Anna Banana: Therapy Extraordinaire, and Loving Our Summer Days

Can I first begin by saying: "Therapy" is the most overused word in my vocabulary!!

I also need to add: "Take one day at a time" is the most overused phrase!!

However: Look at how great this gal looks! She loooooooves when Gabe participates in her therapy sessions and so do her therapists. Anna is so happy to have him there and when she sees him do the exercises, she makes double the effort, which makes everybody happy. She's really grown out of the baby girl stage and is becoming this little girl. And more adorable (with a few ounces of 'tude) by the day.

Now that Gabe is done with school, we decided on two days of camp for the little man and the other five hanging out with us and finding fun things around the city to try out! Anna has therapies during the mornings and early afternoons, and I really thought it'd be rough on the Gabester at first. I grew up in the country... With acres of grass and woods to run around in and explore, a pool in my backyard, and a safe place to ride my bike on the road while dinner was cookin'. So, this whole city life - especially in the summer - is a huge adjustment for me and the kiddos. I can't send him out on his own, and I pretty much have to be "on" the whole time, unless I strike gold and he entertains himself for the day. (He's good at self-sufficiency and playing by himself, but we're in therapy for almost 4-hours a day... A lot for any kid.) 

So on the days we have our morning helper, she stays with Anna and the therapists and Gabe and I get to do our thing, which means heading the gym and then running errands together. Ok, not the most exciting! But Gabe doesn't mind it and I don't either. It's good time for us to just be together. I also grabbed the latest issue of New York Magazine, with all the great events and places to head for summer, and it was super helpful. 

Our first new place to try on the first week of summer? An awesome new park just a few miles from our apartment... Check this place out!

It's right across the East River with the most gorgeous Manhattan skyline views, and while I have my days where I miss home and Ohio and yards and pools and going barefoot and chumming around with my brother and sister all day long, because let's face it, I had awesome summers, I have to say heading out and exploring something new, and photographing this picturesque place I'd only have seen in a magazine, was pretty cool. 

We met up with our buds Logan and Lucas, and it was one of those great days where Anna was content for about an hour and us mom's could just sit and chat while the kids did their thing. 

I had a moment where I looked at these hammocks and almost abandoned ship to go sit and sleep for a few hours, but figured maybe one day soon I could sneak away on my own and curl up with a good book.

Saturday morning we head for Ohio and I am so excited to share those summer country days with Gabe, and I am also really looking forward to getting some respite from Anna. Love the girl, but Mama needs to refresh. 

Hope you enjoyed the updates!