May 26, 2026

Our Memorial Day Weekend

Our Memorial Day Weekend

A slow and meaningful Memorial Day weekend filled with sunshine, hummingbirds, Target runs, family memories, off-roading adventures, and the simple moments that remind us what really matters. In this heartfelt episode of We Are the Hansons, Jeremy and Myia reflect on family, growing kids, slowing down, and finding beauty in ordinary life.

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There's something special about Memorial Day weekend, when life finally

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seems to exhale. Not because everything suddenly becomes perfect, but because,

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for one weekend, the pressure softens, the schedules slow down,

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the alarms get ignored, the kitchen gets messy in the

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best way, and somewhere between the grocery store runs, the sunshine,

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the random conversations, and the quiet moments you almost miss,

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you realize these are the memories that stay. Not the

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expensive trips, not the giant plans, just the ordinary, little

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moments that somehow become everything. This Memorial weekend felt exactly

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like that for our family. It wasn't loud, it wasn't overplanned,

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it wasn't one of those weekends where every second was

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packed with activities. It was simple, and honestly, I think

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that's why it felt so meaningful. Jeremy and I spent

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the weekend hanging out with our two youngest girls, Anneline

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and Torren. The older boys were off making their own

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memories with Maddie. The weather finally felt like summer was

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knocking at the door, and for once, nobody was rushing,

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nobody was stressed, nobody was trying to survive the week

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we were just living in the moment, and sometimes that's

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the best kind of weekend there is. So today I

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want to talk about slowing down, about family, about tiny

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memories that end up becoming giant memories later, about hummingbirds,

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about dirt track off roading, and about target runs that

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somehow turn into many adventures. And somewhere in the middle

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of all of that, I'm even sharing one of our

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favorite easy summer treats you can make with your family

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this season. So grab your coffee or maybe your sweet tea,

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open the windows, and let's hang out together for a

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little while, because this was our Memorial Day weekend, and honestly,

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it was wonderful. Memorial Day weekend always carries a different feeling.

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Even as a kid, I remember it feeling different. School

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was ending, pools were opening, the evenings stayed lighter longer.

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You could smell girls going all across neighborhoods. People were

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outside again, kids were riding bikes, and suddenly life felt

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alive after a long stretch of routine. Now as a mom,

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I noticed those feelings even more because life gets busy,

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really busy, especially with a large family. There's always laundry,

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always dishes, always schedules, always someone needing something. I truly

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love our chaos. There's also something deeply healing about weekends

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where nobody expects perfection, where everyone just exists together. That's

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exactly what this weekend felt like. It felt calm, comfortable, easy,

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and honestly, those weekends are underrated. Saturday mornings started slowly,

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no rushing, no alarms blaring, no giant obligations hanging over us,

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just sunshine creeping through the windows and that feeling of

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knowing the whole weekend was still ahead of us. Those

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mornings feel rare as parents, especially when your house has

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always been full of kids. There's usually noisy immediately, someone hungry,

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someone asking questions, someone needing a ride somewhere. But this

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morning felt softer. Jeremy and I were drinking coffee while

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the girls slowly woke up, and outside, summer was already

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making itself known. The birds were loud, the trees were

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moving in the breeze, and our strawberry plant had apparently

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become the hottest restaurant in town for our hummingbirds. I

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had noticed them hovering around it constantly, tiny little flashes

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of movement, darting back and forth, At first I thought

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it was cute. Then I realized that they were absolutely

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devouring the plant, and honestly, I couldn't even be mad

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about it. Hummingbirds are magical. There's just something about them.

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They feel almost unreal, tiny little creatures moving so fast

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they barely seem to exist, and every time one stops

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long enough for you to really see it, it feels special.

