The role of a lifetime! Autumn Reeser has been a staple on the Hallmark Channel since 2012 — but she has been the leading lady in her two sons’ lives even longer.
The Wedding Veil trilogy star met her now-ex-husband, Jesse Warren, in 2000 while attending the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The pair tied the knot in May 2009 and went on to welcome sons Finneus “Finn” James and Dashiell “Dash” Ford in May 2011 and November 2013, respectively.
Us Weekly confirmed in November 2014 that The O.C. alum and her husband of five years had called it quits. “It is completely amicable and they remain committed to raising their two sons together,” Reeser’s rep told Us in a statement at the time.
As the 27-Hour Day actress’ career has evolved — she starred in more than 15 Hallmark Media movies from 2012 to January 2023 — so has her outlook on parenting.
“I believe that being a good parent is about being willing to see our children, as they truly are, and help them become the brightest, most expanded version of that energy that they can possibly embody,” the Seasons of Love star wrote via Instagram in November 2018. “It’s about learning to deal with our own emotions and stress level in a healthy way, so we can model those life skills for the little people around us. That’s hard work!!”
The Complete Savages alum revealed that she fails and succeeds at being a mom on a regular basis. “The important thing is the trying. There’s the trying, there’s the apologizing, there’s the starting anew,” she continued. “I want my children to see all the parts of this process, to let them see me mess up and let them see me take responsibility for my words or actions, and then let them see me return to joy and love with them again and again. Our willingness to be human gives our children permission to do the same.”
One year later, Reeser covered Green Child Magazine’s holiday issue and opened up about helping her boys find a love of nature — and lean into who they are as they grow.
“I think our children absorb the way we do life. That became abundantly clear to me after I had my first child,” the Valentine Ever After actress explained to the outlet in 2019. “And I embarked on an unintentional personal mission to change the way I show up in the world, so that I can live the values I wanted to teach my children.”
Those values include exploring national parks, different cities and often camping as a family. “All of these changes allowed me to rediscover the deep love for nature I had as a child, and I am so grateful to myself for being brave enough to bring that girl back to life because now she gets to give the same gift to these two beautiful boys,” the California native continued.
Throughout her parenting journey, Reeser noted that a bond with Finn and Dash has remained one of her top priorities.
“I love interacting with them — they’re so funny, smart, endlessly energetic, infuriating, delight-filled, magnificent and challenging,” the Midnight Masquerade actress concluded. “They continue to be my greatest teachers, every single day.”
Scroll down to see some of Reeser’s sweetest family moments with her two sons:
