Speaker 1: There's something special about Memorial Day weekend, when life finally
Speaker 1: seems to exhale. Not because everything suddenly becomes perfect, but because,
Speaker 1: for one weekend, the pressure softens, the schedules slow down,
Speaker 1: the alarms get ignored, the kitchen gets messy in the
Speaker 1: best way, and somewhere between the grocery store runs, the sunshine,
Speaker 1: the random conversations, and the quiet moments you almost miss,
Speaker 1: you realize these are the memories that stay. Not the
Speaker 1: expensive trips, not the giant plans, just the ordinary, little
Speaker 1: moments that somehow become everything. This Memorial weekend felt exactly
Speaker 1: like that for our family. It wasn't loud, it wasn't overplanned,
Speaker 1: it wasn't one of those weekends where every second was
Speaker 1: packed with activities. It was simple, and honestly, I think
Speaker 1: that's why it felt so meaningful. Jeremy and I spent
Speaker 1: the weekend hanging out with our two youngest girls, Anneline
Speaker 1: and Torren. The older boys were off making their own
Speaker 1: memories with Maddie. The weather finally felt like summer was
Speaker 1: knocking at the door, and for once, nobody was rushing,
Speaker 1: nobody was stressed, nobody was trying to survive the week
Speaker 1: we were just living in the moment, and sometimes that's
Speaker 1: the best kind of weekend there is. So today I
Speaker 1: want to talk about slowing down, about family, about tiny
Speaker 1: memories that end up becoming giant memories later, about hummingbirds,
Speaker 1: about dirt track off roading, and about target runs that
Speaker 1: somehow turn into many adventures. And somewhere in the middle
Speaker 1: of all of that, I'm even sharing one of our
Speaker 1: favorite easy summer treats you can make with your family
Speaker 1: this season. So grab your coffee or maybe your sweet tea,
Speaker 1: open the windows, and let's hang out together for a
Speaker 1: little while, because this was our Memorial Day weekend, and honestly,
Speaker 1: it was wonderful. Memorial Day weekend always carries a different feeling.
Speaker 1: Even as a kid, I remember it feeling different. School
Speaker 1: was ending, pools were opening, the evenings stayed lighter longer.
Speaker 1: You could smell girls going all across neighborhoods. People were
Speaker 1: outside again, kids were riding bikes, and suddenly life felt
Speaker 1: alive after a long stretch of routine. Now as a mom,
Speaker 1: I noticed those feelings even more because life gets busy,
Speaker 1: really busy, especially with a large family. There's always laundry,
Speaker 1: always dishes, always schedules, always someone needing something. I truly
Speaker 1: love our chaos. There's also something deeply healing about weekends
Speaker 1: where nobody expects perfection, where everyone just exists together. That's
Speaker 1: exactly what this weekend felt like. It felt calm, comfortable, easy,
Speaker 1: and honestly, those weekends are underrated. Saturday mornings started slowly,
Speaker 1: no rushing, no alarms blaring, no giant obligations hanging over us,
Speaker 1: just sunshine creeping through the windows and that feeling of
Speaker 1: knowing the whole weekend was still ahead of us. Those
Speaker 1: mornings feel rare as parents, especially when your house has
Speaker 1: always been full of kids. There's usually noisy immediately, someone hungry,
Speaker 1: someone asking questions, someone needing a ride somewhere. But this
Speaker 1: morning felt softer. Jeremy and I were drinking coffee while
Speaker 1: the girls slowly woke up, and outside, summer was already
Speaker 1: making itself known. The birds were loud, the trees were
Speaker 1: moving in the breeze, and our strawberry plant had apparently
Speaker 1: become the hottest restaurant in town for our hummingbirds. I
Speaker 1: had noticed them hovering around it constantly, tiny little flashes
Speaker 1: of movement, darting back and forth, At first I thought
Speaker 1: it was cute. Then I realized that they were absolutely
Speaker 1: devouring the plant, and honestly, I couldn't even be mad
Speaker 1: about it. Hummingbirds are magical. There's just something about them.
Speaker 1: They feel almost unreal, tiny little creatures moving so fast
Speaker 1: they barely seem to exist, and every time one stops
Speaker 1: long enough for you to really see it, it feels special.
