A look back and a look forward: Royals!

October 7, 2016 | lifeofbearanddragon

You might say this year has been a little crazy. The making of B3 seriously sapped my energy and between babybuilding, kid raising, fun having and sleep missing my dear blog was put on hold. No longer! With the arrival of little Jasper (photo debut coming soon) and start of maternity leave, I am excited to revive this forum with more storytelling, photo sharing and adventure seeking.

To kick us off, I take you all the way back to February for our very first Bear and Dragon adventure, Royals! Set in the glamorous Chateau at Domaine de la Hulpe, Royals was a day filled with lovely princes and princesses. We dressed up, danced and played. There was fun, adventure and even romance. All the makings of a great adventure.

Enjoy!

royals-blog-3 — Some for you and some for me!

Ch-ch-ch-changes :)

August 4, 2016August 4, 2016 | lifeofbearanddragon

Wow, what a year! Seems like a strange thing to say in August but the time until now has really flew by and now as we near the time to welcome our new baby boy, a sense of completion…and growth have settled in.

As the title implies, this new “project” has led to some ch-ch-ch-changes as we moved out to the ‘burbs into a sweet little house and I am just starting maternity leave now. Really I am much to big and lumbering to do my usual jumping up and down, running through parks and playing during photo sessions! It breaks my heart a little bit to miss my favorite photo time (fall) but I am determined to give this new little guy all I have got to make a great start in life.

So what’s next for Bear & Dragon? In the new year I will open a new studio space in a beautiful and convenient location in Brussels. I expect to be back in the early months of 2017 and can’t wait to see all my families, old friends and new for many new adventures.

In the meantime, stay tuned on the blog for some cool Brussels kids locations and to-do’s and a slice of life from bucolic Beersel.

First look: First days at home

June 20, 2016 | lifeofbearanddragon

When this family first contacted me, they wanted something special. Being a photographer herself, Christina had the newborn basics covered, but of course often found herself on the business end of the camera instead of in front. Sound familiar? After some discussion, we decided to have a relaxed at home session which documented the experience of meeting and bringing home her second son. Nothing posed or using props, just life as it is.

Only five days after birth, on a bright June afternoon, we had a chance to capture some of these special moment of being home, now as a family of four. I so enjoyed being a part of this beautiful relaxed family. I hope you do to!

A look back – Sea of Leaves 2015

March 10, 2016 | lifeofbearanddragon

Its getting all springy and just in time, I am just barely hanging in there. Sun please!! But before we spring forward, I want to fall back (har, har) one last time with a quick revisit to the Sea of Leaves mini session. This was our second go around and once again. got super lucky with the weather, the deep fall leaves, and the beautiful families. And especially lucky as just a few days later, the magical Brussels leave vacuum visited the park and spirited all of our lovely friends away. Brussels efficiency strikes again. 🙂

Without further adieu, I present Sea of Leaves 2015

Things to do with a child in Brussels: Make believe at Legenturia

March 6, 2016March 6, 2016 | lifeofbearanddragon

If you find yourself making an IKEA or Orchestra run out to Zaventem then maybe you have already seen the curious new building with a rather large dragon perched on top. Brand new to the Brussels play and birthday circuit, Legenturia is packed from top to bottom with really cool soft play everything and a sure fire hit for the 3+ set.

One rainy Sunday, lacking plans and decent enough weather for an outing, we decided to drop in and check it out. Arriving just as they opened, we were treated to nearly an hour of the full run of the place. Logically priced at free for under 3, 9,5 EUR for 3 – 18 years and 3 EUR for adults, you receive a wrist band when you enter which gives you access to all the areas of play. The ground floor is dominated by bowling and a maze of super cool bouncy castles. Five in total, if I remember correctly, this was really a highlight for us. The kids bounced, ran, climbed and bombed down the air slides until the rowdier older set got in on the action. Still a good run but at 2 and 4 years old, they could not quite compete.

No problem because there was much more to explore. Upstairs we went to the Zone of Ideas and lots more fun. A small snack bar, paddle boating, gold sifting (you can make a gold coin!) and then another highlight, the imagination rooms. Including but not limited to a bakery, jail, veterinarian hospital, nursery, post office, these rooms really set you up for some serious make believe. My little ones spend tons of time here, especially taking care of the many “injured” stuffed animals in the vet hospital. Multiple injections, medicine overdoses and yards of bandages later, all were saved. 🙂

Upstairs is also the area where birthday parties are held. Loads of tables close to the imagination rooms set with juice and balloons projected a busy day ahead for the Legenduria staff. Not cheap at 112 EUR + 9,50 per person but it sure does save a mess at home.

