Category: mine

Finding Saoirse | Adeline’s first fury friend

by Tia Brindel

My Adeline has never really been into dolls or Barbie or princess stories, but she has always LOVED animals.

A short while ago, while visiting some friends (and their daughters with hamsters) some things became clear.
1. she still absolutely loves animals, especially these tiny critters
2. she was ready for a special responsibility

She needed to wait nearly a week between receiving the special birthday gift
(a gift card and the cage set up) and the day we had planned for her to choose her fury friend.
So I surprised her one Friday afternoon with leaving school early to head to the pet store.
It was kismet, she knew her friend the moment she saw her. We brought her along for frozen custard on the
trip home (Kopp’s caramel cashew – my favorite), and brainstormed names on the car ride.
She narrowed it down to “Sugar-Cream”, “Helen” and “Saoirse”, and then gently settled her tiny pet in to
her new home, with a new name. She’s now proving to be a wonderful pet owner.

And Soirse is the coolest little hamster ever… friendly, active and curious. Just like Adeline.

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Ezra is Five | A Polar Express Birthday

by Tia Brindel

Last summer while I was editing a very high end, very extravagant wedding, Ezra walked up to me at my desk and said, “Who’s birthday is that”?
I knew right then that I’ve been setting the bar a little too high with these fancy birthday parties, and I swore I’d tone it down notch from then on…
But it’s so much fun!
(and Ezra deserves at least one grand party before I ease up)

This was Ezra’s first official birthday party, and it was a blast!
Our little” trainac” is obsessed with the Polar Express.  And with his birthday only month before Christmas, it was the perfect theme.
We looked at the classic book, watched the movie, had nougat candies and hot cocoa, and of course, played with trains… all in our p.j.s.
The boys all had a great time, and I can’t believe my baby is already 5!

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Adeline is Eight | A Harry Potter Birthday Party

by Tia Brindel

Holy smokes!
It’s entirely possible that I enjoyed her birthday more than she did… well, not really.  But if ever there was an amazing
theme for a birthday party, Harry Potter is definitely it.  When Adeline told me of her idea, I was simply giddy.

If you know me, you know I get WAY too into the birthday party thing.  It’s a lot of work, but the kids love it, and so I love it.  And that’s
my reward… plus I’m a super type A, detail oriented person.  So going psychotic on party decorations is expected, right?
You may remember the rainbow party from last year, which was great fun.  The year I was hoping to go above and beyond.
I’m not sure if I did, but the kids were certainly blown away by the party!  SUCCESS!

If you’re interested in any of these decorating ideas, check out my board on Pinterest where you can follow the links.

Children’s Commercial Photography | Matilda Jane Clothing Company

by Tia Brindel

My daughter has come to absolutely love our Matilda Jane Review shoots…
She genuinely adores the clothing!  She loves the colors, the fun mix-and-match patterns, and the girly, yet very comfortable
(and easy to play in) styles.  When we received our item to be reviewed this round she said,
“OMG! That is that is the most adorable dress ever”!  And now it’s a new favorite… for both of us.

The spunky yet feminine styles of Matilda Jane Clothing are a perfect fit for my Adeline, and for every modern little girl.

Adeline is wearing:

Roller-coaster Tiered Ellie Dress (MJC)

Flowers provided by:

Urban Sense, A Flower Shop

Milwaukee Children’s Commercial Photography | Matilda Jane Clothing Company | Girls Being Girls

by Tia Brindel

When Matilda Jane Clothing contacted me for an encore review of their Paint By Numbers collection I just was thrilled!
They are my favorite-favorite for little girls clothes… their products are whimsical, colorful and funky, and my daughter LOVES wearing them.

This time around I teamed up with my good friend Robyn Vining of  Ticklebugs Photography to photograph our girls together.
To get some different looks, Robyn shot with studio lighting while I shot available light (in studio).  Then we even took the girls out
in the snow!  And though our Wisconsin winter temps left us somewhat limited, the girls had  a blast twirling in the snow in their gorgeous new duds.

What we got was, well… Girls being girls.  But that is actually a keen representation of both our girls and the collection.

