Harris Family HQ

Category: Uncategorized

  • September 2026

    This was a fun one.

    Normal stuff:

    • Florence had her 4-month (!) check-up and weighed in at 13 lbs 15 oz and measured 25″ long. All is well as she’s working on getting some teeth.
    • Harvey’s potty training continued. It’s been like the stock market: lots of ups and downs day to day, but overall things are looking up.
    • Michael’s Achilles recovery and PT have been similar. Some days are better than others, but we’ve come a long way.
    • Sarah started Masters swimming at the YMCA and is loving it.

    Friends:

    • We had a great brunch with Matt and Zia.
    • We celebrated a 2nd birthday with one of Harvey’s swimming buddies.
    • Sarah spent time with a fellow mom from her baby yoga class and caught up with an old colleague who was in town.
    • Michael went back to Gill St. Bernard’s to celebrate his 20th (!!!) high school reunion with a great group.

    Events:

    • Sarah’s mom, Lynn, got married to her longtime partner, Eric, at their “new house.” It was a beautiful day. Sarah’s gift for the couple was the dessert, and she provided a beautiful (and delicious) spread.
    • We did Labor Day grilling (after some technical grill challenges) at Mike and Georgann’s house.
    • VA Beach. Lynn and Eric rented a house right across the street from the beach. In addition to our four, Brian, Chelsea, Elaine, and Matthew were there. It was a fun week of sun and swimming. Michael even made it onto the beach in his boot. It wasn’t as relaxing as past beach vacations, with our very active toddler running around, but we all had fun.
    • We had a great start to our Fall Money Series on Zoom with the business team. People got a lot of value from it, and the second installment will be in October.

    Lots of photos this month:

  • August 2026

    Some months are a little boring. This wasn’t one of them. There was a little bit of everything (which means lots of photos below), and most of it good, so we’ll count our blessings.

    The Good:

    • Harvey started potty training!
    • Michael’s Achilles injury is improving every week. He started the month still using a crutch to walk and ended it able to walk in shoes (inside the house, anyway).
    • Enjoying our CSA and cooking new meals
    • A dinner with new friends
    • A random weekday beach trip
    • Sarah started going back to her personal trainer
    • It was Grammy’s birthday, and she and Grandad went into the city with Matthews and Xandria and also made it to Elaine’s birthday party
    • Michael’s cousin Ryan visited the Jersey Shore with his daughters Audrey and Miranda (we missed Debbie!) and we enjoyed a great dinner and hanging out on the boardwalk
    • Sarah’s dad Jeff and his wife Nancy were in town for their granddaughter (and our niece) Elaine’s 4th birthday. They accompanied Sarah and the kids to the beach, and we all got some good hangout time. We’ll be going out to Minnesota in November to see them next.

    The Bad:

    • Harvey started potty training!
    • Everyone in the house, besides Florence, spent the second week of the month with a cold
    • Had to get our windshield replaced

    The Ugly:

    • Sadly, the biggest theme of this month was death. We lost three people we cared about and had great times with. These kinds of losses hit even harder now that we have kids. All the clichés are true — as Michael Mann wrote in Heat 2, “We’re all footprints on a beach. The tide comes through and you were never there.”

    Hopefully we all hold the ones we love a little tighter and never take the time we have for granted. Until next month…

  • July 2026

    Following the Achilles rupture at the end of June, July wasn’t quite the month we envisioned. Each week I either had a doctor’s appointment or a physical therapy session, sometimes both. Sarah was managing everything at home – especially in those early weeks. It wasn’t the easiest month, but it wasn’t all bad either.

    We kicked off the month on the 4th of July with some new friends in town. Their son is the same age as Harvey and they had fun hanging out. We tried for a photo at the end of the day and this was the best we got. We’ll try again next year!

    Florence is growing and changing every day. She had her two-month birthday and checkup and all is well! Here are some photos of our favorite little girl.

    Harvey is undoubtedly in his “terrible twos” era. He’s growing and learning so much and wants to get into everything. He’s cute (check out the haircut), but man, there are days that he tests our patience.

    The grandparents were super helpful this month. Grammy and Grandad came over weekly and helped with whatever was needed. Their biggest contribution was watching wild man Harvey overnight, giving Mommy and Daddy a much needed Saturday night/Sunday morning to themselves. They took him to the beach and a playground which led to a great night’s sleep. Gram (Lynn) was also a big help, coming over a couple days and giving Sarah much-needed shopping support and watching Florence while also supplying some cool clothes for Harvey.

    We managed to squeeze in an impromptu beach trip one evening.

    We rounded out the month celebrating Matthews’ birthday at our apartment because of my bum ankle, and had a great time catching up over ramen and drinks. Everyone left a little too full, but isn’t that kind of the goal?

    Until next month…

  • June 2026

    Hopefully this is the latest monthly update we have on this page. June started off great, we had some lovely moments, and it ended with a surprise injury and lots of doctors appointments.

    We came into the month adjusting to life with Florence and trying to keep Harvey active outdoors. Since turning two, he’s found never ending reserves of energy 😅 For the most part we succeeded, despite the weather not always cooperating.

    Here are the memorable events from the month:

    • We celebrated Lynn’s birthday (6/8) and Brian and Chelsea’s 4th wedding anniversary.
    • Florence had her one month (!) check up and is healthy and growing.
    • We caught up with our Doula, Sarah Felix. She is great if anyone is looking for support during their pregnancy journey.
    • Harvey wrapped up his spring session of swimming lessons.
    • The New York Knicks became the NBA Champs! Florence and I watched the two final games together and I ended up going to the parade the following week.
    • We had a visit from Sarah’s great aunt Pam, and grandparents Grammy and Pop pop Bill. They came up from to meet Florence and catch us up on what’s going on in their lives.
    • Harvey met Elmo at the local bookstore.
    • We celebrated Father’s Day at Grammy and Grandad’s house (Mike Sr. and Georgann) with Uncle Matthews, Uncle Brian, Aunt Chelsea, and Elaine. We couldn’t pry Harvey away from the basketball and ping pong.
    • I tore my Achilles tendon in the first minute of the first game in a 30+ Cranford Men’s league. Old man problems. So unfortunately, the last week of the month was dominated by doctors visits. Blood clots forming made surgery unsafe, so I’ll be going the non-operative route.

    The Achilles tear wasn’t the kind of surprise we were hoping for this month. Sarah has been a superstar, picking up the slack for me and doing everything around the house and with the kids. My parents have been a great help as well. We’re grateful for family and kind friends who’ve helped make this more manageable.