Speaker 1: So instead of trying to keep them away from the strawberries,
Speaker 1: we decided to lean into it. That turned into one
Speaker 1: of those spontaneous family outings that ends up becoming the
Speaker 1: highlight of the day. We decided to head to minards
Speaker 1: to grab hummingbird feeders and bird seed, and honestly, I
Speaker 1: love little errands like that, not because the air in
Speaker 1: itself is exciting, but because family memories are almost never
Speaker 1: built during giant moments. They're built during ordinary ones. It's
Speaker 1: sitting in the car together talking about random things, listening
Speaker 1: to music, stopping for drinks, laughing about nothing. That's where
Speaker 1: real life happens. That's where connection happens. And when you
Speaker 1: have older kids who are growing up fast, you start
Speaker 1: realizing how important those little windows become. Because one day
Speaker 1: the back seat gets quieter one day, everyone has their
Speaker 1: own plans one day, your weekends look different. So I've
Speaker 1: learned to appreciate even the smallest moments together, even bird
Speaker 1: feeder shopping, especially bird feeder shopping. Walking through minards felt
Speaker 1: like stepping into summer. Everything smelled fresh flowers, garden soil,
Speaker 1: bird seed, the warm outdoor air drifting it every time
Speaker 1: the door opens. The girls were excited immediately. Torn especially
Speaker 1: gets fascinated by little things like birds and animals, And honestly,
Speaker 1: I love seeing that wondering kids because adults lose it.
Speaker 1: Sometimes we get so busy that we stop noticing the
Speaker 1: small beautiful things. Kids still notice them. They still get
Speaker 1: excited over butterflies, birds, cloud shapes, tiny frogs. I think
Speaker 1: that's part of why having younger kids keeps your heart soft.
Speaker 1: They remind you to look around to notice things. Again.
Speaker 1: We spent forever looking at hummingbird feeders and walking through
Speaker 1: the garden sad and somehow there are way more options
Speaker 1: than you'd expect. Some looked fancy, some looked vintage, some
Speaker 1: look like little glass art pieces, and of course everyone
Speaker 1: had opinions. That's another thing about family shopping trips. Nobody
Speaker 1: agrees on anything. Ever, one person like the bright red feeder,
Speaker 1: another likes the simple one, someone else wants the giant one,
Speaker 1: And somehow a ten minute shopping trip becomes a full
Speaker 1: family debate. But honestly, that's part of the fun too.
Speaker 1: Eventually we picked out a couple feeders and some bird seed,
Speaker 1: and I already knew what would happen once we got home.
Speaker 1: Jeremy would immediately want to set everything up, because if
Speaker 1: there's one thing about dads, they turned tiny projects into missions.
Speaker 1: And I love that about Jeremy. He gets genuinely axed
Speaker 1: about things, whether it's grilling, fixing something outside, or now
Speaker 1: apparently creating the ultimate hummingbirds setup. After Minards, we had
Speaker 1: a to target. Target on a holiday weekend feels like
Speaker 1: its own experience. Everybody's shopping for summer. People are buying
Speaker 1: pool toys, girl supplies, outdoor decoration, snacks, patio furniture, sunscreen.
Speaker 1: It feels like everyone collectively decided winter is officially over,
Speaker 1: and Target somehow always turns into way more than a
Speaker 1: few things. You walk in eating toothpaste and bird feeder hooks,
Speaker 1: and suddenly your cart has candles, snacks, throw pillows, and
Speaker 1: things you never knew existed an hour earlier. I don't
Speaker 1: know how Target does it, but they do every single time.
Speaker 1: The girls were wandering around looking at everything, and I
Speaker 1: love moments like that too, not because shopping matters, but
Speaker 1: because being together matters. It's easy to underestimate those ordinary experiences,
Speaker 1: but later those are the exact memories kids remember, not
Speaker 1: necessarily the expense of vacations, not necessarily the giant gifts,
Speaker 1: but random Target runs with mom and dad laughing in
Speaker 1: the aisles, looking at silly things, arguing over snacks, getting
Speaker 1: Starbucks inside the store. And as parents, that's wild to
Speaker 1: think about, because while we're living it it feels small.
