Things to Do - Land of Nod Makeover, Behind the Scenes

You know something unusual is taking place when the iron actually comes out of the closet (I wasn't even sure we still had one).
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I didn't take many behind the scenes pictures (though I wish I would have). The Land of Nod team spent two days here (one day for styling and one day for photos). At first it felt a little overwhelming to have a group of people redecorating my house for me. Are they guests or workers? I kept offering everyone beverages.

Luckily, the whole LON team (2 photographers, 3 stylists, and 1 assistant) consisted of wonderful people. They quickly won over the children, who spent two days stalking their every move ("look mom, they brought a whiteboard! and chalk! i get to keep my own chalk, isn't this exciting?") Yes, a whole new room, but somehow the free chalk really made their day. Anyways, we liked everyone so much that now the kids keep asking if we can have them over again. I try to explain that they live in Chicago and NYC, but that doesn't really make a difference when you're 3/6/7 years old ("can't they just fly here? we'd make them dinner. PLEASE!").

For me, one of the largest highlights (of which there were many) was meeting Melanie Acevedo and talking with her about her work. Somehow she managed to revive my interest in photography just by assuring that one really should shoot every day and trust their instincts/find their own style. I was a little in awe.

Regarding the photoshoot itself, since it took place in our relatively dark basement, the photographers needed to change the lighting for each area they photographed. So our family had a lot of down time. The kids loved dressing up and acting out scenes. And I am incredibly happy that we now have family pictures. Though it did make me think about what celebrities must go through (NOT that I am in any way a celebrity) - having other people dress them and pose them, forfeiting control and trusting that the professionals know how to make them look best. What an odd way to go through life.





Lots of excitement, though not necessarily lots for us to do.



And, of course, Coco managed to sleep through it all. Even during Ipad time.



Just a teeny tiny bit of blush. I know I sound like a cheesy mom, but doesn't she look beautiful?