~beautiful, playful, a little bit silly, and absolutely perfect~

My Adeline is wearing:

Feist Knot Dress
Connect the Dots Tee
Between the Lines Bennys

To see more amazing styles from Matlida Jane visit www.matildajaneclothing.com
And go check out Robyn’s amazing work at www.robynviningphotography.com

Matilda Jane Clothing Company | Milwaukee Children’s Commercial Photography

by Tia Brindel

 

What little girl doesn’t love a cute, feminine, ruffly little outfit?
Mine certainly does.

So when I was contacted by Matilda Jane Clothing Company recently to photograph and review an ensemble from the new release of their 
Paint By Numbers collection, I jumped for joy.  The collection as a whole is colorful, sophisticated and full of whimsy.
The line features modern colors and trendy styles, super sweet and perfect details, and a funky and fun functionality.
(there’s even a ton to choose from for the grown up little girl in Mom).

My daughter found the super soft and stretchy fabrics so very comfortable… and it’s rare to not hear a complaint when she’s trying on new clothes.

She’s a girly-girl who likes to roll in the dirt, and this outfit let her play like usual, and be adorable too.
This outfit suits her personality so perfectly, I think she’d wear it everyday if I let her.

My Adeline is wearing:

Turtledove Knot Top
Sky View Puffer Tee
Gleam Leggings (my favorite)

Check out Matilda Jane Clothing at www.matildajaneclothing.com

Milwaukee Children’s Lifestyle Photographer | Toothless Wonder {my Adeline}

by Tia Brindel

No one ever tells you how totally gross it is when your kids loose their teeth…
or how totally super it will be to see them literally changing right before your eyes.

I’ve been documenting my Adeline’s ever-changing smile since she lost her fist tooth a few months ago, and it’s been nothing but entertaining.
But this phase is my absolute favorite so far.

Somehow that negative space in her teeth has made her already gigantic smile seem to double in size.
And she sounds pretty adorable when she talks too…

 • My heart melts •

Milwaukee Children’s Lifestyle Photographer | Adeline’s Rainbow Birthday

by Tia Brindel

Seven has always been a lucky number for our family… it pops up here and there, always bringing a small piece of joy with it.
And this time it’s our Adeline’s turn as she turns 7 years old.

It all started with my baking a for a cake walk fundraiser for her school a few weeks prior.  When Adeline saw the photo on the recipe, she asked
me to make one for her birthday too… and then we took off.  While I tried to keep things tame, there is so much fun rainbow stuff
(and candy) available, I may have gone just slightly overboard.  At least it was a quaint sleepover party and I had only 5 children to think of.

Adeline even contributed by making her own piñata (a rainbow unicorn) with her Dad in the weeks leading up to her party.
I thought there might be separation issues when it came time to smash it, but she said it was her favorite part of the party!
It was even her whack that broke it open and let the candy pour out… again, lucky 7.

Here is a little peak at my favorite little girl and her birthday festivities.

Milwaukee Children’s Lifestyle Photographer | Photogs and Trainiacs at the Mitchell Park Domes

by Tia Brindel

 

Milwaukee has pretty great county parks system, with tons to experience in terms of education, numerous wedding and event venues
that are beautiful and affordable, and plenty of fun to be had by the little ones.
One of the best stops though, is the Mitchell Park Domes.  I vividly remember my Dad taking me there as little girl, and it’s just as awesome for my kids now.

When my colleague and friend Maggie (of Something Blue Images) told me of a special train exhibit taking place there, we packed up our little trainiacs 
(we both have 3 year old boys who LOVE trains),  and escaped the Wisconsin winter day in the warm weather climates of the Domes.

The exhibit was amazing, with realistic model trains weaving through a huge circus themed track.  And the controllers were so kind to the boys… 
letting them watch as they fixed different engines and engaging them in friendly conversation.  And they even let the boys each hold a Thomas
car that had broken down (which is a big deal).

We had such a great time, we might go back next week!

Ezra’s always excited and surprised.

Declan’s adorable face.

We managed to visit and explore the other 2 domes for a few minutes, before we headed right back to the trains.

his “i love trains” dance.

And Maggie was nice enough to snap a few pics of me and my Ezra..

 

For more information on the Mitchell Park Domes visit the Milwaukee County Parks site here.