Speaker 1: But later those tiny moments become entire eras in your
Speaker 1: child's memory. That thought hits me harder the older my
Speaker 1: kids get, because when you have adult children, you start
Speaker 1: realizing time isn't slow at all. It's unbelievably fast. One
Speaker 1: minute your house is full of toddlers, the next minute,
Speaker 1: your kids are engaged, driving, working, building lives, creating memories
Speaker 1: without you. And while that's beautiful, it's also emotional. This
Speaker 1: weekend really highlighted that because while Jeremy and I were
Speaker 1: hanging out with Anelin and Torren. The older boys and
Speaker 1: Maddie were off having their own adventure. Tristan, Gavin, Keenan, Maddie,
Speaker 1: their cousin Logan and Connor, and their fiances spent the
Speaker 1: weekend dirt track off roading, and honestly, I love seeing that.
Speaker 1: I love seeing our kids make memories together, especially with family.
Speaker 1: There's something really special about cousins staying close as they
Speaker 1: grow up, because cousins become your first friends in life.
Speaker 1: You're built in memories, your childhood witnesses, and when families
Speaker 1: stay connected like that, it matters. It creates roots. The
Speaker 1: stories they'll tell later are being built right now. The
Speaker 1: inside jokes, the mud covered pictures, the late night laughing,
Speaker 1: the getting stuck somewhere and having to figure it out together.
Speaker 1: That stuff becomes family history. And I know they probably
Speaker 1: had an absolute blast. There's something about off roading that
Speaker 1: people genuinely love. The adrenaline, the dirt, the freedom, the
Speaker 1: chaos of it. And honestly, it sounds exactly like something
Speaker 1: our family would enjoy. A little wild, a little loud,
Speaker 1: a little unpredictable, very on brand for the Hansens. While
Speaker 1: they're off doing that our weekend stayed slower, and I
Speaker 1: think that balance was perfect, because not every good weekend
Speaker 1: needs to be packed full. Sometimes the best weekends are
Speaker 1: the ones where you finally breathe. That's exactly what this
Speaker 1: weekend felt like for me, breathing again, blowing down enough
Speaker 1: to notice things like the hummingbirds, or the way the
Speaker 1: sunlight hit the kitchen in the evening, or hearing Jeremy
Speaker 1: and the girls laughing outside while setting up the bird feeders.
Speaker 1: Those moments matter, and I think as adults we sometimes
Speaker 1: miss them because we're so focused on productivity. We're always
Speaker 1: trying to get ahead, always trying to finish something, always
Speaker 1: planning the next thing. But life doesn't actually happen in
Speaker 1: the future. It happens in the tiny, ordinary moments, and
Speaker 1: Memorial Day weekend reminded me of that. When we got
Speaker 1: home from shopping, Jeremy immediately got to work setting up
Speaker 1: the hummingbird feeders, exactly like I predicted. Watching him outside
Speaker 1: working on little projects has always been comforting to me.
Speaker 1: It's one of those everyday things that somehow feels deeply familiar,
Speaker 1: like home. The girls were helping, while kind of helping,
Speaker 1: mostly supervising, giving opinions, holding random things, asking questions. But
Speaker 1: that's family life too, and before long we had hummingbird
Speaker 1: feeders hanging up and bird seed out for the other birds.
Speaker 1: It instantly made the yard feel alive. And the funniest part,
Speaker 1: the hummingbirds noticed almost immediately. I swear they had been
Speaker 1: waiting for us, tiny little flashes zooming through the yard, hovering,
Speaker 1: dirting around. It honestly felt magical, and for a little
Speaker 1: while all of us just stood there watching them. No phones,
Speaker 1: no rushing, no distractions, just standing together outside watching hummingbirds.
Speaker 1: Those are the moments I wish lasted longer, because they
Speaker 1: disappear fast. Kids grow up, schedules come back, life speeds
Speaker 1: up again. But every once in a while you get
Speaker 1: weekends like this, weekends that remind you what actually matters.
Speaker 1: And honestly, what matters most to me has never been perfection.
