Unlike their neighbors, though (or, maybe just like them, Malibu being a celebrity-friendly enclave), they have a few other spots to hang their hats as well, including the 30-acre ranch near Taos, N.M, where Roberts and Moder tied the knot on July 4, 2002, and where the actress historically loved spending as much time as possible.
But since the kids spent their formative years in Southern California—Finn and Hazel are now in college at an undisclosed location, though Roberts assured Jimmy Fallon in 2023 that she wears the colors and does “the whole thing,” school spirit-wise—Malibu is where the majority of the family magic has taken place.
“There are some days when as soon as you’ve finished cooking breakfast and cleaning up the kitchen it’s time to start lunch and by the time you’ve done that you’re doing dinner and thinking there has to be a menu we can order from,” Roberts told the U.K.’s Telegraph in 2009. “But then there are some days when it’s just so creative and so much fun and my kids will help me and, as with anybody who’s a mom or a wife, it just become a part of your day. Some days it’s super-fun and some days it’s a chore.”
And while the kids grew steadily bigger, certain things didn’t change, other than to become even more important, from the family meals, holiday baking, birthday parties, soccer games, surfing and skateboarding to Roberts’ mah-jongg games with friends, knitting and needlepoint.