Family Figurines from Portrait Innovations 3D Studio Experience

Since becoming a mother I've taken on a self-appointed mama-paparazzi status. "Smile for mama sweetie!" echoes through our home on the daily. I'm consciously living in the moment - but I'm also taking photos, scheduling photo shoots and recording videos. In my mind I'm trying to freeze-frame  these precious moments with our children.

"Soak it up now," my friends with older kids say, "You're going to blink and they'll be teenagers. I miss mine being so little!"

All I can think is that I miss mine being as little as they were last week! There are no more crawlers in my house, my son is entering his last year of pre-school and my daughter has lost too many baby teeth to count. These moments are fleeting, so I'm doing my best to 'soak it up' while we're living in these memory-making years.

Down the road, when our house is quiet and there are no lunches to pack or diapers to change, I want to be able to reflect back on our pictures, videos and keepsakes and re-live the highlights of our lives together. The details of their chubby little arms, their little peanut noses and toothless grinning smiles. Every day I think to myself "If only I could freeze time."

When I discovered Portrait Innovation's newest line of products from their 3D Studio Experience, I was thrilled by how their technology essentially allows you to freeze time in a 3D figurine. In addition to their beautiful portraits work, Portrait Innovations in the Promenade Shopping Center in Charlotte is offering their 3D Studio Experience, which takes photography to a whole new level. 

Over 200 cameras work in concert to capture your family's 3D image inside their state-of-the-art studio.  They are one of only a few studios across the country offering this 3D technology- so Charlotte, we're lucky!

The kids happily stepped into the 3D studio and cheesed for the camera. Once our favorite photo was selected they were able to create a 3D keepsake figurine of the kids. In addition to figurines they also offer wedding toppers, bust statues, face magnets, game pieces, mini caricature figurines, and my kid's personal favorite - mini heads that fit on their LEGO bodies. 

They did an amazing job of capturing the essence of our kids in 3D - I LOVE how little bits is mid-step in her bare feet, little hands clasped - and that sprig of hair! My big guy is wearing his up-to-shenanigans-smile and my almost 8 year old has her hand on her hip, showing her natural sassiness! It's my sweet kids, perfectly frozen in time. 

While I was getting all weepy about their individual figurines, my kids were over the moon about their custom mini heads -which were only $4.99! They're ecstatic to be real characters in their block building endeavors. 

While every parent would love these figurines, they also make an amazing one-of-a-kind gift for grandparents! Grandparents Day is coming up on September 11th - so you still have time to order Grandma and Grandpa something that'll make their day memorable. We had our portrait studio session on a Saturday and it took about a week to receive our figurines and mini heads, I was impressed with the fast turn around time. 

Figurines range from $99 to $349 depending on the size and number of people. Our figurines were 6" and cost $99 each, if we had done a group figurine (i.e. if little bits would have stood still..) it would have cost $199 for the group of three, and they would have been created proportionally to one another.

For the month of July 2016 Portrait Innovations in Charlotte is offering a coupon for 25% off of figurines - so be sure to make an appointment soon to take advantage of the discount!

For more information you can stop by Portrait Innovations in the Promenade Shopping Center located at 5349 Ballantyne Commons Parkway, Suite 700 Charlotte NC, or give them a call at 704-844-8633. They are closed on Mondays but open 9am-6pm Tuesday through Sunday. You can also click here for more information about their studio and schedule an appointment online. 

We were gifted our figurines and mini-heads, but as always my opinions are my own. I only share what I love with my readers, and I think you'll love these adorable custom keep sakes. 

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FREE LEGO® NINJAGO™ Quest2NINJAGO™ WU-CRU Team Challenge

Check out this FREE EVENT ages 7-12! If your kids love LEGO® NINJAGO™ Quest2NINJAGO™ you can't miss the WU-CRU Team Challenge that is coming to Charlotte, NC on June 25 & 26, 2016 from 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM at the Pineville Toys”R”Us Parking Lot (11300 Carolina Pl. Parkway, Pineville, NC 28134). Registration is required through the website here. 

The LEGO® NINJAGO™ Quest2NINJAGO™ WU-CRU Team Challenge, a highly visual and interactive obstacle-course competition. The competition course, anchored by large-scale LEGO brick models of two of the play theme’s most popular characters, invites children ages 7-12 in teams of two to compete in eight timed physical and mental challenges. The top team from Charlotte will be sent on an all-inclusive trip to LEGOLAND® California Resort to compete in the Finale.

