Love, Learn, Play: Filming and Frozen Seashells

Because of the snow we got last week and the one day of filming they had to cancel, the boys had to work on Saturday this week. I don't think most of the cast and crew were too excited about it except for us! Jon flew in early Friday morning, so it meant he got to be here for an extra day of filming!! He got here early enough that he was able to take the train right to our apartment (literally- he gets off just steps away from our lobby door!) and make PANCAKES!!! Normally Saturday is pancake day but we were all so excited to see daddy and the boys just couldn't wait :)

After pancakes we headed to set for a 12:00 noon call time. The boys only had one scene to film on Friday, but it was a long one and a bit of a tough one. They didn't have any lines, but they had to look sad for the entire scene while the other two actors were exchanging a lot of dialogue and even laughing at points. It was tough for the boys not to smile! They filmed the scene from four different camera angles which makes things take f-o-r-e-v-e-r, so the boys tag-teamed this one. Caleb filmed for quite awhile then Matthew came in and finished things up. It was a great Paddock Twins team effort!

On Saturday the boys had to film six scenes. I have to admit I was a bit nervous as that is by far the most they have ever done in one day. Luckily they were all super fun scenes and while the boys had a handful of lines, the scenes only required them to show their natural emotions. They were all really funny scenes so they could let loose and laugh! Matthew filmed first and he just had a blast. In one scene Nick was chasing him around the living room and in another he got to talk about all of his favorite buildings in NYC- he was just in Heaven! In the script he only had two or three lines, but he finally got comfortable doing improv with Nick and he was able to add in a lot of his own stuff. I wouldn't call it acting per say- but he was responding naturally to Nick's acting and the scenes turned out amazing! At one point Nick said something about Frank Lloyd Wright so Matthew interjected the Massaro House into the scene which of course Nick knew nothing about, and they went back and forth for nearly five minutes of Nick trying to make sense of it and Matthew doing his best to get Nick to understand. It was all I could do to hold myself together off camera because I knew Nick was never going to get it and I knew Matthew wouldn't give up until he did!

Caleb got to film two scenes after that as Matthew had about maxed out his on camera time for the day. Caleb's two scenes were really funny as well and for both scenes he just responded perfectly to Nick's improv. When they first started filming two weeks ago the boys were a little caught off guard that Nick said things that weren't in the script, so it was really awesome to see how comfortable they have gotten and how they are learning to just roll with what he says and does. Again, I wouldn't say it is acting on their part, just their natural responses and interactions but they are so genuine and honest and I think that's about all you can ask for at this age! Most importantly- the boys had a ton of fun filming all day. They loved their scenes and loved repeating each take. And their time off screen was full of fun as well. They love Miss Cynthia the make up artist and Miss Amy the hair stylist. When they weren't filming they drew them pictures, made them paper airplanes, and spent some time playing the iPad app Miss Cynthia's husband had illustrated. They were just having a blast all day. By the time they wrapped at 5:30pm, Jon and I had this overwhelming feeling of knowing that we made the right decision by letting the boys take on such a big project at such a young age. They are genuinely having the time of their little lives here and I can honestly say that the whole experience- from filming to living near the city- is enriching their lives.

Sunday was a day off, so we decided to drive up to check out Connecticut. Ever since I was little I have loved New England and have dreamed of living there someday, but this was my first time in Connecticut. Unfortunately for Jon, it was everything I had always dreamed it would be! We first stopped at Seaport Park in Bridgeport to go to the beach. It was unbelievably beautiful. Seashells were frozen in the ice, though the boys found plenty that were loose in the sand to gather. Jon got to play in the tide pools and find a few crabs and we found two giant jellyfish that had washed ashore. The boys just played, played, played in the snow- for over two hours! It was frigid cold but turned out to be a beautiful beach day! After that we drove up to New Haven to see the Yale campus. From as early as I can remember, my parents had always taken us to a college campus whenever we were traveling and it is something we have continued to do with the boys. (It may have already backfired though as Matthew still insists he's going to go to Pepperdine!!!) We were able to go to the bookstore, eat lunch on campus, and drive around a bit to see all of the beautiful old buildings. After that we took a beautiful route home and Jon and I got a bit excited driving through the groves of maple trees surrounded by snow... maybe the boys will end up at Yale someday so we can move nearby and run a giant sugarbush :)

Caleb is excited to be heading to work!