Les Miserables

Happy Birthday me! Well, that's only half-true. My birthday was in May, but this was my birthday present from Jeremy. We went and saw Les Miserables on Friday night. I love this musical! To be honest though, I'm a sucker for any musical. (If anyone ever needs a show-going partner, count me in!) The music of this musical is so powerful and so emotional. I have been singing songs from it all weekend. Poor Jeremy and Cambrie are probably sick of it. Sorry guys.

My parents took me to this musical when I was a little girl. I enjoyed the music but never paid too much attention to the story behind the lyrics. This time around, I could help but think about all of the motives driving the characters. Why did the school boys rebel? Was there a recession, just bad working conditions, what? That's pretty important, but I don't know the answer. I went to the library today and checked out the book in order to answer all of my questions. I'll let you know what I learn.

If anyone is interested in seeing it before it leaves Philadelphia in August, here are my recommendations: First-it is on 9th and Walnut, NOT on Broad St. I tell you this for the health of your feet, there is parking nearby so please don't walk and get blisters on your feet. Second-Val Jean spits when he sings, so don't sit too close. Third-have a great time and convince your spouse that a night of culture is definitely worth it.

DC day trip

Cambrie and I had a very full day yesterday, we met my old USU roommate, Kendra, in DC. The last time I was in DC was nearly six years ago, so it was good to go back. I love the feel of the area. Cambrie and I started out our journey on the Chinatown bus. Luckily for me, Cambrie has had a lot of practice traveling, so the three hour bus ride wasn't completely foreign for her. She has recently discovered the joys of mommy's iPod and loves listening to classical music on it.

Even though I didn't catch her smile, she really was happy during the bus ride.

When we arrived in DC, it was definitely Cambrie's nap time. Kendra and I decided to walk along the mall and visit all of the monuments. This would allow Cambrie plenty of time to nap in her stroller. It worked out great at first, but when we took the elevator up to the Lincoln Memorial she woke up. Rats. Oh well, a 30 min nap would have to suffice for the rest of the day. She was a trooper though. We visited the Washington Monument, WWII Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Monument, FDR Memorial, Thomas Jefferson Monument, the Capital Building, and the Botanical Gardens. It was a lot of walking and I was completely wasted by the end of the day. (For those who are DC-savvy, I'm sorry if I confused the "monument" and "memorial" terms in there).

It was a good thing Cambrie was asleep while at the reflection pool, she would have wanted to get in and swim.

The FDR Memorial is Kendra's favorite. It was only appropriate that she and Cambrie get their picture taken here.

Cambrie was very happy while at the Jefferson Memorial. She loved the space she got to run around in.

Cambrie almost climbed into the First Lady Fountain at the Botanical Gardens. You can see she had enough of her super cute pig-tails.

The US Capitol is so beautiful!

If anyone is looking for a casual and delicious Italian restaurant to eat at while in DC, I highly recommend Vapiano's. Kendra's friend, Maggie took us there. You watch them make every part of your custom-order meal, then get to eat it on these really tall tables. I was just impressed that their high chairs were also super tall.

I think Cambrie ate more of my spinach and ricotta ravioli than I did. She was such a mess!

The day was completely worth the miles of walking we did-at least I know that next time I won't do it all in one day :) But it was really great to see Kendra again after all these years. It didn't even feel like it's been three years since we've even seen each other. Ah, the joys of being roommates. Thanks Kendra for a fantastic day!

Gardungle

Do you remember the garden we planted a couple of months ago? Well, I just wanted to change the term "garden" to "jungle." Our cucumber plant is completely out of control. I believe that there are 13 cucumbers on it right now ready to be picked. If anyone ever is craving a cucumber-please, PLEASE come by and take multiple cucumbers home. Our bell peppers are producing peppers, our beets are ready to be picked, and our tomatoes are pushing everything else out of their way. I really need to remember what I just learned in that Relief Society canning activity. Even Cambrie doesn't know what to make of the plants over-taking our front door.

Look who's one!

Okay, I know what you're thinking, "Cambrie's birthday was last week." Don't worry, you are completely sane because that is true. This post is actually to share Cambrie's first year portraits. Yea for Kiddie Kandids! I am always so pleased with how they turn out. Here are some of my favorites:

Birthday girl

This one took a long time. She kept sitting down or crawling to the other side of the bench.

She was also rather difficult for her chair shots, she kept turning around and standing up on the chair.

Despite the pleasures of trying to get a very mobile one year old to pose for the camera. It was well worth it.

Palmyra and Niagara Falls

This weekend was full of unexpected adventure. Jeremy and I got in the car and drove the 5 1/2 hours to upstate New York to see the Palmyra Pageant. The Palmyra Pageant is an annual presentation that portrays stories from the Book of Mormon and the Restoration of the Gospel. It is a wonderful experience, made even more meaningful by the fact that it is shown on the Hill Cumorah and is just three miles away from the Sacred Grove. This was my second time seeing it, but it was just as inspiring as the first time. Before the performance was probably Cambrie's favorite time. She got to run around with Hailey and Ashlyn and was especially attracted to the cute Nephite boys. She eventually fell asleep and then Jeremy and I could enjoy the performance.

Mommy, mommy, look! I want one!

