Mother Stories
At Home & Out-and-About With SoCal Mama Hannah Garvin
Written by Katie Hintz-Zambrano
Photography by Nicki Sebastian
Jun 28, 2022
If you need a quick dose of joy this week, we invite you to dive into our profile of SoCal mother of two Hannah Garvin. The Costa Mesa-based mother, photographer, and budding ceramicist invited us over to her home to discuss colorful, Earth-friendly living, growing up with “crunchy” parents on the East Coast, and her lessons from the past few tumultuous years: “I learned my life and home thrive more when I keep things as simple as possible,” she says.
With UPPAbaby’s new MINU V2 stroller and REMI playard in tow, Hannah and her cute kiddos—Ever, 4, and Kipp, 1 1/2—took us along for an outdoor adventure, which included a mix of two of the family’s daily must-haves: sunshine and a great stroller. “We can’t live without daily sunshine! We spend time outside everyday, it keeps us all happy,” says Hannah. “We also can’t live without our stroller. We’ve always been a fan of smaller strollers so we can zip in and out of places as seamlessly as possible…although hardly seamless with two kids in tow!”
As for her favorite part of the lightweight and travel-friendly MINU V2 stroller: “It folds up and down SO easily! It’s literally one motion to get it open or closed, which I love because I can do it while I’m holding Kipp,” says Hannah. “Plus, I really love the color—the sage green is so pretty.”
Meanwhile, the sleek REMI playard is another must-have for the active family. “It’s so easy to set up and put away,” says Hannah. “It’s one motion really to pop it up and it’s ready to go. It’s really sturdy as well. I also love that it’s raised off the ground. I think that’s so important for baby’s temperature regulation and helps keep the baby away from the floor dust.”
Get to know this busy mother and creative—and scope UPPAbaby’s latest products—in our colorful story below!
This post is brought to you by MOTHER + UPPAbaby.
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- "Our home is a little rental in Eastside Costa Mesa. We’ve been here exactly one year!"
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Ideal for small-space living, UPPAbaby's new MINU V2 stroller is compact, lightweight, and can be easily tucked away into the MINU Travel Bag, which makes traveling (and storing) a cinch.
MINU V2, $449.99, UPPAbaby.
Travel Bag, $89.99, UPPAbaby.
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- "I like to keep things very natural and simple. I love wood, linen, and baskets, so the space is pretty much full of those things. Oh, and lot’s of Ever’s rocks and shells around!"
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- And plenty of Ever's artwork, too!
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Kipp wears a shirt from Roux Kids and pants from Summer & Storm.
Ever wears a thrifted dress.
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- "We bought a cutie fixer-upper townhouse in Newport Beach! It’s quite close to where we have been renting. We love the Costa Mesa area and are so excited and thankful to be able to stay close to our friends and be 2 miles from the beach!"
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UPPAbaby's REMI playard is perfect for travel and at-home play.
The lightweight and portable REMI allows babies to play safely and sleep soundly—no matter where you are.
It is available in 4 chic and neutral colors—grey, navy, charcoal, and sand.
REMI, $349.99, UPPAbaby.
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The REMI features a triple-layer mattress, which plays a key part in temperature regulation.
It’s also machine washable and made from air mesh for improved breathability and overall healthiness.
Thanks to its GREENGUARD® GOLD Certification, families can rest assured that REMI supports healthier air quality for baby during rest and play.
REMI, $349.99, UPPAbaby.
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"It will be so fun to get to put our own touches on the home. We’ve been renting for so many years—we can finally put some screws into the walls!"
"There is a lot of work to do in our new home. We’ll have to do it slowly, as time and budget allow, but one day it will be a space all our own to love and thrive in. It has three bedrooms, too, which will be great so the kids won’t wake each other up at night."
REMI, $349.99, UPPAbaby.
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Hannah wears a swimsuit from Zulu & Zephyr and Old Navy overalls.
REMI, $349.99, UPPAbaby.
