Merry Christmas 2008

Christmas this year was lots of fun and a little different than in year's past. Even though it was Rich's family's turn for Christmas, Rich's parents were here (and Aunt Janae and Aunt Kara at differnt points) to help with our brand new nephew, affectionately named Baby Bryson. So, we spent Christmas Eve with the Hymases at Clark and Katie's house. They made us a wonderful steak dinner. And we each opened the traditional Christmas Eve gift. The kids got pajamas.

Rich was actually the first to wake up on Christmas morning. He was showered and ready to go before I even got out of bed. Scott and Krissy came over to open presents and we roused the kids and Grandma and Grandpa Baker about 7:30 am. We read the Christmas story to remember the real reason for Christmas, and then went upstairs to open presents. The kids made out like bandits. Rich got some clothes and a camera. I got a sapphire and diamond ring (no complaints here). And our family got a Nintendo WII from Santa.

After that, we headed back over to Clark and Katie's to spend some more time with the family. We got home in time to put the kids down for a nap and then to prepare for Christmas dinner. Grandma and Grandpa Baker invited Rich's family and Krissy's family (who also came into town for Christmas), so we had a big Christmas dinner with everyone that evening. It was a lot of fun.

Weekly Update

I had my work Christmas lunch on Tuesday, so I worked on Tuesday this week instead of Wednesday. They served us a catered Prime Rib dinner, gave out some nice door prizes, and gave everyone some Great Harvest bread and some truffles. Yummy!

On Wednesday, we went to the hospital so see our brand new nephew, Bryson Clark Hymas. Welcome baby Bryson! He was born to Clark and Katie Wednesday morning.

We then headed to Idaho to visit Rich's family for a few days. Rich enjoyed lots of duck and phesant hunting with his Dad, Kara, and Troy. They got 31 ducks and 7 phesants. Lynnae spent her time taking care of Mackenzie. Mackenzie caught a pretty bad cold and didn't feel very well.

Aiden got to play with his cousin Tyler and enjoyed some sleep overs with her. Their favorite games to play are "honey" (which is really house) and fishing. They are now old enough that they have fun playing with each other and pretending to be grown up, instead of fighting over who gets to play with what toy.

Despite the bad weather, we experienced an uneventful caravan ride home with Grandma and Grandpa and Kara, who all came to help Katie with the new baby.

Merry Christmas everyone!

2008 Gallery Book

I recently submitted a "portfolio" book of some of my favorite pictures of the year to the publisher I use for my clients' photo books. It includes some of my nature, portrait, and wedding photos. You can click on the link to it on the right if you'd like to see it:



I was very excited by the following comments I got back from the publisher:

"Thank you for your order. Your book was such a pleasure to review. I have to mention that your photography stands out above the rest...from your nature to your weddings, I am truly impressed by your talent."

It's nice to have your work appreciated.

Ever wonder what's inside of a Love Sac?

This morning we discovered that Mackenzie's diaper had leaked while she was sitting on the Love Sac. So, we removed the two covers that we have on it and discovered an even bigger problem--MOLD! So, we decided the best course of action would be to empty the contents of the Sac, and wash the cover. 14 garbage bags (546 gallons of foam) later, you can see the results for yourself... (complete with "foam angel")

Megan and Christopher

Friday, December 5th was my cousin Megan's wedding. Here are some pictures I took of her special day.

Almarie Bridals

On Nov 22, I was able to meet Almarie and Tyler at Memory Grove for her bridals. Here are a few pictures from the day.

A Wedding and Two Christmas Parties

On Friday, December 5, I took the pictures for my cousin Megan's wedding. It was fun to be able to do that for her. She was married in the Salt Lake temple, and afterwards had the luncheon and receptions at some churches in Layton.

Here are some pictures from the day:



Saturday morning was our ward Christmas party. Yummy breakfast food, an excellent program, and a visit from Santa were just some of the highlights. The funny part was that the power went out right in the middle of Santa's visit, so Santa and the kids had to move to the foyer.

Here are some pictures of the party and the kids' visit with Santa. Of course, Mackenzie was still not so sure about Santa.



