THAT'S A WRAP!!!!

Today the girls wrapped their first film!! What a moment!! This has been an incredible journey...from thinking we're auditioning for extras in a small local film to landing a leading role in a LA produced film.

We have met some amazing people who I truly admire. LA gets a bad wrap...some of it justified...but there are still a lot of good people in the entertainment business. These people treated our girls with so much patience, respect...I'd even go as far as to say they treated our girls like they were their own. Even today one of the prop guys was telling Lisa how much he enjoyed working around the girls and how he holds them up there with his own neice. People who have a lot of responsibility and rarely are able to show emotion have this week broken down and very sincerely complimented our girls...our family. It has been an emotional week.

It may sound odd that we have made such close friends during this time...but then again we were at the movie set 43 days over the last 2 months. That is a lot of time to spend with people...you get to know them and they get to know you.

What an experience!

I get the most emotional when I think about how far my girls have come. That first week...they were so shy but were still trying so hard to do what they were being asked to do. And they SHINED!!! We had our ups and downs but the girls found a rhythm and dialed into it. I shouldn't be surprised...but I had no idea the girls were capable of this. I know they are beautiful but to see them on film is too much...they are truly BEAUTIFUL!! Oh, and their personality!!! It's the reason why everybody is attracted to them...it's that smile, wink, and a thumbs up. It's the hugs and signing "I love you" at the end of the day. It's the facial expressions when they're doing their lines that make your heart melt.

It's no wonder why so many people have told us that if they want to, they could really have a career in this. It's because of all those things and so much more.

But I keep going back to how proud I am to be their dad and be witness to them taking these huge strides and affecting so many people.

Yesterday, the girls posed for a picture with the sound guy, Paul. Paul later told me that he never had kids and that moment was very special for him...and thanked me and the girls. Little moments like that... make me tear up.

So we're done...for now! We still don't know if we'll resume filming in a month or so. We know it won't be the same but I have faith that if it's meant to be, then we'll meet up with our old friends and make new ones in the process. It will be a challenge these next couple of days to not wake up way too early, rush the girls to wash their hair, eat, and out the door to get to the set on time. Back to enjoying an Alaskan summer!

I took a video tonight as we wrapped. The guy talking at first is Casey...the main actor...and Katy's first heart throb. Katy LOVES Casey!!! But be sure to pay attention to about 2:40 when they wrap our girls. You can see Lisa start crying and turn around and hug our new very close friend Carrie (the mom of the other Alaska twins who we have come SO close to...and who we have relied on to get us through this journey!). Just watching it again is making me tear up. I can't say it enough...what a JOURNEY!!!!

only thing that would have made this day better...

...was a giant rainbow overhead!!!

Today was our second to last day of filming. No, we still aren't sure if we will resume filming later this month or in August...so we are treating these last few days as our last with this cast and crew.

It has been an AMAZING journey. I can't believe how far the girls have come over the last 2 months. Today was one of those days where we were able to experience and really enjoy the friendships that we've made. One of the producers brought in ponies for all the kids today. What an awesome gesture!!

I would put this as the 3rd, maybe 2nd most excited they've ever been. Their faces when they saw the ponies for the first time was priceless. They could not believe their eyes. It was a ton of fun!

So behind the studio where our RVs had been, they set up the ponies. Everybody came out to watch.

Some of the actors soaking it up.

Alyssa looking pretty happy.

Katy waving to everybody.

Two of my favorite pics of the day.

I had to go to work so I missed out on the pinata. It sounded hilarious. They got a Dora the Explorer Pinata and the kids all took turns whacking away. So you can only imagine as they make progress and the legs start falling off. Well at the end, all that was left was her head. A gruesome but hilarious scene. Thankfully, none of the kids seemed to mind the Dora lynching...they just wanted the CANDY!!

There are so many great pictures from today but if I had to pick one, I'd go with this gem that Lisa took. Possibly another nomination for picture of the year??

So Saturday is our last day. The assistant director has asked if I would be in a scene as an extra so tomorrow I'll get to join the craziness...make it a family affair. Then we'll have a wrap party tomorrow evening with all the cast and crew. Should be a great time...but admittedly a little sad. This has ruled our lives over the last 2 months. You can't help but make some great friendships when you spend that much time with people.

well...probably shouldn't have done that

Some of you may have seen my post on facebook earlier in the week that I need to take some posts off the blog. Ends up late one night I was having a hard time sleeping and it suddenly hit me that the contract might say something about sharing photos on the internet. I got up and checked it out and sure enough, there is some specific language at the end of the contract regarding disclosure of information about the "project".

