We ended April and began May with Sarah in Reno, NV. She was home for the weekend and then spent the first full week of the month in Lima, Peru. She was under the weather during the trip, but toughed it out. She loved Lima and counts it as her second favorite South American city, right behind Buenos Aires. Next time she goes, I think we might be making it a family trip😄 Check out her photos below.
When Sarah got back from Peru, she brought whatever had been ailing her, and the next week Harvey and I were out of commission for a few days which wasn’t fun – but we did celebrate Mother’s Day and had some good family time in there, so that was a win.
In the last half of the month:
Sarah hosted her book club group 📖
Harvey had some good time with Grammy and Grandad 🧑🏽👩🏻👦🏻
We had a business event where Mike Sr. and Georgann got some nice recognition 🏆
Harvey got some play time with his cousin Elaine 🛝
We had an eventful MDW, testing out Mike Sr.’s new grill equipment 🍔and buying a new car to give Sarah’s old girl a break🚗
April was a month of settling in and quiet observations for us here at home in Cranford. We’re continuing to find our rhythm in the new apartment, discovering little details about our new neighborhood that make it feel a bit more like home every day. It’s amazing how those small, consistent experiences – like finding a new favorite coffee spot or figuring out the best route to the park – slowly build into a sense of belonging.
April was also a busy month for Sarah with work taking her on two significant trips. She spent time in both Colombia (Bogota and Medellin) and Reno, Nevada, focusing on her company’s warehouse operations. While she doesn’t love being away from Harvey (we think she might enjoy the break from Michael 😂), she has enjoyed seeing new places and racking up a bunch of miles. A trend which will only continue as she heads of to Peru at the beginning of May.
While Mom was away, Michael and Harvey stepped up and figured out the day-to-day routines with a little extra help from a couple of Harvey’s grandparents and we are extremely grateful for their support.
What else? We squeezed Easter there, celebrating with both sides of the family. Breakfast in Lebanon, NJ with Sarah’s Mom, brothers, sister-in-law, and Harvey’s cousin Elaine. And then a great lunch in White Plains, NY with Michael’s parents, brother and his partner Xandria, as well has her mother and younger brother.
The rest of our time in April was a reminder that progress often happens in small, seemingly uneventful steps. Unpacking, finding new places to hang our art, getting organized, and simply finding our routines might not sound thrilling, but they’re the essential building blocks of making a new space feel like home.
As we move into May, we’re grateful for having a few days to catch our breath, and looking forward to an eventful Spring and Summer.
Wow, March came racing in and… well, it pretty much stayed that way. It feels like the whole month flew by in a whirlwind of big moments, bittersweet goodbyes, and exciting new beginnings.
Our Little Man is ONE!
The biggest news is that Harvey is a year old! It’s hard to believe that a year’s passed since we welcomed him into the world. The three of us spent the day together, going to the aquarium in the American Dream Mall. While we were there, he got his first Build-A-Bear, we took some fun shots in a photo booth, and Harvey had a blast taking in the spectacle of it all. We wrapped up the day back home singing “Happy Birthday” and Harvey enjoyed a sweet treat – that ended up all over the place. **Photos below**
New Beginnings and Fond Farewells
Around the time of Harvey’s birthday, we were also navigating some significant family transitions. Sarah’s mom and uncle sold their parents’ house – the home that held over 60 years of cherished family memories. It’s the house where Sarah’s spent almost every Christmas of her life and the house where Harvey took his first steps. While we’re sad that things didn’t work out the way we planned, we’re genuinely excited for the new adventures to come. Later this year, we plan to put together a proper tribute – maybe a slideshow – to celebrate the life lived within those walls.
Amidst this change, the exciting news is that our new home base is in the heart of Cranford. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the area, it’s a great town about 10 minutes from where we’ve been. So not much is changing day-to-day, but we are in a much more walkable area, with a great community, and lively downtown – all things that are important to us.
Work Wins, Family Visits, March Madness & What’s Next
On the work front, Sarah has been pouring energy into a major project, and we’re happy to report it has gone really well. She’s been getting tons of positive feedback from colleagues, which is always a great feeling after putting in so much effort.