On Saturday evening, we hosted a not so annual but we try Christmas Open House. Grandma and I spent most of the day preparing food and adding to the menu, fearing we'd run out of food. However, that ended up not being the case.

It was so fun to see those of you who were able to make it. We sure miss the constant association that we used to have with everyone. The Open House is a great excuse to touch base and see those of you we haven't seen in way too long, as well as our new friends. I was having so much fun visiting that I didn't take a single picture. Shame on me!

We way over did the food. We had more leftovers than we did for Thanksgiving. We'll be eating treats for weeks (long enough to make it to Christmas). So, if you're feeling hungry, come on over...

Happy Thanksgiving

Well, our Thanksgiving plans didn't quite work out the way we had planned. We were supposed to eat dinner with Lynnae's family on Thursday and then head to Idaho for the weekend. Unfortunately, our little Mackenzie shared a bug she picked up with all of us. She came down with the stomach flu on Monday, and then proceeded to give it to Mom (who had it Wednesday night and Thursday), Dad (who came down with it Thursday night), and then Aiden (who came down with it when we were actually driving to Idaho Friday morning; we had to turn around and come home). Grandma even caught it.

We did get to share a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with Grandma and Grandpa Baker and Uncle Scott and Aunt Krissy, and were grateful we were able to do that. Aunt Krissy took a few photos of the day. Here they are:

The Blackwood Family

These pictures were taken of the Blackwood family on November 15, 2008 at the Salt Lake Temple and the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. What a special day for their family. The baby, who they adopted six months ago, was sealed to them. She is beautiful! I feel really priveledged to have been able to take some pictures for them to remember the day. Congratulations, Blackwoods!

The Hill Family

I took these pictures of the Hill family at Memory Grove on Saturday, November 15. The little boys were absolutely amazing. We took pictures for two hours and the held up the whole time. I had a lot of fun with the whole family.

Aiden's 4th Birthday

Aiden turned 4 on November 8. I can hardly believe he's getting so big. We had his first friends birthday party in honor of the day. The theme was construction site (big surprise to anyone who's spent more th 2 minutes in conversation with him). He begged for a dump truck cake (which only took about 6 hrs to make and decorate), and we decorated the house with caution tape and orange, black, and yellow balloons.

The kids that came were Aiden's cousins Tyler and Aspen, and his friends Ethan, Hailey, Toby, and Allie, and his sister, Mackenzie. We played lots of fun games like tag, pin the construction cone on the site, bean bag toss into a dump truck, red light/green light, and nail, nail, hammer (duck, duck, goose). The kids also enjoyed a construction site sack lunch made up of PBJ's, dried apples, chips, and capri sun.

The grown-ups who came were Grandma and Grandpa Hymas, Grandma and Grandpa Baker, Aunt Krissy and Uncle Scott, Aunt Kara and Uncle Troy, Uncle Clark and Aunt Katie, and Veronica Andrew. The grown-ups enjoyed croissant sandwhiches and brocolli cheese soup.

After dinner, we had cake and ice cream and opened presents. It was a really fun day.

Happy Halloween

We had a really fun Halloween. Aiden wanted to be a zombie because he wanted to be something scary. Mackenzie got to be a jack-o-lantern. And Mommy was a Jedi Knight to go a long with the Star Wars theme at work. We went to Mommy's work party and got a good start on our trick-or-treating. Then, Aunt Krissy, Uncle Clark and Aspen, joined Mom, Dad, Aiden, and Mackenzie for some trick or treating around the neighborhood. It was nice to have such a warm night to go trick-or-treating.

Family Pictures

I guess I should include our own family photos that we took October 26, 2008 at Murray Park. I had 3 shoots that weekend at the park, so I got to see just how popular a photo location it is. It was CRAZY! At any given time, there were probably 4-5 different photo shoots going on.

Everything else is pretty status quo. Rich is still really busy with school. I stay really busy with my photography hobby, working 1 day a week at Cephalon, and taking care of the children.

Carter Family with new background

Here are the walking pictures of the Carter's that include more of the background at Wheeler Farm.

Erin and Clay

Here is the sharper image of Erin and Clay.

