Snowy Hope

Hope had a snow day during one of our non-stop storms and she got to help Daddy clean up.

She was thrilled!

Daddy was a little less thrilled with the snow

Hope follows Daddy everywhere but she knows the end of the driveway is as far as she can go unless someone is holding her hand

She took a seat until Daddy was done with his dangerous in the street work.

I asked her if she knew who Miley Cryus was and she said she did. She likes the wrecking ball song. I asked if she was imitating Miley and she said "No way, I'm too little to act like that"

"Nana! Daddy is making me carry all the heavy stuff!"

"Just kidding"

Daddy admitted that having Hope as a helper makes the clean-up much better

I posted some pics of the cats over at The Other Blog

Little Wonder Women

Athena and Hope had a fun Halloween

 Flashing Nana the peace sign

Even Wonder Woman can't tame that hair

Hope promises to not eat any candy before noon and to only have two pieces a day.

We hope you had a fun Halloween too

Jack's Park

The Sandy Ground Project has made a commitment to build a park for each of the children killed in Newtown, CT. Areas destroyed by Hurricane Sandy have been chosen.

My neighbor town Union Beach, NJ was devastated by Sandy. A small town of working class people Union Beach lost more than a quarter of the homes and nearly every resident was impacted. The waterfront is slowly being restored.

Along with the RAINE Foundation and volunteers from all over the country a park in honor of Jack Pinto was dedicated this spring.

I chose a rainy day to go take some shots so that I didn't interrupt any children at play.

As you can see from the last photo, people from all over the country come to visit Jack's park.

You can see all the other parks built so far at the Sandy Project site. The RAINE foundation site lists the efforts underway to rebuild Union Beach and other towns in the county.

Hope Is Four

It's been a long time folks. Miss you all. Have not been well but I do want to share some happy.

Here are some photos from Hope's 4th Birthday. She turned 4 on July 3.

 Wonder Woman is her favorite super hero

 Playing with her friend Regan after a long time in the pool

Cousin Gabriel is adorable

A quiet moment with Luke, usually they are chasing each other and pinching and then complaining

She always gets shy when everyone is singing Happy Birthday


The next morning we played Fairy and the Not Nice Queen

This is what an annoyed fairy looks like

But all was good in the end

Hope has big news - she will be a big sister in late September/Early October. She's excited about this.

Love you all

Spring in Brooklyn

Some scenes from my last visit back to the MotherLand of Brooklyn

"It's OK Mickey, I'm Coming Back"

Hope was looking at some of the millions of photos I take of her and she caught the expression on Mickey's face ...

And decided he was upset because he thought she was leaving him

I love seeing things the way she does

Ruby Tuesday 2

MID WEEK BLUES

Little Guests - and Their Plus One

This brother and sister were at a wedding I attended earlier this month ...

There's so much going on with these sweeties. The girl is fussing with the chain on her little purse that has somehow gotten stuck inside the sleeve of her sweater. Her little brother refused to leave the car without Mickey and when he bolted up the steps of the church he knocked over a plant. Big sister calmly went over and fixed the plant and hugged him.

They were incredibly quiet during the ceremony and then danced with Mickey at the reception.

SHADOW SHOTS

Appreciate the World Around You

Since she was born I have always tried to show my granddaughter Hope all the wonders of the world around her. We go out to the yard and look at birds and insects and squirrels and talk about how they too have families and that they deserve to be happy and safe.

We were at a friend's house and Hope spent quite awhile watching a bird. When the bird flew off she waved and said "bye birdie, go home to Mommy"

"What do parents owe their young that is more important than a warm and trusting connection to the Earth...?"

~ Theodore Roszak, The Voice of the Earth

MID WEEK BLUES

NATURE NOTES

"You Find Me Daddy"

My son was playing with Hope before he left for work and she told him that she wanted to play "hide and find me" and that he should be the one that "counts 1-2-3" and she would hide.

So Daddy obliged by calling the lamp post base and began to count ...

And Hope chose her hiding place ...

Priceless

RUBY TUESDAY

Weekend Photo Trio

CAMERA CRITTERS

This is my cousin's dog Daisy. She's a good old girl with a bit of arthritis and a tendency to sit with her mouth open. She is lovable and loving and will kiss you a million times. She loves children and is incredibly gentle and patient.

SUMMER STOCK SUNDAY

Summer is a perfect time for outdoor birthday parties, bringing out the convertible, and playing in the yard. These shots were taken at the 1st Birthday of one of my granddaughter's friends. Yes, they have an amazing yard.

SHADOW SHOTS



I just love the symmetry of these shadows.

Have a great weekend and Happy Father's Day to all the Dads and Grandads and Single Moms