Last thing to note is the baby area. Fairly good sized, bright and somewhat surreal due to the music and very slowly moving and padded play machines this would not top my list unless you have an adventurous older sibling and need to bring baby along for the ride.

Please note we did not check out the stag and hen party options including lasershooting, bowling, zorb ball and LED bowling. Par-tay!

So overall, a great option for a fun destination with your three year old and up. Probably most fun for 4 – 8 year olds. Awesome that it is open on Sundays and a safe bet for party fun if you don’t mind the cost. Arrive early to make the most of the space and don’t forget to make believe.

legendturia — King of the (bouncy) castle

legendturia-5 — Really soft play – baby area

Royals Sneak Peak: a very special Bear & Dragon Adventure

January 22, 2016 | lifeofbearanddragon

In a castle on a hill, from a time long ago. Princes and Princesses rule and dragons prowl. Here we are Royal and here we play. This morning the crew at Bear & Dragon Adventures took over Chateau de la Hulpe to capture this sneak peak of out first Adventure session open to the public. The official announcement coming this Monday. Enjoy!

The 30 days of Beautiful grand finale!

December 4, 2015 | lifeofbearanddragon

dress up

Playing Dress Up: Its cold and scary outside so we are tucked in and playing a major league game of dress up in what else? Momma’s wedding dress! Doesn’t hurt to also test out my new zoom lens. May your day be dressy and bright.

How to you turn 30 days of beautiful into a 100? Put it in the hands of a busy photographer/mom of two fabulous mess makers/all around overcommiter, that’s how! Anyhow, just in time for the holidays, I present the wrap up of our 30 days of Beautiful. Cheers!

best friends

Spirit Animal: I can hardly think of a better best friend for this little girl. Fast and fierce she kept me on my toes for the whole session. Here settled in her perch, surveying the prey.

curls

Honest – Its a very busy time and I am loving it! Today is just because. This is just the sweetest little smile and it brightened my day

diverse

A big little world – Not only is this a beautiful family but they brought two new countries onto my map, Malaysia and Rwanda. Its a big little world out there and I love it. 🙂

Fall light

From a distance – There is something intriguing about seeing yourself from a distance. A silhouette in perfect fall light. This is life.

kisses

A rapture in color – One thing that draws me to a photo is the blend of color and texture. This beautiful family hit it out of the park in rose, teal, blue, golden yellow and a nice neutral. This handsome soon to be big brother offers a sweet kiss as the focal point of twirl of unconventional but perfect fall hues.

new

In this moment – This is a proud portrait of a momma on top of the world. She has her new baby, sweet husband and is surrounded by love. I chose this image because you can feel the happiness in her eyes and smile.

three

Three of a kind – It was one year ago when I first photographed this beautiful family upon the arrival of baby brother J. Though fall is winding down and we are digging in for a warm winter’s rest, it is wonderful to reflect on the colors of change, the growth of life and the passing of time.

you and me

You and me: The light in your eyes is an amazing thing. Its reflects perfectly what you see and in a focused picture, you can see amazing detail in the light in your eyes. The room, windows, the sky, and…me. They say there are two people in every photograph. The one being photographed and the photographer. I am so happy and proud to be a part of your pictures and a part of your lives. Cheers to 30 days of Beautiful!

zoe

Best friends – On this undeniably beautiful fall weekend we made for La Hulpe for a little adventure with my daughter’s best friend. It is lovely to see how already at this young age they have such a strong bond. And of course there is their favorite tagalong. : )

In the Spirit of Things

November 9, 2015 | lifeofbearanddragon

I know, I know. Christmas is already everywhere. Every shop is breaking out their holiday wares. Gold, red, green, sparkles. I want to love it but I can’t! Not until after Thanksgiving at least. 🙂

However, photography and family pictures is one aspect of Christmas that rightfully rides the early wave of holiday cheer. I love the physical nature of printing and sending Christmas cards. For us, Christmas prints are kind of an obvious go to. But this year I really went all out and made a book with the beautiful printer Artifact Uprising. Easy to use and really really lovely. I can’t wait to get my hands on our copies and even made one to keep at home. Just a tip!

I am doing some Christmas oriented sessions but no holiday mini session this year. Next year for sure. However, to complete our book we had to bring some wintery holiday cheer in during the height of fall colors. Not an easy task! Luckily I spotted a row of evergreens near La Hulpe and on a clear, cold and dewy morning we packed up our sparkly gear, mini Christmas tree and close friends bribed to take our family shots (thanks Sarah and Simone!) for a little leap forward in time.

Now to add a little heartfelt Christmas love to your day. I present my very favorite presents of all.