Hot off the editing table. What a beautiful duo! I loved having the feisty Annabelle and her lovely momma in the studio to capture some special moments before little brother arrives. Sweet, elegant and a perfect moment in time.
You can feel it, can’t you. The air is a little cooler. The forest a little quieter. And somehow the light has more gold in it than before. I just can’t help but fall in love all over again. Fall is coming.
We are making the most of our last summer days. Out and about, long walks, picking berries. I just can’t believe that my little Bababoo is starting school in a matter of days. Where does it all go?
Enough musing and on to the topic of this post! If you find yourself taking a drive down Avenue Tervuren, look for a sign on the right side of the road for the Rouge Cloiture. Located in the Forêt de Soignes, the Rouge Cloiture is one of our favorite places to get away. When we say, let’s go for a walk in the forest, this is where we mean. But the Rouge Cloiture is much more than just a beautiful forest. After a while, you emerge to find the Abbey which was founded in 1367. Lots of beautiful buildings and an art gallery but more often we are there to pet the muscular working horses, to take coffee and cake on the weekends or to just walk around the grounds. A perfect step away from passing time. It is truly a wonderful way to spend the day. To get you in the mood, I wanted to share a few snaps from a recent wander.
In Bear & Dragon news, things are already getting very busy for the fall. It seems I am not the only one who loves Autumn colors! I am planning a series of mini photo session in a location soon to be finalized. On hand will be gorgeous portrait and family photo set ups, great light and of course brilliant red, gold and green fall trees. Drop me a note at bearanddragonphotography@gmail.com to get on an early list. October weekend spots are already getting scarce!
Ahh vacation, you are sweet indeed. Just home now from our travels across Europe and down to Lake Como for two weeks of living la vida loco, oops, I mean la dolce vita. Our first road trip with the kids! They were troopers and after a stopover around Strasbourg, we hopped, skipped and jumped over the alps to the noble and stunning Como area. Just one hour North of Milan, Como is an incredible mesh of Swiss and Italian culture. Where the wealthy Milanese families escaped the heat, Como is now an eclectic mix of families, Russian mobsters (parlez-vous russain?) and elegant Italian matriarchs.
We stayed as always at a little house in Carate Urio found via our favorite site, airbnb. Though it rained much more than expected, we had a wonderful time eating lots of gelato, dipping into the cold lake and checking out the many small villages.
Now happy to be home in Brussels and buckled down for a busy fall. To reminisce, here are a few snaps to share. Enjoy!
So, um, its supposedly summer but you really can’t tell if you look out of the window. I have been pulling every trick out of the hat this week keeping the little ones entertained. Getting a bit worn on the same places led us to some searching for a new, fun indoor option. I had heard about Technopolis before but as it was geared towards older children and on the outskirts of Mechelen, we passed, until now. Packing up the little ones and lunch we headed to check it out!
What a seriously cool place. Picture an enormous warehouse packed to the brim with fun, hands on science experiments. From the simple and instructive (brush the huge set of teeth with a huge toothbrush) to truly awe inspiring (projected butterflies landing on your shadow’s hands and head). An entire section devoted to water and enormous bubbles (stand in a bubble!). This place is awesome. I am not sure how long it would take you to try everything there but I am thinking weeks. Round it out with a cafe and shop and you are pretty much set for the long, dark winter…or summer.
At 2.5 years old, Bababoo was just barely scratching the surface. She realized that there were a lot of amazing things but was not entirely sure how to engage with them. I think this age and up would get a kick out of Technopolis. I wonder if they have an adult night.
Where: Technologielaan, B-2800 Mechelen
When: Open every day from 9h30 till 17h00.
How much:
Well it was finally time for an overhaul so I bribed the Bear with some new artisan beers and he agreed to update the website. Yay! Lots of new faces and an updated layout. Check it out!
Its the fourth of July. If that doesn’t mean anything specific to you, let me tell you, its the American national day. Yeah, it snuck up on me too! It is sometimes conflicting to be an American abroad. Everyday I walk past building that are older than our Constitution. We may not have the best reputation around the world. The average American tourist is not exactly rocking the off-the-catwalk fashions. I digress. On this day, what do I want to teach my little ones about their American heritage? That I do not yet know. So today we are focusing on the food. BBQ anyone?
On a separate topic, my little darling boy is 8 months old tonight. Wow! Luckily he woke a bit early from his nap so I could snap some pictures. I love his expressions, early laugh and complete momma’s boy approach to life. Here’s to baby X.
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Ahh the early days. Even though I have my hands more than full with my own two little ones and I treasure each milestone that brings them along in their development, I still manage to get baby fever everytime I get my hands on a new one. The sweet smell, little muslins, secret smiles. I love it. This was the same when just past newborn Igor joined us in the studio. A truly lovely new family and parents that made a great team. He is a lucky little boy and I am lucky too to be apart of it all. These are the days. 🙂
When the Bear received a reward to do two weeks of volunteering in Nepal, I wondered if I would survive on my own with the littles for that long. Thankfully it was little sister to the rescue as Lauren swooped in from San Francisco to lend a hand and meet Babatwo. Hallelujah! We had the most wonderful time. So many laughs, new memories, late night card games and sisterly love. I miss her tremendously and each day after she left reminded me of some kind of post break up mourning. “Oh, this is the last of the pasta we made together” and “Hmm, last time I was in this park, Lauren was there with me”. Oi, the bittersweetness of it all.
Of course I made everyone get a little dressed up for some memory making with the big camera. What better backdrop than a lawn of blooming lavender and the European Commission building at Berlaymont. Bonus shots at our favorite park. Miss you Laurenee and love you to pieces!
Somehow when I started maternity leave I envisioned myself frequenting cafes, sipping coffee and chatting with a friend while our little ones snoozed nearby. Much to my surprise, there is somewhat a lack of chic and yummy momma cafes. In Brussels? Really?! Strange! A while back I heard about Haricot Magique (Magic Bean) but it took me until now to make my way to Schaerbeek to check it out.
What a lovely place. Just as I imagined only better! It is as though they made a check list of all the ingredients that go into a great momming lunch and made it happen. You need a nice, fun place for kids to play while you sup? Check. Fresh healthy food (baby and adult) and free trade coffee? Sure. A bright bathroom with changing table, potty and real towels? Check, check, check. We had such a nice time here! I also learned that they have lots of fun sounding workshops, book readings, etc. We will be sure to check one soon. Maybe Introduction to Music on Saturday!
If you are in the vicinity of Parc Josephat, stop in! You won’t regret it. Cheers.
Where: Avenue Louis Bertrand 22, 1030 Bruxelles
When: Monday – Saturday, 9:30 – 18:00
Life of Bear and Dragon 