photo shoot ensued (which, I'm thrilled we got some cute ones with good expressions on all of the kiddos--I grant you I took a lot, but some are just adorable :)  I also ended up taking some family pics for Wendy's family...ok, well, I kind of talked them into it.  I just saw the corn field across the street from Michael's parents home & thought..how perfect for the 4th.  The kids loved the parade, there were loads of tractors, animals, & other vehicles that made it into the parade.  Each of the children were excited to see everything going on & also very happy that many folks in the parade gave them candy.  The girls got to use sparklers for the 1st time that night, so it was a long exhausting day by the end.  Wendy & I made a nice dinner on July 5th to celebrate Mom Passineau's retirement & I coxed them outside for a couple of pics of just the 2 of them, which the light was beautiful, so I think they're pretty good.  On the 6th, Michael & I left to enjoy some time away (I'll save those pics for another post).  Truthfully, the girls enjoy time away from us also & had fun with their cousins, Aunt Wendy, Uncle Brett, & grandparents.  Thankful for the time away & the fun that was had over the holiday.

My opinion, this is the best of the cousin pics

Happy Retirement: