The Talandis Family in Japan

TFiJ41: Max’s 4th Birthday Photo Shoot

Max turned four on March 7th, 2011. To celebrate we went to our favorite restaurant in Yatuso, Erbaccia. It’s an Italian place run by a friend of ours. Great pizza and gorgonzola cheese pasta… Anyway, the following morning we did what we always do with the kids on or near their birthday each year: go to a photo studio for getting their portrait taken. We’re collecting these professionally done photos on our bedroom wall, and it was time to add to our Max collection! This year was even more fun than usual, not only because Max is older and cuter than ever, but also because the studio we always patronize had moved into a larger building. It was great! Tons of space and an even wider selection of costumes awaited our little candy girl. Max too her time picking out a few dresses to wear. They all looked good to Shinobu and I (except for the Buzz Lightyear one!), but Max was in major “ya-da” (no way!) mode. She refused everything we put in front of her until FINALLY she settled on a couple of very cute numbers. They have a big dressing room where they doll up the kids before taking their photos. It’s quite the production! The staff woman was a pro and transformed Max into heights of cuteness that left me dizzy! She had her hair done, make-up put on, and then was outfitted in this amazing dress. The photo taking was a blast, too. They had several different set-up. There were three staff ladies working together to take care of Max. One would shoot photos, the other would attend to her positioning, and the other took care of the backdrops and props. Great teamwork! It was quite the production. This short video captures this fun annual experience. If you go back to a similar one I made when Max turned two, you can see how much she has grown. The new photo (the one featured above) is now sitting pretty on our bedroom wall…