The Mundane Moments Are Magic
Heran Haile and Jeremy Zuttah on everyday life at home
We enjoy running errands together as a family. Everything from going to the fishmonger or farmer’s market is our thing. Liya will make fish faces in the window or pick out ripe tomatoes at the stands. Back at home, she’s Daddy’s sous chef. She’ll mix together the flour for chickpea pancakes or mash avocado on toast before squeezing some lemon and grinding some salt on top.
Our weekdays are jam-packed with after-school activities. Liya is currently in hip-hop, ballet, gymnastics, and tumbling. She’s watched our active lifestyles and has enthusiastically joined in. Recently, she had her first dance recital, and was an absolute rockstar! Dance parties after dinner are a frequent occurrence in our household now. Even Maya is into it.
How having a baby brought our family closer, including the dog!
Fridays have become our weekly movie nights. We rewatch certain ones like Tangled or The Lion King for two months straight before moving to a new monthly special. [Laughs] We eat pretzels and ice cream (but no popcorn because of the mess) on the couch. We’re so lucky to have both of our families living nearby. We can always count on a grandparent or uncle just showing up!
One of our favorite family memories is with Ace, our late 15-year-old pitbull. He was our only child for so many years that he was shocked when human children started to arrive. When he finally realized the kids would feed him snacks, they quickly became close. We’ll never forget looking over and watching Ace and Liya kissing each other with tongues out, giggling, and rolling on the floor. Thinking about it still brings tears of joy to our eyes.
The everyday surprises of childhood wonder
As new parents, we didn’t fully grasp how amazing it would be to see the little mundane things through their eyes. In the morning, Liya will say, “You mean the sun rises and sets every day, all by itself?!” Their wonder, exploration, and fearlessness to ask questions is really beautiful and still surprises us daily.
Heran Haile is a Pilates instructor, and Jeremy Zuttah is a former NFL Football player turned investor. They live with their daughters, Liya (4) and Maya (12 months), in New Jersey. Their interview appeared in It’s More Fun with You: 36 Families on the Everyday Magic of Raising Kids, a limited-edition book by Charmspring.