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"Yes, I always knew I would have kids in some capacity. Ever and Kipp are three years apart, which has been a great gap for our family. We didn’t think much about how close in ages our kids would be, we had Kipp when the timing felt right for us."
REMI, $349.99, UPPAbaby.
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"Ever is almost 5 and she loves to play at the beach, read books, skateboard, make art, and collect things. She is so special, equally independent and sensitive."
"Kipp is 1 and half and is our little lover. He loves to be really really close to us, hug us, and give kisses. He loves animals so much and is also really into throwing things away! They love each other a lot, it's so cute watching them be little buds."
REMI, $349.99, UPPAbaby.
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Ta-da!
REMI, $349.99, UPPAbaby.
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The REMI features a zip-open panel that creates direct, more comfortable access to baby when you want to give a gentle pat, kiss, toy, or treat!
REMI, $349.99, UPPAbaby.
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"The REMI is so easy to set up and put away,"
says Hannah. "It's one motion really to pop it up and it’s ready to go. It’s really sturdy as well."
"I also love that it’s raised off the ground. I think that’s so important for baby's temperature regulation and helps keep the baby away from the floor dust."
"And, of course, Kipp and Ever love the little zip-open panel—guaranteed fun times at home or at a hotel!"
REMI, $349.99, UPPAbaby.
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"It’s so fun having a boy and a girl. We found out both times! The gender didn’t matter to us, we were and are just so happy to have our two babies."
REMI, $349.99, UPPAbaby.
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When the tables are turned and the baby feeds the big kid.
REMI, $349.99, UPPAbaby.
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"Both have special meanings to us. Ever Grey was named after the cloudy skies in San Fransisco, where we lived when I was pregnant with her. Kipp Sunny is named for the sunny SoCal skies."
REMI, $349.99, UPPAbaby.
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"So everything was pretty much smooth sailing until Kipp came along. One kid was so easy and seamless for us…there were no surprises, and our life felt so easy. Two kids totally derailed us and we might even still be recovering. That first year was both beautiful and brutal. So, the transition from one to two was beyond surprising to me for sure."
REMI, $349.99, UPPAbaby.
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Multi-tasking with love.
REMI, $349.99, UPPAbaby.
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"I love Roux Kids, I’ve been dressing my babies in the brand since they were born. Their colors are always my favorite for the kids."
"I also love to shop second hand, so a lot of my colors are just what the thrift shops have blessed me with! I kinda love every color, but I always will love yellows and blues."
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Ever wears vintage overalls, a tank top from Amazon (that she picked out herself!), and mini-Birkenstocks.
Hannah wears a linen set by Deiji Studio and Birkenstocks.
Kipp wears vintage OshKosh overalls.
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The special Travel Bag—made of durable, luggage-grade fabric—protects one's stroller so families can travel with ease.
Just register your MINU V2 stroller and Travel Bag online, and UPPAbaby's TravelSafe program covers any damage incurred to your stroller during air travel.
Travel Bag, $89.99, UPPAbaby.
MINU V2, $449.99, UPPAbaby.
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Hannah's favorite part of UPPAbaby's Travel Bag?
"That it’s a backpack! Being able to wear it comfortably on my back, while also being able to hold Kipp and my bag, makes my life so much easier," she says.
Travel Bag, $89.99, UPPAbaby.
MINU V2, $449.99, UPPAbaby.
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An on-the-go view of the new MINU V2 stroller, which is compact, lightweight, and comes in 5 colors—sage green, coastal blue, charcoal, charcoal mélange, and grey mélange.
Designed for daily adventures and exciting excursions, the MINU V2 offers modern conveniences in a portable, lightweight stroller. This includes an extended canopy with UPF 50+ protection, a deeper, easy-access under basket, and a 100% full-grain leather handlebar and bumper bar.
The MINU V2 is suitable starting at birth, when combined with the Bassinet accessory or MESA Infant Car Seat.
It also includes a one-handed, one-step compact fold that makes it simple to collapse when carrying up stairs and and when stowing away.