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So instead of trying to keep them away from the strawberries,

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we decided to lean into it. That turned into one

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of those spontaneous family outings that ends up becoming the

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highlight of the day. We decided to head to minards

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to grab hummingbird feeders and bird seed, and honestly, I

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love little errands like that, not because the air in

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itself is exciting, but because family memories are almost never

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built during giant moments. They're built during ordinary ones. It's

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sitting in the car together talking about random things, listening

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to music, stopping for drinks, laughing about nothing. That's where

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real life happens. That's where connection happens. And when you

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have older kids who are growing up fast, you start

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realizing how important those little windows become. Because one day

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the back seat gets quieter one day, everyone has their

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own plans one day, your weekends look different. So I've

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learned to appreciate even the smallest moments together, even bird

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feeder shopping, especially bird feeder shopping. Walking through minards felt

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like stepping into summer. Everything smelled fresh flowers, garden soil,

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bird seed, the warm outdoor air drifting it every time

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the door opens. The girls were excited immediately. Torn especially

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gets fascinated by little things like birds and animals, And honestly,

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I love seeing that wondering kids because adults lose it.

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Sometimes we get so busy that we stop noticing the

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small beautiful things. Kids still notice them. They still get

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excited over butterflies, birds, cloud shapes, tiny frogs. I think

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that's part of why having younger kids keeps your heart soft.

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They remind you to look around to notice things. Again.

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We spent forever looking at hummingbird feeders and walking through

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the garden sad and somehow there are way more options

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than you'd expect. Some looked fancy, some looked vintage, some

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look like little glass art pieces, and of course everyone

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had opinions. That's another thing about family shopping trips. Nobody

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agrees on anything. Ever, one person like the bright red feeder,

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another likes the simple one, someone else wants the giant one,

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And somehow a ten minute shopping trip becomes a full

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family debate. But honestly, that's part of the fun too.

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Eventually we picked out a couple feeders and some bird seed,

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and I already knew what would happen once we got home.

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Jeremy would immediately want to set everything up, because if

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there's one thing about dads, they turned tiny projects into missions.

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And I love that about Jeremy. He gets genuinely axed

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about things, whether it's grilling, fixing something outside, or now

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apparently creating the ultimate hummingbirds setup. After Minards, we had

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a to target. Target on a holiday weekend feels like

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its own experience. Everybody's shopping for summer. People are buying

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pool toys, girl supplies, outdoor decoration, snacks, patio furniture, sunscreen.

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It feels like everyone collectively decided winter is officially over,

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and Target somehow always turns into way more than a

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few things. You walk in eating toothpaste and bird feeder hooks,

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and suddenly your cart has candles, snacks, throw pillows, and

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things you never knew existed an hour earlier. I don't

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know how Target does it, but they do every single time.

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The girls were wandering around looking at everything, and I

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love moments like that too, not because shopping matters, but

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because being together matters. It's easy to underestimate those ordinary experiences,

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but later those are the exact memories kids remember, not

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necessarily the expense of vacations, not necessarily the giant gifts,

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but random Target runs with mom and dad laughing in

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the aisles, looking at silly things, arguing over snacks, getting

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Starbucks inside the store. And as parents, that's wild to

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think about, because while we're living it it feels small.

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But later those tiny moments become entire eras in your

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child's memory. That thought hits me harder the older my

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kids get, because when you have adult children, you start

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realizing time isn't slow at all. It's unbelievably fast. One

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minute your house is full of toddlers, the next minute,

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your kids are engaged, driving, working, building lives, creating memories

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without you. And while that's beautiful, it's also emotional. This

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weekend really highlighted that because while Jeremy and I were

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hanging out with Anelin and Torren. The older boys and

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Maddie were off having their own adventure. Tristan, Gavin, Keenan, Maddie,

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their cousin Logan and Connor, and their fiances spent the

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weekend dirt track off roading, and honestly, I love seeing that.

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I love seeing our kids make memories together, especially with family.

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There's something really special about cousins staying close as they

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grow up, because cousins become your first friends in life.

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You're built in memories, your childhood witnesses, and when families

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stay connected like that, it matters. It creates roots. The

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stories they'll tell later are being built right now. The

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inside jokes, the mud covered pictures, the late night laughing,

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the getting stuck somewhere and having to figure it out together.

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That stuff becomes family history. And I know they probably

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had an absolute blast. There's something about off roading that

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people genuinely love. The adrenaline, the dirt, the freedom, the

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chaos of it. And honestly, it sounds exactly like something

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our family would enjoy. A little wild, a little loud,

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a little unpredictable, very on brand for the Hansens. While

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they're off doing that our weekend stayed slower, and I

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think that balance was perfect, because not every good weekend

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needs to be packed full. Sometimes the best weekends are

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the ones where you finally breathe. That's exactly what this

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weekend felt like for me, breathing again, blowing down enough

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to notice things like the hummingbirds, or the way the

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sunlight hit the kitchen in the evening, or hearing Jeremy

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and the girls laughing outside while setting up the bird feeders.