The Bakers

Lastly, here are some pictures we took of my family over the weekend, also at Murray Park. Special thanks to Clark and Katie for their help it taking them.

Clark and Katie

Here are the pictures of Clark, Katie, and Aspen from this weekend. We also took these at Murray Park.

Cody and Veronica

Here are some pictures I took of the Andrews over the weekend at Murray Park.

Another Option for the Smiths

Here is another family photo of the Smith's.

Scott and Sandy Family

Here are a few pics I took this weekend of Scott and Sandy's family. I took these at Shoneshone Falls and Twin Falls in Twin Falls, ID.

Almarie and Tyler

I took Almarie and Tyler's engagement pictures at Gardner Village. Here's one of my favorites.

The Smiths

Here are a few pics that I took of the Smith Family on Saturday at the Salt Lake City Library and the City and County Building.

ABC Book

Here is an ABC book I designed of the kids. Here's the web address to view it:

www.lynnaehymasphotography.com/client_proofing/alphabet_book/index.html.

ABC Book

Here is an ABC book I designed of my kids. Here's the web address to view it:

www.lynnaehymasphotography.com/client_proofing/alphabet_book/index.html.

Danielle and Cal Sexton

I took some wedding pictures for Danielle and Cal Sexton. They didn't have a photographer at their wedding, but wanted to have some formal portraits. So, they got dressed back up and I met them at Wheeler Farm. Here are a couple of pictures from the photo shoot.

Med School and White Coat Ceremony

Today was Rich's first day of class. He's still working on the cleaning up his papers for his PhD, so he's got a lot on his plate and is feeling the stress of it all. We're confident he'll be able to handle it and get through all the demands on his schedule.

Last week was Medical School Orientation week. Rich spent the week in lectures getting information about school. The School also hosted two different barbacue's. Lynnae was able to go to both, and the kids were also able to come to one. It was fun to meet many of Rich's new classmates and their families. They are a very impressive bunch; what a neat group of people. We really feel that it's a priveledge for Rich to be a part of it all.

The week ended with a White Coat ceremony that marks the beginning of the student's medical career. After some excellent speeches, full of valuable advice, the students received their white coats, a stethascope, and a book. Here are some pictures from the event:

Kara, Troy, and Tyler

Here is my favorite picture that I took of Kara, Troy, and Tyler at Shonshone Falls in Twin Falls, Idaho on August 2, 2008.

Capitol Reef

We went to Capitol Reef and Torrey, UT from August 15-18 for a family vacation and for the opening of archery season.

The first night when we arrived in town, we ate at a restraunt called Cafe Diablo. Wow! Who would have though there'd be a world class restraunt in Torrey, UT.

We stayed at a motel called The Rim Rock, which was not our favorite place. Aside from no closet and definitely wishing for a refridgerator and microwave for the kids milk habit, there were spiders all over and mouse poop in the drawers. The next day, we moved to a place called the Affordable Inn. It was only $5 more, and what a difference. It even included breakfast.

Rich went hunting Saturday morning, and then we went into the park. We hiked a little way on the Chimney Rock trail, and stopped at several other scenic points. Then we stopped at the bakery and store in the park for some peach salsa and peach butter. Yum!

We headed back to the hotel for a nap (we were all beat), and then Rich went hunting in the evening, while the kids and Lynnae went swimming at the motel.

Sunday, we attended Sacrament Meeting, and then went for a drive on scenic Highway 12through the Dixie National Forest. It was breathtaking. And then the fun began...

We decided to take the back four wheeler road into Capitol Reef and the scenic drive there. We have a Subaru, so no problem, right? Wrong. The first 5 mi. were a piece of cake, and the next 5 weren't too bad--a little rock and washed out, but nothing too bad. It's when we hit the border into the park that it got really bad. At one point, one of the tires of the Subaru was actually hanging over the edge of a pretty big drop off. The going was SLOW, and Lynnae walked a lot of the way to scout ahead and have less weight in the car. The trail led through dried up stream beds and we were very grateful there were no storms in the area. The kids were amazing through the entire ordeal.