MINU V2, $449.99, UPPAbaby.
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- "My sense of adventure hasn’t changed at all. We love traveling with our kids. We took Ever to Tokyo when she was 5 months old, but that was the last international trip we took her on. And we started to save our money for a home purchase instead of traveling. But we love to do local adventures."
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"We love to do little hikes and nature walks in our area. Ever really enjoys collecting treasures, so she’ll bring a little bag and fill it with colorful findings along the path. Our favorite weekend getaway is to Palm Springs, preferably with friends and definitely a house with a pool."
MINU V2, $449.99, UPPAbaby.
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- "We can’t live without daily sunshine! We spend time outside everyday, it keeps us all happy."
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"It's so necessary! We can’t live without our stroller. We’ve always been a fan of smaller strollers so we can zip in and out of places as seamlessly as possible (although hardly seamless with two kids in tow, haha)."
MINU V2, $449.99, UPPAbaby.
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"It folds up and down SO easily! It’s literally one motion to get it open or closed, which I love because I can do it while I’m holding Kipp. And I really love the color—the green is so pretty."
MINU V2, $449.99, UPPAbaby.
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"I grew up in northern New Jersey with my three older siblings. My parents were/are conservative. They value family and always encouraged us to be friends with each other. As kids, they mostly wanted me and my siblings to be outside instead of watching TV. They really emphasized reading and pursuing creative hobbies. We didn’t have junk food in the house and we did weekend hikes. Looking back, they were pretty crunchy!"
MINU V2, $449.99, UPPAbaby.
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"There are lots of things my husband and I have taken and left from both of our upbringings. My parents raised me and my siblings to be very confident and independent. I definitely want to take that into my own parenting. I often think about parenting as raising adults. The goal is for them to leave us at some point, and be confident and successful in their own ways."
"My parents were so good about encouraging us to try all kinds of hobbies, which is something really important to me as well as we raise the kids. Chris’ parents raised him and his siblings in a home with such unconditional love and pretty radical generosity. This is something we love about how his parents raised him and try to model for our kids in our family."
MINU V2, $449.99, UPPAbaby.
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"Just being able to live the summer of my dreams with my kiddos at the beach. (I say that every summer is the summer of my dreams—ha!)."
MINU V2, $449.99, UPPAbaby.
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- "I can definitely get stressed out balancing work and being a mom. Sometimes I feel like I should just give up on work, but then I remember I love to work too!"
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"I made the jump into freelance photography, and a few months later I was pregnant with Ever. I’m so glad I took that chance on myself at that time of my life because it really opened me up to the opportunity of working and being home with my kids, which was always my dream. I did freelance photography all throughout my pregnancy with Ever up until Kipp was born."
"After he was born, I took a step back from taking on studio and lifestyle clients to focus more on pottery. I started doing pottery when Ever was a baby. That hobby has lead me towards leaning more into pottery and I’ve been slowly building my ceramics brand as I raise my kids, too."
MINU V2, $449.99, UPPAbaby.
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"I have no keys, haha. I just wing it and a lot of times, honestly it can be stressful to do both. I love working and being creative, but being a mom is demanding, so juggling both, with no childcare help, has been difficult for me."
MINU V2, $449.99, UPPAbaby.
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"I’m really being drawn to simplicity. When summer comes and the air is warm and the sky is so blue, I just want to make pottery inspired by these beautiful California colors."
MINU V2, $449.99, UPPAbaby.
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"Moving from L.A. to Costa Mesa is our silver lining to the past years. We never had any intention of leaving Los Angeles, but moving here has been just so great for our family."
MINU V2, $449.99, UPPAbaby.
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"Simplicity! I really learned after having Kipp that I only haves so much capacity and my life and home thrive more when I keep things as simple as possible."
MINU V2, $449.99, UPPAbaby.
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For more on Hannah, be sure to follow her at @hannahgarvin on Instagram and at hannahgarvin.com.
To shop the UPPAbaby products featured in this story, head over to UPPAbaby.com.
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