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Those moments matter, and I think as adults we sometimes

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miss them because we're so focused on productivity. We're always

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trying to get ahead, always trying to finish something, always

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planning the next thing. But life doesn't actually happen in

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the future. It happens in the tiny, ordinary moments, and

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Memorial Day weekend reminded me of that. When we got

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home from shopping, Jeremy immediately got to work setting up

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the hummingbird feeders, exactly like I predicted. Watching him outside

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working on little projects has always been comforting to me.

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It's one of those everyday things that somehow feels deeply familiar,

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like home. The girls were helping, while kind of helping,

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mostly supervising, giving opinions, holding random things, asking questions. But

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that's family life too, and before long we had hummingbird

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feeders hanging up and bird seed out for the other birds.

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It instantly made the yard feel alive. And the funniest part,

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the hummingbirds noticed almost immediately. I swear they had been

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waiting for us, tiny little flashes zooming through the yard, hovering,

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dirting around. It honestly felt magical, and for a little

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while all of us just stood there watching them. No phones,

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no rushing, no distractions, just standing together outside watching hummingbirds.

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Those are the moments I wish lasted longer, because they

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disappear fast. Kids grow up, schedules come back, life speeds

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up again. But every once in a while you get

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weekends like this, weekends that remind you what actually matters.

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And honestly, what matters most to me has never been perfection.

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It's connection, always connection. Family, dinners, conversations, laughter, shared moments, inside, jokes,

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quiet evenings. Those things build a life, not the giant milestones,

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the tiny, repeated moments. That's where love really lives. And

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speaking of summer memories, I promised you guys a simple

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summer treat recipe and This honestly feels perfect for Memorial

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Day weekend because it's easy, refreshing and something the whole

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family can make together. So here's one of our favorite

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quick summer treats. Strawberry cheesecake ice box cups and yes,

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they are as good as they sound. You'll need fresh strawberries,

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vanilla putting, mix, cream cheese, whipped topping, crushed gram crackers,

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and little cups or jars. That's it, simple, easy, perfect

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for summer. First mixed softened cream cheese with the vanilla pudding,

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then fold and whipped topping until it's creamy and fluffy

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in the cups. Layer crushed gram crackers on the bottom.

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Then add the cheesecake, mixture them fresh strawberries, Repeat the

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layers and chill them in the fridge for a little

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while before serving. That's it, simple little summer dessert. But honestly,

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those simple desserts always end up being everyone's favorite, especially

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during weekends like this, because summer food always tastes different somehow.

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Maybe it's because everyone's relaxed, maybe it's because we associate

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it with memories, but summer desserts just hit differently, especially

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cold strawberry dessert. Anything involving strawberries felt appropriate this weekend,

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considering the hummingbirds had apparently declared war on our strawberry plant.

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The rest of the weekend continued in that same calm,

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peaceful rhythm, no huge plans, no pressure, just being together,

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and honestly, those weekends recharge me more than anything else.

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I think parents especially understand this feeling. You spend so

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much time taking care of everything else, managing things, keeping schedules, moving,

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solving problems that when a peaceful weekend finally arrives, it

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almost feels unfamiliar at first, like your nervous system doesn't

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know what to do with quiet. But eventually you settle

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into it and you realize how badly you needed it.

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I needed this weekend. I needed sunshine. I needed laughter.

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I needed target aisles and hummingbird feeders and family stories.

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I needed lolow evenings. I need it simple. And maybe

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that's why this weekend felt so meaningful, Because sometimes the

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most healing thing in the world is ordinary life. Not

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escaping your life, not running away, just actually enjoying the

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life you already have. That realization hits harder as I

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get older, because happiness rarely arrives looking dramatic. Most happiness

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arrives quietly. It's hidden inside normal days, inside kitchen conversations inside,

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grocery store trips inside, sitting outside, watching birds inside, hearing

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your kids laugh in another room. That's real life, and honestly,

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it's beautiful. I think Memorial Day weekend also naturally brings reflection.