Speaker 1: It's connection, always connection. Family, dinners, conversations, laughter, shared moments, inside, jokes,
Speaker 1: quiet evenings. Those things build a life, not the giant milestones,
Speaker 1: the tiny, repeated moments. That's where love really lives. And
Speaker 1: speaking of summer memories, I promised you guys a simple
Speaker 1: summer treat recipe and This honestly feels perfect for Memorial
Speaker 1: Day weekend because it's easy, refreshing and something the whole
Speaker 1: family can make together. So here's one of our favorite
Speaker 1: quick summer treats. Strawberry cheesecake ice box cups and yes,
Speaker 1: they are as good as they sound. You'll need fresh strawberries,
Speaker 1: vanilla putting, mix, cream cheese, whipped topping, crushed gram crackers,
Speaker 1: and little cups or jars. That's it, simple, easy, perfect
Speaker 1: for summer. First mixed softened cream cheese with the vanilla pudding,
Speaker 1: then fold and whipped topping until it's creamy and fluffy
Speaker 1: in the cups. Layer crushed gram crackers on the bottom.
Speaker 1: Then add the cheesecake, mixture them fresh strawberries, Repeat the
Speaker 1: layers and chill them in the fridge for a little
Speaker 1: while before serving. That's it, simple little summer dessert. But honestly,
Speaker 1: those simple desserts always end up being everyone's favorite, especially
Speaker 1: during weekends like this, because summer food always tastes different somehow.
Speaker 1: Maybe it's because everyone's relaxed, maybe it's because we associate
Speaker 1: it with memories, but summer desserts just hit differently, especially
Speaker 1: cold strawberry dessert. Anything involving strawberries felt appropriate this weekend,
Speaker 1: considering the hummingbirds had apparently declared war on our strawberry plant.
Speaker 1: The rest of the weekend continued in that same calm,
Speaker 1: peaceful rhythm, no huge plans, no pressure, just being together,
Speaker 1: and honestly, those weekends recharge me more than anything else.
Speaker 1: I think parents especially understand this feeling. You spend so
Speaker 1: much time taking care of everything else, managing things, keeping schedules, moving,
Speaker 1: solving problems that when a peaceful weekend finally arrives, it
Speaker 1: almost feels unfamiliar at first, like your nervous system doesn't
Speaker 1: know what to do with quiet. But eventually you settle
Speaker 1: into it and you realize how badly you needed it.
Speaker 1: I needed this weekend. I needed sunshine. I needed laughter.
Speaker 1: I needed target aisles and hummingbird feeders and family stories.
Speaker 1: I needed lolow evenings. I need it simple. And maybe
Speaker 1: that's why this weekend felt so meaningful, Because sometimes the
Speaker 1: most healing thing in the world is ordinary life. Not
Speaker 1: escaping your life, not running away, just actually enjoying the
Speaker 1: life you already have. That realization hits harder as I
Speaker 1: get older, because happiness rarely arrives looking dramatic. Most happiness
Speaker 1: arrives quietly. It's hidden inside normal days, inside kitchen conversations inside,
Speaker 1: grocery store trips inside, sitting outside, watching birds inside, hearing
Speaker 1: your kids laugh in another room. That's real life, and honestly,
Speaker 1: it's beautiful. I think Memorial Day weekend also naturally brings reflection.
Speaker 1: It reminds you how quickly seasons change, how quickly yours move,
Speaker 1: how temporary moments really are. And maybe that's why weekends
Speaker 1: like this feel emotional in a good way, because you
Speaker 1: realize how precious ordinary time actually is, especially with your family,
Speaker 1: especially when your children are growing up, especially when life
Speaker 1: moves fast. I found myself thinking about that a lot
Speaker 1: this weekend, watching the younger girls laugh, thinking about the
Speaker 1: older boys and Maddie off making memories together, thinking about
Speaker 1: how different our life looks now compared to ten years ago.
Speaker 1: And honestly, family life constantly evolves, nothing stays the same.
