Jim's father passed away in June a week before Father's Day. He lived in Brush Prairie Washington, so Cam and I decided that we would rent a car and drive up to support my mom and Jim. I didn't know "Pops" very well because I was 16 when I first met him. What I did know of him was a loving and compassionate man. I felt that it was my duty to go. So we went. We rented a Dodge Nitro and packed it to the gills with the kid's toys and baby gear. It took us two days to get there. We stayed at Aunt Phyllis' house. She had a grassy field right outside her house. Aiden had never played in tall grass before and he and his older cousin Libby went out and explored on our first day there. It was amazing watching him discover and explore this new found mystery. 
The played "follow the leader" and Hide and Seek for nearly an hour out there in the field. They didn't know that we were taking photos of them so we caught some pretty candid and fun shots. Libby was the Leader most of the time, but every once in a while Aiden would take the reins and get really brave. He was giggling and running almost the entire time. I was amazed by how such a little thing could be so great. I guess I took getting to run in fields for granted as a kid because they were everywhere and 
our parents made sure that we experienced everything at least once. I'm blessed that he got to take part in this discovery. When the field activities were done, there was a little friendly game of football to be had out on the front lawn at Phyllis' house. The kids had a ton of fun and ran off tons of energy playing this game. Again they had no idea that we were snapping shots. Libby and Aiden were the littlest kids out there and would sometimes get frustrated with
the older ones because they weren't throwing the ball to them. So when they finally did get ahold of they ball they would throw it out in the field so that the older kids would have to go chasing after it. It was really funny to watch. They were very sneaky about it. We would see them hiding over by a tree one minute and the next the older ones would be racing out to the field. I loved watching Aiden problem solve. This day at Phyllis' was one of the best days I have had watching Aiden learn and grow, it's days like this one that make being a mommy completely worth it. 
Aiden and Libby both got to see the cows and feed them. They also got to play in the hay. This was all a new discovery for Aiden even again. He knew was cows looked like and had seen them in passing, but never had been out in their fields before. He was kind of scared at first but then really liked them. He also loved playing in the hay. unfortunately the pictures of the hay didn't come out very well because it was dark in the barn. But we did get some shots of the cows and the kids. On the way over to Elsie's farm Aiden decided that it would be best if he an
d Libby held hands because it would be safer while walking if they did so. I thought it was the cutest thing ever. Christian even got to go see the Cows with use. We bundled him up tight in his blanket and took him along. 
He was pretty cute all bundled up. He cooed for a little while and then got too cold so we had to take him home. Jim stayed with the kids and let them play for a long time. I am blessed to have a second family with such diversity. If you would have asked me when I was little if I wanted someone to own a farm so that I could go play on it my answer would have been no. Today however I am proud to say that my child has had the oppurtunity to delve into a world that I didn't get to encounter until I was older. It's a blessing, it really is.
alled him the Police Man for almost an hour before we could convince him that his name was Troy. Troy asked Aiden if he would like to check out the vehicle and Aiden of course said yes. He was timid at first but then Daddy got inside and of course, Aiden had to get in too! He got to press buttons and look at everything inside. Troy even gave him a Junior Sheriff Badge. Aiden still asks Daddy if he can wear his badge when Cam puts his badge on to go to work. After Aiden's inspection of the vehicle we headed to a little park down the street from Troy's house. Aiden and Troy played football 
together along with playing on the jungle gym. We spent close to an hour just throwing the ball around and chasing "uncle" Troy. It was very cool to see Aiden connect so quickly with one of Cam's closest friends. It made Cam very happy. Christian even went to the park with us and had a great time. He liked "uncle" Troy too. He liked Robin (troy's wife) even more. She fell in love with him and held him almost the entire time we were at their house that evening. She has two boys of her own that are older. She and Troy had been talking about having a baby of their own, and seeing and playing with Christian made her realize that she really needed to give Troy a child even if she didn't want to be pregnant again. 
f the time. The next day after we played at the park and saw the sheriff vehicle, Cam and I decided to take Aiden to the Seattle Zoo. We asked Troy and his family to come along. We had a great day. Aiden's favorite part was the snake tank. We ended up buying him a stuffed snake. He really liked the fish and otters in the Grizzly Bear tank too. Mommy enjoyed watching the otters swim as much as Aiden did. Cam caught a great shot of us both standingin awe of the otters. Aiden was such a good boy the whole trip. He got to a lot of fun things but he also had to ride in the car way more than I would have liked him to. He didn't complain but maybe twice the whole trip and that was mostly because he was tired. 
and that was the end of our trip. From Turner Fire Department it was heading straight home. We stopped in Eureka to have lunch with some friends and then off we went. One of the best trips I've ever been on. I must admit Family Vacations are a blast!
