Harris Family HQ

Tag: 2026

  • 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…

  • January 2026

    It’s a common sentiment that January tends to feel a bit long, but that couldn’t be further from our experience. It feels like we were just celebrating the New Year, and now we’re heading straight into February with our schedule steadily filling up.

    Harvey finally got outside to experience his first real snow (photos below!) in a great new coat and snow pants courtesy of Grammy and Grandad. He’s been talking more and repeating everything; he loves counting, all things Superman, and climbing whatever he can find. He’s becoming very independent and wants to do everything himself. Since he’s turning two in March, we think he’s right on track—there’s never a dull moment.

    Sarah was back on the road for work, visiting the ‘winter paradise’ of Chicago. She confirmed that it certainly lived up to its reputation as the Windy City.

    On the new baby front, we don’t have a gender reveal just yet, though we’ll likely find out before delivery. Sarah is doing as well as one can while entering the third trimester and navigating work-appropriate travel attire. Next month is a big one for her: she’ll be in Brussels for a week, back to Chicago briefly, and then finishing the month in Querétaro, Mexico.

    On top of the travel, February brings both of our birthdays and our 10-year (🤯) dating anniversary. It’s shaping up to be a wonderful month. We hope everyone stays warm and enjoys the best month of the year with us.

    Until next time…