Some highlights of the event include:

·         Large Scale LEGO Models of Master Wu and Lloyd standing at 80” and 62” tall

·         Four challenge arenas – Fire, Lightning, Energy and Earth

·         Eight physical and mental challenges for teams to show off their physical and mental “ninja” skills – including mazes, puzzles and a building exercise

·         One All-Inclusive trip to LEGOLAND California Resort to be awarded to the highest scoring team where they will compete in a Finale and a chance to win the Quest2NINJAGO championship – including an ultimate NINJAGO prize pack

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LEGO KidsFest - Building Excitement

My kids got to wade into a sea of LEGO's at LEGO KidsFest that rolled through Charlotte this past weekend. We weren't sure what to expect at the convention center, but my youngest two (my oldest was out of town) really enjoyed all that LEGO KidsFest had to offer.

I loved that they had LEGOs perfect for every age, from large Duplos that little bits (almost 1 year old now!) enjoyed moving from place to place, to LEGO Juniors that were right up the alley for my 3 year old's interests and building capability. For the older kids they had every type of LEGO you could imagine, Princess, Fairy, Star Wars in addition to battle zones where families competed to win LEGO prizes. The older kids could enjoy Master Builder sessions where they could hone their creativity and building techniques. 

Our kids moved from booth to booth and loved posing with the giant LEGO creations. My husband and I were particularly impressed with Super Man's multi-dimensional cape. My younger two were a little young to enjoy all the booths that were available, but we participated in the creation nation where E made a LEGO creation to be included in the US map and received a LEGO Builder gift for participating. He also got artsy in the Art Gallery which housed participants LEGO arts of work on large canvas like displays.

We wore little bits in a carrier, but many people had strollers and it seemed maneuverable. I packed water bottles for the family, which was a good move because it was very dry in the convention center. I also brought snacks because it was right during dinner and my kids are picky eaters.  My kids couldn't participate in every activity, although the older kid events looked like SO much fun. I think the best age for the festival would be 6-14. As a child I was always a LEGO enthusiast, and this type of festival would have blown. my. mind. 

If LEGO KidsFest is coming to your city, it's a must experience. But buy quickly, because all 3 sessions in Charlotte sold out two weeks prior to the event. 

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Bricks 4 Kidz - Beyond Lego Play

When are Legos more than just bricks? When they are Bricks 4 Kidz!

My 5 year old S and her 7 year old cousin J, joined Laura Porretta at a Bricks 4 Kidz "Amusement Park" themed camp in Harrisburg, North Carolina. This wasn't the first time that I had heard about this program, but prior to trying out the camp I thought to myself "It's just playing with Legos, and S has Legos at home - why would I pay to send her to a program to play when she can do the same thing at home?"

What I learned from talking with Laura and watching the kids at the camp, is that Bricks 4 Kidz isn't just about play - they are teaching valuable skills sets - especially those that help kids get excited about Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). Kids are put into teams and have to construct a project with another child they might not know, allowing them to use social interaction, teamwork, cooperation, and interpersonal and intrapersonal skills. To build the project they need to count how many pieces of each Lego they need, and match each piece to the instructions. They have to follow the instructions step by step incorporating sequencing and organization skills. They connect the small and large Legos helping with their fine motor skills. When they run into trouble - which they will - they use their problem solving and reasoning skills to find a fix and get back on track to finish the project. The teamwork and the determination of the kids was infectious - I wanted to jump in and start building myself!

The kids built a swing the day I was there observing, and the swing was motorized - it's not the ho-hum Legos from the 80's! They used a battery pack to bring their creation to swinging life - and the kids were thrilled. After the children had completed the basic project, many didn't want to stop there. They decided to customize it and add extra seats or make it a double swing. It was really fun to watch their imaginations run wild and use the skills they were learning (without realizing they were learning).

Bricks 4 Kidz offers programs for kids of all ages 18 months - 12 years. They offer them for after school, pre-school, field trips, camps and birthday parties. As a mom and scientist (and lover of the STEM) I was really impressed with the program and all the ways it helps kids learn and grow. S really enjoyed the experience and we plan to enroll her in an after school program to help her develop those important skills, all while having fun. Laura and the folks at Bricks 4 Kidz will be hosting programs all around the North Charlotte area including Harrisburg, Concord, Huntersville, Cornelius and Mooresville. You can check out their website by clicking here or visit their facebook page by clicking here for updates. Cost is about $12 for an hour after school class. 

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