To be safe, I am removing a few posts that might get us in trouble. Don't worry, I am not deleting them. They have been moved over to a new blog that is by invite only and when the time is right, I will make that blog public or maybe even just transfer those posts back over here so we can share all of our many adventures.

It is safe to say that I can still talk about the "project" but just not mention specifics or share pics of the set. In the mean time while I filter some of these pictures that I've taken, I have a few videos from the last week that I thought you'd enjoy.

The first one is of Katy singing a song by one of her favorite artists...Rachele. Yes, the same Rachele that we met earlier in the spring. The reason I started the video is because Katy and I were having a conversation about our bathroom renovation and she said the color we picked out was "dull". I didn't even know she knew what dull meant!! So I was trying to get her to say that again and instead got this video.

Second video is also Katy. She was on the toilet (sorry) and was very talkative. We had already had quite the conversation when I got the phone out to record this. She still managed to give a few gems.

Last one is hilarious!!! This was on our day off. Lisa and I were frantically cleaning and doing laundry while the girls were doing a great job of entertaining themselves....when we hear someone yell "ACTION!!" We investigate and find the girls playing this hilarious game.

This happened on Father's Day so we sent the director this email...not sure if he would really watch it. Sure enough, he told us later that he loved it and wanted to share it on his facebook page!! HAHAHA!! I love our girls!!! Entertaining the masses!

magic show

Today, the producer threw a party at her rental house for all the kids. So we went out to this amazing house with an incredible view on the south side of town this morning for the magic show. The girls really enjoyed it...moreso than the rest of the kids it seemed. I'll say it's because of their excellent imaginations. :)

Quite the view at this house....

I can't believe how great this picture came out. The color..the lighting. Wow! Very cool pic of Katy.

Ahhh, the ole pull the hankie out of the pocket trick.

Niiiice!

Katy looks impressed. Justin...not so much.

LOTS of kids to keep entertained!

I like the girls faces in this one. They are both saying "Wooooooooowww!"

I asked them "how'd he do that?!" ...and this is the picture I got.

Katy went up to be a volunteer for the card trick. Once in front of everyone, she turned around and gave Lisa a big thumbs up. Classic.

The finale...making a balloon animal float!! Pretty cool.

It's no mistake that my girls were the last to get their own balloon animals. They are SO patient. I love'em!!!

Katy showing off her balloon puppy.

Good time was had by all. The director, producer, their families, and most of the kid actors were all there. Had lots of fun hanging out with everybody. I just wish there were more hours in the weekend...as I post this at 10pm and head to the grocery store!!

Everybody goes back to work tomorrow. More pictures/stories soon!

Memorial Day Picnic

Been a while. We have been having lots of fun on set...and off. Before last weekend, we heard that a group of people were looking to get the cast together for a hike or something Alaska. Several ideas got thrown around but the consensus was a BBQ. What started as a small gathering ended up being almost the entire cast and crew. It may have had something to do with the PERFECT weather!

Katy meeting one of the cast members dogs that she brought up from California.

I asked Katy to pose. I never had a doubt that she would.

Me and Katy goofing off.

Alyssa playing some ball.

The girls were off playing in the dirt while the rest of the twins were hamming it up in front of the cameras. Kind of proud....but then again it would have been nice to have them in this picture. Oh well.

Lisa playing catch while the girls play in the dirt.

This guy decided to stop by for a while too! He was all dressed up because he just came from a service on Fort Richardson where he gave a speech. I'm getting more and more respect for him every day.

That's not a shadow, that's dirt on Alyssa's face! Not enough wet wipes in the world to get those kids clean.

It was cute for a while until I really saw the mess they had made of themselves. You can kind of tell I had lost my sense of humor at this point.

Friendly game of 2 hand touch football. Ends up the guy facing away from the camera in the black shirt (Isaac) took a fall and broke his wrist. Whoops.

The director, Sean, showing off his frisbee skills.

This is Casey. He's the male lead in the movie and he's awesome. At the picnic, I learned that he is originally from College Station and his parents still live there! So we had plenty to talk about. I was really surprised how athletic he is. Then again, all we've seen of him so far is on the set in a suit. First time we've seen him let loose. He apparently can make frisbees levitate! Impressive!