Photo Story: All You Need Is Love

The Lalondes are a traditional Native American family living in Mount Pleasant, Mich. They moved from Clare to their Mount Pleasant mobile home village after Dominick Lalonde had to go into early retirement because of back pain, rendering him unable to work. He was involved in five car accidents spanning from 1989 to the present, and he says the pain is so intense, it prevents him from playing with his kids, Red Arrow, 5, and Summer Rain, 2. He said no matter the amount of pain, his kids can always put a smile on his face. He worked for 10 years as a chef before switching to construction, while his wife, Shasta Lalonde, is a stay at home mom.

Dominick and Shasta Lalonde share a brief kiss on the front porch of their trailer in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.Shasta Lalonde wipes up a mess made by her daughter, Summer Rain, 2, as she eats dinner in their Mount Pleasant home. 

Dominick Lalonde picks up his son, Red Arrow, 5, from the bus stop after a day at school. Red attends the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Academy.  Shasta Lalonde takes her kids Red Arrow, 5, and Summer Rain, 2, to the grocery store. She told them they could each pick out one toy to take home with them.   Shasta Lalonde sits down with her kids, Summer Rain, 2, and Red arrow, 5, as they eat their dinner by the fire pit at their Mount Pleasant home.   Red Arrow, 5, hugs his sister, Summer Rain, 2, after accidentally hitting her while playing outside at their home in Mount Pleasant. Their parents told them to hug and make up.  Shasta Lalonde covers her eyes as her son, Red Arrow, rides his bike around their neighborhood in Mount Pleasant.  Summer Rain, 2, playfully bites a family friend, Pat’s, pant leg outside of her Mount Pleasant home. “No matter how much pain I’m in, she (Summer) can always put a smile on my face,” Dominick said.Shasta Lalonde holds her kids, Red Arrow, 5, and Summer Rain, 2, after having a tickle fight in their Mount Pleasant home.