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It reminds you how quickly seasons change, how quickly yours move,

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how temporary moments really are. And maybe that's why weekends

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like this feel emotional in a good way, because you

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realize how precious ordinary time actually is, especially with your family,

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especially when your children are growing up, especially when life

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moves fast. I found myself thinking about that a lot

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this weekend, watching the younger girls laugh, thinking about the

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older boys and Maddie off making memories together, thinking about

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how different our life looks now compared to ten years ago.

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And honestly, family life constantly evolves, nothing stays the same.

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That can feel sad sometimes, but it's also beautiful because

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every season has something special about it. When the kids

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were little, life was loud and chaotic. Now life is

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changing again. Some kids are adults, some are building futures,

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some are creating their own traditions, and somehow Jeremy and

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I are standing in the middle of all of it,

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watching these lives we create to continue growing. It's surreal, honestly,

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and weekends like this remind me to soak it in

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because one day, even this version of life will become

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a memory too. One day we'll talk about remember when

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the hummingbirds were eating the strawberry plants, or remember when

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the boys went off roading all weekend, or remember that

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Memorial Day weekend we spent together just hanging out, And

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those memories will matter because family stories are built from

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weekends exactly like this. Not perfection, just presence being there,

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showing up, living it together. That's enough. And honestly, I

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think social media sometimes makes people feel like memories only

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count if they look huge, big vacations, fancy moments, perfect pictures.

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But real life doesn't work like that. Some of the

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best memories happen in sweatpants, running errands, laughing in parking lots,

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standing in kitchens, watching birds outside, And I hope people

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remember that, because life goes by fast if you're always

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waiting for the big moments. Sometimes the small moments are

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the big moments. This weekend proved that to me again.

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I also think there's something deeply comforting about traditions starting accidentally,

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because now I already know this hummingbird situation is going

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to become a whole thing. Jeremy will absolutely become invested

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in attracting more birds, the girls will start naming them.

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Someone will become emotionally attached to one specific humming bird,

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and before long, this will become part of our summer.

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That's how family traditions happen, not always intentionally. Sometimes they

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begin from random weekends and small moments, and suddenly, years later,

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they're part of your family story forever. I love that.

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I love the idea that ordinary weekends can quietly shape

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a family, that simple things can become meaningful traditions, And honestly,

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that's the kind of life I want, not perfect, just meaningful.

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And this weekend absolutely felt meaningful. As the weekend started

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winding down, there was that familiar feeling that always comes

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with holiday weekends, that weird mix of gratitude and sadness

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because you know regular life is about to start again,

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the schedules, the responsibilities, the alarms, the routines, But at

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the same time, you feel full emotionally full, like your

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heart needed those few slower days, and honestly minded, I

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think this weekend reminded me that happiness doesn't have to

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be complicated. Sometimes happiness is just your husband beside you,

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your kids, nearby, bird feeders in the yard, a target trip, sunshine,

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cold desserts in the fridge, stories from your older kids

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coming home muddy and smiling after off roading all weekend.

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That's enough, more than enough, and maybe that's what I

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want people listening to this episode to remember too. You

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don't need a perfect life to have a beautiful one.

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You don't need giant plants, you don't need constant excitement.

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Sometimes joy looks incredibly ordinary. Sometimes the best weekends are

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the quiet ones, the connected ones, the simple ones, And honestly,

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I think those are the weekends we remember forever. So

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as this Memorial Day weekend comes to an end, I

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just feel grateful. Grateful for family, grateful for slower moments,

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grateful for sunshine, grateful for laughter, Grateful for hummingbirds apparently

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destroying my strawberry plants. Grateful for all of it, because

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life really is made up of tiny moments, and this

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weekend was full of them. Beautiful, tiny moments. Thank you

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guys so much for hanging out with us today and

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We are the Hansens. We hope your Memorial Day weekend

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was filled with laughter, rest, family, and moments that matter.

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And if nobody has told you lately, slow down enough

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to notice your life while you're living it, those ordinary moments,

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they're the good stuff. We'll see you guys on the

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next episode of We Are the Hansens.