We’d be remiss if we forgot to mention our brief (but fun) visit from cousins Ryan, Debbie, and Miranda Gehm on their return trip from NYC back to western PA. We had some great pizza, got all caught up, and they got Harvey some super cool 1st birthday presents.
Nancy (Sarah’s dad’s wife – not sure about the proper title lol) invited us into her son’s March Madness group and it’s been a fun distraction with everything else going on – even though Michael was knocked out in the 2nd round (St. John’s, what happened???). Sarah and Harvey are keeping their fingers crossed that Duke will win it all.
So, what’s next for the Harris crew? Our main focus for the coming weeks will be settling into our new home, unpacking what seems like a never ending mountain of boxes, and starting to explore our new neighborhood.
February’s a short month, but this one went by particularly quickly. Let’s get into it…
Sarah had a work trip to Brussels, Belgium in the beginning of February so we decided to make it a family adventure and added a few days in Paris. We embarked on our journey on Michael’s birthday (February 2nd) and celebrated Sarah’s birthday (February 9th) in Paris. Harvey was a great travel partner. He did great on the flights and added a couple of stamps to his passport before his first birthday.
In Brussels, Michael and Harvey spent their days exploring the city, while Sarah was at the office. The weather was pretty dreary, but we had a great time. Some of the highlights were the Cathédrale Saints-Michel-et-Gudule, the Parc de Bruxelles, the amazing old architecture, and the oddly high number of urinating statues. Here are some photos:
After Sarah wrapped up her last work obligation, we took the Eurostar to Paris. The train ride was great and it was super easy to navigate to the hotel once we got to Paris. After we all slept in on our first morning, catching up on some much needed sleep, we hit all the major landmarks, and of course, indulged in some amazing food over the weekend. A particularly special moment was on Sarah’s birthday, when we were fortunate enough to catch a beautiful organ recital at Notre-Dame Cathedral.
After we got home, we celebrated our birthdays with Mike Sr, Georgann, and Matthews and had a good time with our Harvey entertainment.
After the travels and birthday celebrations, the rest of the month has been a bit of a grind. Sarah has been particularly busy on a big project and we’ve been spending every spare moment looking for a new place to live. Sarah’s mother has decided to sell the house on an accelerated timeline while we are still in the house, so every couple hours we are checking for new listings. While not ideal, we know things will work out.
Despite the busy schedule, we’re feeling a profound sense of gratitude for some amazing moments over the last month.
We’re excited to see what the next month will bring – we’ll have a new address to share and a 1 year-old son (!!!) on March 21st.
If you made it this far, hope you have a great March!
Oh, and here are a few cute photos of Harvey (the real reason most of you are here lol):
There was political insanity, wild fires, and Harvey started walking – January was anything but slow and quiet.
Let’s start with the fun stuff – Harvey weighed in at 21 lbs. and 28 inches tall at his 9 month check-up and he started taking his first unassisted steps (!!!) around the first week of the month (video below).
Incentives are everything. The TV remote was just the motivation he needed 😂
The two major things on our plate this month, besides work and baby things, were looking for a new place to live by the end of March and preparing for our trip to Brussels and Paris.
Long story short, we weren’t able to come to terms with Sarah’s Mom and Uncle on the house, so we’ll be moving out. They’re set on an early spring sale, so we are hustling to find a place that makes sense for us. Moving can be stressful, but we know everything will work out. It will be sad to leave with all the family memories here, but we’re excited for our next chapter.
Next month, the three of us will be travelling to Brussels for one of Sarah’s work trips and extending that adventure in Paris for a few days. We’ve been making sure all of the baby stuff is ready to go. We even took a trip into NYC with Harvey’s new travel stroller (thanks Grandpa Jeff and Nana Nancy) to see how he handled crowded public transportation. He did pretty well, but please send all the good vibes for our flights – the boy can’t sit still and loves testing out his quickly developing vocal abilities. We will let you know how it goes!
If this month is any indication, 2025 is going to be a wild ride!
Harris Family HQ 