I decided to start this blog because we don't get to see a lot of you due to the fact that we don't live close by. I think I will start from the beginning of our little Family's life together and go from there. Cam and I met two and a half years ago. He was pastoring the church that I was attending. I was working for my parents and trying to do the best I could raising my son Aiden as a single parent. I was going through a very grueling custody battle with Aiden's biological father at the time. in January 19, 2007 Cam invited me to go Kayaking to relieve some of the stress. I of course accepted his invitation and that's how it all started. After our "date" kayaking my parents invited him up to Tahoe as we would be skiing and playing in the snow for a week (Little did I know that him visiting us in Tahoe would lead to a long and happy life together). Then on February 15 we had our official first date. We went out to dinner at a little restaraunt in town named Taka's Grill where they serve yummy japanese food. after a few months of dating we decided that we wanted to get married so in April of 2007 Cam made me a scrapbook to propose and had it all captured on film. 
A few months later we got pregnant. Yes you read that correctly, we were pregnant before marriage. We weren't pleased with our decisions, but we were excited that we would be welcoming our first child into the world together. Cam started a new job as an Emergency Dispatcher for Cal-Fire at Howard Forest in Willits in October. On January 20, 2008 we were 
married on a friend's ranch in Yorkville. It was a small gathering of close friends and family as I was 6 months pregnant. It was catered by a friend of my mother-in-law's. Flowers were done by a friend of hers as well. We chose red and black for our colors because Cam wanted to we
ar his Cal-Fire Class A Uniform and the ranch we were getting married in was red as well. I drove to Santa Rosa at the last minute to try and find a nice dress that would fit over my large belly. I successfully found something that matched our colors. The evening before the wedding Cam's dad took us all to dinner at Libby's, a very nice family restaurant with excellent food. We all got to talk and mingle. Savannh Del Campo was my Maid of Honor. Andres Avila was Cam's Best Man. Aiden was our Ring Bearer and Katherine 
Dobson (Cam's Niece) was our flower girl. Despite the wedding being planned in less than a month everything was beautiful. Peggy (my mother-in-law) and Cris (my sister-in-law) did an excellent job decorating. There were candles and flowers. Baskets and pillows. The elements were wondrful. We stayed a little while after the marriage ceremony and mingled with our guests. Toasts were made, and tears were cried. It was the happiest day of our lives (or so we thought). The next few months would prove to be fun filled, but also very danting as I would soon become more tired and anxious as my 
due date approached. After my birthday, we moved ourselves and Aiden over to Ukiah to stay until the baby came. We stayed at a house that Cam's Step-Mom owns. Aiden played in a wading pool that we bought him most of the two weeks we were there. On April 10, 2008 my midwife told me that I needed to be induced because I was pre-eclampsic wich came as no surprise as I had the sam
e complication with Aiden. So on the evening of April 11, 2008 we welcome Thomas "Christian" McFadden into the world. He was 7 lbs 2 ounces and 21 inches long. He came out hungry and hasn't stopped being that way since. Christian is an eater unlike Aiden who could really care less about food. My children have brought nothing bug joy top my life. Cam got 
to take a month off to be home with me and bond with Christian. We took Aiden to "A Day Out with Thomas" in Sacramento when Christian was two weeks old. He got to ride on Thomas' train and meet Sir Topem 
Hat, play games, read stories, play in a bounce house, and have a balloon sword fight with a really cool clown. The next day we took him to the Train Mueseum in old town Sacramento. He loved trains and had such a good time. I think that it's important to make sure that the child gaining a sibling knows that they aren't being replaced. And Aiden had no problems adjusting to the change. He has loved Christian since before he was born. They are best buds. They play together already even though Christian is only 9 months old. Aiden has even taken interest in helping feed him and bathe him. It's been quite an experience having two at home but luckily I've been able to watch Christian grow and experience life more than I was able to with Aiden at this age. I'm so proud of them both! 
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