The next day we went to the Smith Farm, the Sacred Grove, the Palmyra Temple grounds, and the printing shop where they published the first 5000 copies of the Book of Mormon. It is an incredible experience to be able to walk where the Prophet Joseph Smith received so much inspiration from our Heavenly Father. We are so blessed that a 14-year-old boy was humble enough to follows God's instruction to restore His great church.

The Sacred Grove

The Palmyra Temple

After we were done visiting Palmyra, we decided to drive the 1 1/2 extra hours to visit Niagara Falls. Jeremy was hoping to do this for last spring break but it didn't work out. So on a whim (and a little prodding from the Farnsworths) we drove to Canada. We weren't planning on this trip, so we didn't have any of our birth certificates. They don't bother telling you when you enter the country that you are going to need them to get out....luckily our US Customs officer was very understanding and let us off the hook. Otherwise we would have been stuck in Ontario for a little while longer.

Since we are poor students on a budget, we picked one attraction to experience, The Maid of the Mist. The Maid of the Mist is a ferry that takes you right up to the base of both the American and Canadian Falls. It is a wet experience with all of the spray that comes from the water falls so they give you sweet ponchos that luckily come in Cambrie's size too. Jeremy and I were having a great time, Cambrie on the other hand...let's just say that she doesn't even like the shower. As soon as we were on the boat it started to rain. No problem right? We're already protected, but it made Cambrie pretty miserable. She spent the whole trip tucked away under her poncho and trying to bury herself into my shoulder.

Before...

During...

After...

Don't worry, she did calm down. It continued to rain while we walked up and down the overlook, so we just put Jeremy's poncho over the entire stroller. She was much happier in her little tent. Cambrie was a trooper and I'm sure she'll look back over this experience and laugh someday :)

Happy Birthday Cambrie!

Cambrie turned one-year-old today! Wow! My baby is quickly on her way to toddler-hood. She is walking, talking, and has a mind of her own. Happy birthday sweetheart :) Her party tonight was simple and sweet-presents, cake and friends-perfect. It was a butterfly-themed party. I made her a butterfly cake, it was my first attempt at cake decorating since a Beehive activity and I wish I hadn't run out of time. (Where did I put those sprinkles?) Jeremy and I prepared for the smashing and mashing of the cake and stripped Cambrie down to her diaper, only to find that she barely picked at it. Oh well.

Opening presents was fun and eventful. Hailey, Ashlyn, Alexander, and Lucy came over to celebrate and they all wanted a piece of the action. Luckily Cambrie needed help unwrapping the gifts and each child got to unwrap one for her. The favorite gift of the night were bubbles. I don't know if Cambrie liked them because Hailey wanted them, or Haily liked them because Cambrie wanted them. Yea for simple pleasures.

I think Cambrie realized that it was her day. She smiled, laughed, and was appropriately selfish for the birthday girl. The only hiccup of the night was when I realized that I had forgotten to charge the camera batteries. The pictures you see are the result of "snap," hurry and charge the battery, "snap," charge it again... At least we got some. Happy Birthday Cambrie!

Fun in the Sun

Yesterday was a rare day at the Rogers' house, neither Jeremy nor I had to be anywhere! It was so awesome! So we took advantage of the nice weather and went to the beach. Last year Cambrie slept the whole day in her infant carrier, this time she wanted to be more involved...but not TOO involved since the waves scared her. She preferred to be a beach bum baby, and hung out in the sand all day. I was very impressed that none of that sand got in her eyes, and only one or two handfuls made it into her mouth. Her favorite game was played with daddy. He would dig a hole, and she would immediately sit in it, pushing other feet or bodies out of the way. She sat in a lot of holes throughout the day. Jeremy and I preferred to boogie board. The Farnsworths, Bostons, and Brett Sperry were also there that day, so the boogie boarding trips were a lot of fun. The more the merrier-meaning the more you could laugh at your friends' wipe outs. All in all, definitely a day well spent.

Escape from board exam studies

Sorry it's been so long since I've last posted anything. Cambrie and I went to Utah last week so that Jeremy could study for his Part 1 Dental Board Exams (too bad he still has to take Part 2 in two years). It was a great vacation. Cambrie got to see her grandparents and I got to see some old friends. I wish vacations could be longer and I didn't have to worry about getting a sub at work while I was gone. Working is over-rated anyway right?

While we were there, I got my first pedicure ever (I highly recommend it), Cambrie celebrated her first pseudo-birthday party, I went to a Josh Gracin/Collin Raye/Joe Nichols concert with my sister, we went water skiing, watched fireworks, and went to two family BBQs.

I can't believe Camille is going to be a college-student this year. Yikes!

Grandpa finally got to hold a happy-albeit sleeping-Cambrie when we went boating.

I think that the highlight of the trip for Cambrie was becoming friends with all the dogs we saw. Jeremy's family has a little Yorkshire Terrier who loves kids. Cambrie wasn't too sure of it when we first arrived, but quickly learned that all she needed to know was "Hi puppy," and "No." She would follow the dog around the house waving her hand and saying "Hi," but when Nikita would turn around, Cambrie was quick to say "No, you're too close."(slightly edited). By the end of the trip, even my cousins' lab-sized sheep dog was fun to play with.

Happy Fourth of July!

I'm so glad that we got to see everyone in Utah. It was so nice to be with family again.

(Pictures with Jeremy's family, puppy pics, and the pseudo-birthday party are still forthcoming)