Summer!

Well, summer has finally come to Michigan!

We've really been into going to the beach lately. There's a state park in Dewitt with a nice lake and we also have been going to Lake Lansing. It's been really fun, the girls love the sand and the water. They've been getting some serious use out of those sand toys from Easter (Thanks Becky!). Caddie has finally learned how to ride her little bike! We are so proud of her because she has been trying to ride that bike for almost a year and now she's really got the hang of it!

We're gearing up for a big joint birthday party for the girls. I'm aiming to keep it in June but it might have to wait until July. I really want to do it at our nice park here in St. John's but I really want to reserve the nice covered party area with the tables, so we'll see.

Living in St. John's has been pretty good. It's super quiet which is nice and there are lots of parks around. But it has been pretty hard for me being the only non white face around town. I'm 1/4 African American and 1/4 Native American and the rest is Irish and German. I have yet to see a fellow brown skinned person in the entire town. There are confederate flags all over and I get a lot of stares and whispered comments. Sales people even follow me around stores to make sure I don't steal! Brendan thinks I'm being paranoid, and maybe I am, but it's still a little disconcerting. I did live in Okemos, and was one of only 5 African Americans in my graduating class of 350. And I still have nightmares about visiting my dad in Virginia and hearing the n-word at least 10 times as soon as you step out the door. I've always been proud of my heritage and it's been hard because sometimes I just wish I looked like my family. I must get over this immediately! Anyway, enough ranting! Here's some pics from last week! Enjoy!

Chalk of the Town!

Art Festival and More

Brendan and I were in the East Lansing Arts and Crafts Fair this weekend and, I am happy to say, it was a big success! Thanks to everyone who came out and for all of your support. We sold a lot of stuff and made a pretty nice profit off of our investment, so we're happy. Brendan made some new contacts there too which is so great! The girls stayed with Grandma all weekend and had a great time.
I don't really have much to blog about which is why I haven't posted anything in a while. But I do want to say that we miss all of our out of town family soooooooo much! Erin - congratulations on your new addition! We cannot wait to hold that little baby! I don't even remember the last time I held a baby boy. I hope that we can see you guys sooner rather than later! Caddie misses Maggie too, she still talks about her all of the time. Bridget - we miss you too! And don't worry, the only thing I said to you know who was hello :) And Barry! We miss you soooo much! We show Laila and Caddie pictures of their grandpa all the time and they miss you too!

Well, anyway, here some pics of the art fair and some other stuff over the last couple of weeks!

Easter Sunday

Dressed in matching outfits, of course!

Fun with Aunt Claire!

Enjoying some Easter candy!

Easter egg hunt!

I made matching barrettes for Caddie, Laila, and Olivia!

Silly girls!

More Easter candy!

Mmmm...bunny ears.

Easter bunnies!

Spring!

It's spring time in St. John's! We have been having fun going to the library or the park everyday. Caddie takes her baby everywhere! Brendan's working like crazy, so it's usually just me and the babies. St. John's is pretty cool. I do get asked a lot more if my kids are actually mine (most people think I'm the babysitter :)). I miss Meijer a lot, but who wouldn't? Looking forward to Easter at Becky's. Here's some pics, enjoy!

Pictures

At the old house

So happy in our new home!

We did it...

We moved. Well, sort of.
We are officially moved into our house in St. Johns. There is still a ton of stuff at our old house, but it's mostly just trash. Our apartment is pretty big, three bedrooms, and really close to Brendan's job (about 2 blocks). There is a ton of space for the girls to play and it's so much prettier than our old house. There's a great park about 2 blocks away and the library is only 5 or 6 blocks. St. Johns is pretty tiny, there's only Walmart (which we refuse to go to), Kmart, and Kroger. We'll miss Meijer and all of Lansing but we really like it here. No pictures yet, but I'm hoping to get them up today or tomorrow. Until then...

Double Stroller

Well, we went ahead and bought a double stroller. It is probably one of the best things I've ever bought! It is dreamfully easy to maneuver (easier than my single stroller), and the girls love it! It's actually the only stroller that Caddie will sit in. We did have a lot of trouble fitting it into the car in the box, but now that it's put together, it goes in pretty easily.
We also just took a huge trip to Ikea. That store is completely amazing! I had never been there before, but Brendan said it was the best and they had good prices, and he was totally right. It is hard to just buy what's on the list, but we managed to do it (mostly because we knew we couldn't fit it in the car). Brendan is an amazing packer by the way... he fit 2 dressers, a computer desk with shelving, a kitchen cabinet and shelf set, a computer chair, and various other odds and ends in our tiny little Saturn with room to spare!

I'll have to post some pics of our new house soon, I'll make sure to take some next time we're there. Until next time...