That's a wrap!

We had the opportunity to go back to Utah for winter filming or "Ephriam's Rescue".  It was an amazing experience, one I know my boys and I will never forget.  We have a greater appreciation for what the pioneers had to endure.  We experienced a small amount of what that they had to face.  It was cold, we were wet, we were tired, the days were long, but we had each other to make it worth it.  I think my favorite part was the night we sat in one of the tents sharing experiences we had from a blessing given to Ephriam Hanks about his posterity.  It was truly a special moment.  I am so grateful for all the friendships we formed during filming and the opportunity to get to know family that we had never met until now.  These are some pictures from our experience....  

Carson

Ethan

Ethan and I on set.  We were so cold during this shot,  we didn't even have to act for it.



My brother Aaron and I.  I look so scary.  I'm glad there weren't mirrors anywhere.

Darrin Southam playing Ephriam Hanks.  He is amazing, I saw the look in his eyes when he spoke his parts and it was as if he really was Ephriam.  I was moved to tears many times by the conviction in his words.  They definitely picked the right man for the job.

Uncle Aaron and Ethan

Carson ready to start filming

Ethan and I before they dumped snow all over us.

Ethan...I love this picture of him. 

Katherine and Maya. They play the mother and love interest of James.  Such amazing women and so kind as well.

Natalie, Sarah, Chelsea, and Brooke

Maya and me, AKA beauty and the beast.  So not fair that she wanted a picture of us while she was in her nice makeup and me in my zombie makeup.

Checking out my bloody hands.  Wish I had a better shot because they looked so real.

My kids and I after our hair and makeup was finished.  They were such troopers.

Ready for action. The snow on Ethan soaked right through his clothes.  I was surprised when he wanted to come back for more filming because he was SO cold.  He kept telling me he couldn't do it anymore because he was so cold, but he endured it and came back.  I am so proud of him.

ready to pull our wagons in the snow

BEFORE (summer filming)

AFTER (winter filming)

After this amazing experience, we will never forget the sacrifices that the pioneers made for us.  It has changed us and we will never be the same.  I can' wait till the movie comes out and we can see it all come together.  From what I have seen, it will be amazing!

Halloween

It's always interesting to see what my kids pick for their Halloween costumes.  Ethan picked Waldo.   Our church had a trunk or treat and it was comical to hear people ask where Waldo was and he would get a little confused and then remember they were actually talking about him.  He's such a funny kid.

Payton picked Red Riding Hood.  I was looking at pinterest and a red riding hood costume came up and she got so excited and said that's what she wanted to be.  I let it go for a few days thinking she would change her mind and pick a princess instead, but she held her ground.  So this is what we came up with.  I had to hide the costume from her so it would make it to halloween.

Carson of coarse is too old to trick or treat so he doesn't have a costume this year.  Man that makes me feel old.

Happy Halloween Ya'll!

Utah trip - take 1

My boys and I had the unique opportunity to be a part of a movie this summer.  We were contacted because we are decendants of Ephraim K Hanks and they wanted to use his posterity to be the extras in a movie about him rescuing the pioneers.  It is the second part of 17 miracles and should be out next summer.  It was so much fun meeting the cast and crew and dressing up like pioneers.  My kids loved every minute of it even the extremely late nights.  I think Carson has decided this is what he wants to do for a living now.  We'll see how long that lasts.  Here are some highlights from filming...

Chelsea, Jeremy, and Me (He played Sam in the movie Charley)

Ethan was so tired, he found himself a barrel and fell asleep on it.

Ethan in the jail that they had on set

Ethan ready for action

My Aunt Paula and me

My camera didn't work so well in the dark



Ethan and Albert.  He was so sweet to Ethan.  He told him stories and talked to Ethan while they waited for their turn to film.

Annie, Albert, and Me

Carson, Albert (Travis), and Ethan.  The boys were so excited to meet Albert.



Carson, Aaron, Sarah, and Annie.  We were having a good time goofing off between scenes.

 

Carson after wardrobe and makeup

Ethan after wardrobe and makeup

Kathryn and my brother Aaron

 

Group photo from the scene we were doing.  It was Jenny Oaks Baker and her 4 kids and my family.  I had no idea it was her until someone asked me if I knew who I was talking to.

Ethan, Aaron, Annie, Kathryn, Sarah, and Carson.  Kathryn played Emma Smith in the Emma Smith my story movie.  She was so nice.  She asked us if we would take a picture with her, I told her only if we could take one too.

My family.  It was so fun to film and expericence this with my family.  It made it more fun.

This was the group we filmed with the second night.

My cousin Brooke and Me

Me and my brother Aaron

Me and My Aunt Paula in action.

Me, Brooke, and Paula

Me after hair and makeup.

My uncle Dave.  He looks like a hillbillie in this picture instead of a pioneer.



My Aunt Sherry.  She did a great job heading up the extra cast.

My computer is still having issues and so my posts are so random these days.  My computer is temporarily working, so here are the latest updates before it crashes again.

I have no idea where the summer is going, but it's happening way too fast.  It started off with the boys going to scout camps.  This was the first time Carson has gone for a full week overnight.  I really missed having him around.

Ethan joined the Mutiny Elite track team, which has consumed most of our time, but he absolutely loves it.  I think he wants to be just like his dad.  He would go to track practice 3-4 times a week and then track meets were all day Saturday.  He has definitely improved, but wont be breaking any records anytime soon.


I love this picture of him looking at the track at the Texas Regional Track Meet.  It was as if he was imagining himself running it before the race started or he was just nervous.

We also had Milan's Sister and her family in town for a visit.  We tried to warn them not to warm up to Payton, but they didn't listen.  She followed mysister in law and niece around the whole time.  She was so sad to see them leave.  They were here over the 4th of July so we got to celebrate our first 4th of July in Texas with them(we've always been in Utah for it). 


I've also been working on refinishing a dresser for Ethan.  He loves it, mostly because it has enough storage to put his prized possessions in one of the drawers for safe keeping from his little sister.

The rest of our time has been spent working on our tans at the pool (My sister likes to compare tans so Alesha, I think I've got you beat this year!).  It's about the only thing you can stand to do outside in this heat.  Paytie has also been learning how to swim and got brave enough to go down the big yellow slide at the pool. 

Milan and I will be celebrating our 15th anniversary this week. We celebrated by taking a much needed vacation to St. Kitts while grandma and grandpa watched the kids.  The kids definately wore them out, but we were grateful they were able to come so that we could go on this trip.   These are just a few of the pictures from our vacation. 

We had a 24 hour layover in Puerto Rico so we took advantage and did some sight seeing.

Outside of our Resort

We thought it would be cool to go to the LDS branch in St. Kitts.

Giant Pig that the people had as a pet on the beach

Not sure what these two are doing??

There was an old fort on the island and they had these cannons on the upper deck.

Milan, ziplining over the rain forest.



Yes, that is a real monkey on my head.  He was only 5 months old.

This was after we finished ziplining down the mountain.

They drive on the opposite side of the road in St. Kitts, it was a little scary at first.