Speaker 1: That can feel sad sometimes, but it's also beautiful because
Speaker 1: every season has something special about it. When the kids
Speaker 1: were little, life was loud and chaotic. Now life is
Speaker 1: changing again. Some kids are adults, some are building futures,
Speaker 1: some are creating their own traditions, and somehow Jeremy and
Speaker 1: I are standing in the middle of all of it,
Speaker 1: watching these lives we create to continue growing. It's surreal, honestly,
Speaker 1: and weekends like this remind me to soak it in
Speaker 1: because one day, even this version of life will become
Speaker 1: a memory too. One day we'll talk about remember when
Speaker 1: the hummingbirds were eating the strawberry plants, or remember when
Speaker 1: the boys went off roading all weekend, or remember that
Speaker 1: Memorial Day weekend we spent together just hanging out, And
Speaker 1: those memories will matter because family stories are built from
Speaker 1: weekends exactly like this. Not perfection, just presence being there,
Speaker 1: showing up, living it together. That's enough. And honestly, I
Speaker 1: think social media sometimes makes people feel like memories only
Speaker 1: count if they look huge, big vacations, fancy moments, perfect pictures.
Speaker 1: But real life doesn't work like that. Some of the
Speaker 1: best memories happen in sweatpants, running errands, laughing in parking lots,
Speaker 1: standing in kitchens, watching birds outside, And I hope people
Speaker 1: remember that, because life goes by fast if you're always
Speaker 1: waiting for the big moments. Sometimes the small moments are
Speaker 1: the big moments. This weekend proved that to me again.
Speaker 1: I also think there's something deeply comforting about traditions starting accidentally,
Speaker 1: because now I already know this hummingbird situation is going
Speaker 1: to become a whole thing. Jeremy will absolutely become invested
Speaker 1: in attracting more birds, the girls will start naming them.
Speaker 1: Someone will become emotionally attached to one specific humming bird,
Speaker 1: and before long, this will become part of our summer.
Speaker 1: That's how family traditions happen, not always intentionally. Sometimes they
Speaker 1: begin from random weekends and small moments, and suddenly, years later,
Speaker 1: they're part of your family story forever. I love that.
Speaker 1: I love the idea that ordinary weekends can quietly shape
Speaker 1: a family, that simple things can become meaningful traditions, And honestly,
Speaker 1: that's the kind of life I want, not perfect, just meaningful.
Speaker 1: And this weekend absolutely felt meaningful. As the weekend started
Speaker 1: winding down, there was that familiar feeling that always comes
Speaker 1: with holiday weekends, that weird mix of gratitude and sadness
Speaker 1: because you know regular life is about to start again,
Speaker 1: the schedules, the responsibilities, the alarms, the routines, But at
Speaker 1: the same time, you feel full emotionally full, like your
Speaker 1: heart needed those few slower days, and honestly minded, I
Speaker 1: think this weekend reminded me that happiness doesn't have to
Speaker 1: be complicated. Sometimes happiness is just your husband beside you,
Speaker 1: your kids, nearby, bird feeders in the yard, a target trip, sunshine,
Speaker 1: cold desserts in the fridge, stories from your older kids
Speaker 1: coming home muddy and smiling after off roading all weekend.
Speaker 1: That's enough, more than enough, and maybe that's what I
Speaker 1: want people listening to this episode to remember too. You
Speaker 1: don't need a perfect life to have a beautiful one.
Speaker 1: You don't need giant plants, you don't need constant excitement.
Speaker 1: Sometimes joy looks incredibly ordinary. Sometimes the best weekends are
Speaker 1: the quiet ones, the connected ones, the simple ones, And honestly,
Speaker 1: I think those are the weekends we remember forever. So
Speaker 1: as this Memorial Day weekend comes to an end, I
Speaker 1: just feel grateful. Grateful for family, grateful for slower moments,
Speaker 1: grateful for sunshine, grateful for laughter, Grateful for hummingbirds apparently
Speaker 1: destroying my strawberry plants. Grateful for all of it, because
Speaker 1: life really is made up of tiny moments, and this
Speaker 1: weekend was full of them. Beautiful, tiny moments. Thank you
Speaker 1: guys so much for hanging out with us today and
Speaker 1: We are the Hansens. We hope your Memorial Day weekend
Speaker 1: was filled with laughter, rest, family, and moments that matter.
Speaker 1: And if nobody has told you lately, slow down enough
Speaker 1: to notice your life while you're living it, those ordinary moments,
Speaker 1: they're the good stuff. We'll see you guys on the
Speaker 1: next episode of We Are the Hansens.