There were once two small-town kids who grew up the oldest of their families in homes that were filled with love and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Their parents showed by example how to be great parents and taught them to work, to love, and to have fun. They both left home prepared to meet their eternal companion and Cameron, the boy, went to Arizona to serve a full-time mission. Vanessa, the girl, went to college and commenced her education and of course, entered the dating scene. The two found each other on a blind date while attending different universities. Neither one of them were looking for a serious relationship that night but they decided to go on subsequent dates, spending lots of time with each other’s families, and quickly falling in love. Cameron would say his excellent kissing skills had a lot to do with it. They were later married in the Idaho Falls Temple and thought life could not be more complete.
Cameron and Vanessa struggled through college together, spending most nights at the library or participating in church activities in their student ward. They spent summers traveling, visiting family, growing all kinds of vegetables in their huge garden, and just enjoying their time together. As time went by, they felt it was time to expand their family by having a baby and enthusiastically discussed their plans and hopes in raising their children. Months and then years went by without their dreams being realized. The couple graduated from college, moved to a new town, and bought their first house during this time, and they both enjoyed decorating the inside of the house and landscaping the yard with the anticipation of having a child someday to run and play in the grass and be nurtured within the walls of a loving home.
Although they were sad about their childless state, they continued to fall more in love each day and continued to find hobbies to do together. They both learned to scuba dive and even dove in the ocean one summer with sea lions. They enjoyed their hobbies, such as camping, four-wheeling, boating, and playing with their dog, Oakley. Cameron enjoyed going hunting in the fall and played on various basketball teams during the winters, even coaching an 8th grade club team. Vanessa loved to run and lift weights in the mornings, finding the exercise to be energizing and stress relieving.
They both worked full time, and Vanessa enjoyed her job as a dietitian but looked forward to her day as a stay-at-home mom with their child. After doctor visits, lots of prayers and fasting, Cameron and Vanessa felt adoption was the right path for them to become parents.
Their story is far from over and they are hopeful that their prayers will be answered and that their story is about to open a new chapter.
Getting to know us:
We are . . . tall, athletic, adventurous, loving, and spiritual people who are so excited to be parents!
A little about Cameron:
Family: He is the oldest of 4 kids and now that they are all adults, they get along really well and enjoy many of the same hobbies. His sister Brooklyn is married with two kids, his sister Bridget is married with a dog, and his brother Kenyon is serving a mission in Madagascar. His dad is a farmer and his mom helps out on the farm and is a stay-at-home grandma.
Personality: Cameron is very competitive and very goal-oriented. He is not afraid of hard work or getting his hands dirty. He is has a good work ethic and thoroughly enjoys helping others, whether in the ward, neighborhood, or in his own family.
Hobbies and Talents: Cameron is very good at growing things. He says it is because he grew up on a farm, but he loves to plant a huge garden and watch it grow. He also loves to play basketball and often plays and competes well in city league tournaments. Other hobbies include camping, cooking new recipes, planning trips and traveling, hiking, and four-wheeling.
Thoughts on Marriage: He enjoys being married to his best friend and sharing hobbies with Vanessa. He has learned how to better communicate in the marriage and one of the most important lessons he has learned since being married is forgiveness. Cameron loves Vanessa so much and adding to their family will only strengthen their marriage more.
Thoughts on Parenting: Cameron loves to play with his nieces and nephew and his friends’ children. He is looking forward to the day when he has his own child. He knows that being a good parent takes a lot of love and patience, and he knows there will be a lot of “on the job training.” He knows that teaching the gospel to his children will be crucial in helping them learn who they are and how to make good choices. He realizes that in disciplining children, every child is different, and he will try to teach his children how they can learn from their mistakes.
Thoughts on Adoption: He has several adopted cousins and has grown up looking at adoption as a normal, positive thing. He thinks birth parents are brave people and respects their decision to want to place their child in a better circumstance. He feels very strongly that adoption is the right choice for him and Vanessa.
A little about Vanessa:
Family: She is the oldest of four siblings and is very close to all of them and is glad they do not live too far away. Vance is a returned missionary and attending college at BYU-Idaho, Brianna is married with a baby daughter, and Braden is about to turn 16 and loves football and girls. Vanessa’s dad is a magistrate in their county, and her mom works at a restaurant part-time and loves being a grandma.
Personality: Vanessa is very hard-working and a little bit of a perfectionist with SOME things. She is dependable and trustworthy and is a good friend and listener. She tries to be guided by the Holy Ghost each day in decisions she makes. She is not competitive at all, which makes Cameron frustrated, and they have learned what games they can never play together.
Hobbies and Talents: She is a good violinist and often plays with the ward choir or in Sacrament meeting. She loves to dance and was on a competitive team in high school, she loves to read novels, and she loves to run. Vanessa also loves to hike, camp, and go four-wheeling, and she also loves to relax and watch movies.
Thoughts on Marriage: Vanessa was pretty young when she got married and thought it was a big adjustment cooking for two people and sometimes felt like she was playing house. Now she loves that part of her marriage and especially getting to hang out with Cameron all the time and not having to say good-night at the end of the day. She has learned how to communicate better in her marriage and they are able to express their frustrations and hurts and then try to find a way to make it better. She has also found that forgiveness is the most important lesson anyone could learn in marriage.
Thoughts on Parenting: Vanessa has always wanted to be a mom and knows she will probably feel incredible love for her child and then incredible frustration all in the same day at times. She will probably look to her own parents’ parenting style when she has kids, and will try to patient and loving and always use the gospel principles to guide her children. She wants her kids to trust her and feel like they can talk to her whenever they want, so being open-minded is important. Using discipline as teaching moments and never disciplining when she feels angry are her goals when her children make mistakes.
Thoughts on Adoption: Vanessa had a very strong prompting that their family was supposed to adopt, and she was so excited to learn more about it and dive right into the process. She is amazed at the love that birth parents have for their child in considering placing their child for adoption and understands that heart-ache and sacrifice are felt during this time. Both she and Cameron want the adoption to be as open as possible, with frequent contact to the birth parent(s). It is important that their child know about their birth family and never feels like they are kept in the dark about any part of the adoption journey. That is Cameron and Vanessa’s hope and prayer.
Hope you learned more about us and feel free to contact us via e-mail with further questions.