After lots of prayers, and a few extra dents in the car, we got out safe and sound just before sunset. We were very grateful to Heavenly Father for helping us make it out safe and have had enough adventure to last us for a long time!

Rich went hunting one last time on Monday moring and we came home, just in time for Medical School orientation, which started on Tuesday morning.

Idaho

After our camping trip, we headed up to Idaho to visit Rich's family. We went shooting clay pigeons, visited Shoshone Falls, attended Amanda and Jason's baby's blessing, had a water fight with Grandma, and went to the Twin Falls Temple open house.

Camping

On August 1st, we took off to the mountains for the annual ward campout. This was Mackenzie's first camping trip. We had a lot of fun with Grandma and Grandpa there. We went on a hike and saw a beaver dam and a tree that a beaver had started chopping down. We could also hear a moose cry in the background.

The campground was in the middle of bear country, so we had to be really careful to keep our food locked up in the car at night.

Rich Reaches the Finish Line

Today, was a milestone event in our lives. Rich successfully defended his PhD thesis to his committee. Wow! After 8 years of blood (from the rats), sweat (from the lack of AC in his bldg), and tears (mostly mine) he has successfully completed the greatest challenge of his life (thus far). Included in the challenge was the completion of his dissertation two weeks ago (which was actually the hard part).

His defense was an oral presentation of his research to his committee, which consisted of Dr. Higuchi (Rich's prof), Dean Moger, Dr. Kern, Dr. Li, and Dr. Berensen (a GI doc). Also in attendence were his parents, Val and Lorinda, his in-laws, Terry and Irene, me (his wife), John Boyden (his mission president--it was so nice of him to come!), and several graduate students.

After skillfully presenting his research, he successfully and knowledgeably answered several questions from the other students and his professors. After a brief private consultation, his committee passed him with flying colors. They were very impressed with the rigor of his research.

What's left? He needs to submit two papers (two of the chapters from his dissertation) for publication, and clean up the dissertation. Then, his degree will officially post. The corrections needed to finish up are pretty minor and he will have at least one (if not two) of those two papers submitted by the end of Aug.

What's next? He starts med school on Aug. 25, 2008. Sigh. Just think, in 9 more years (I'll be 45), he'll earn his first real paycheck.

But, seriously, I couldn't be prouder of him or his accomplishments or goals. He really is interested in making a contribution to the world and in bettering individuals lives. He has and will have the skills and education to do it!

Congratulations, Rich. I love you!

Lynnae

Water lilies

We went to the gardens at Thanksgiving Point today. I took these shots at 12:30 pm (I do mean pm, not am). I adjusted my exposure compensation to -3.0, and this is what I got.

Stone

Here are Stone's 3 mo pictures. I had a lot of fun shooting this very happy little guy.

Flowers and Fireworks

Here are some pictures I took of flowers and fireworks.

My new logo

Here is my new logo. Big thanks to Monika for the beautiful design!

Family Portraits

We took our own family portraits last night at Wheeler Farm. Here are our photos.

Family Portraits

We went to Wheeler Farm last night and took some family portraits. Here they are:

Rich's Birthday Party

We had a few friends from the 30th ward over for a birthday party for Rich. It was so much fun to see everyone. We definitely need to do that more often. Here are some pictures from the party.

Portraits

Here are some of the portraits I've taken of the kids. They aren't very cooperative in posing, but I've mangaged to get a few really cute ones.

Cute Mackenzie

Here are some cute pictures of Mackenzie, doing what she does best. Keep checking back because I'll keep updating the albums.

Aiden at swim and soccer

Here are some pictures of Aiden at soccer, swim lessons, and just some other cute shots. Soccer is not really his favorite (he likes to run away from the ball), but, he loves swimming and has made a lot of progress. He even voluntarily puts his head all the way under the water. That's tremendous progress from his first day of swim lessons, and we are very proud of him! Keep checking back because I'll keep updating the album

Flower shot

We were at Red Butte Gardens tonight, and I was practicing my photography. Here is my favorite shot of the night.

My Wedding Portfolio

I am getting into the photographer gig, since it's something that I love. Here is my current wedding portfolio.

Lynnae

Kara and Troy's Wedding

Here are the photos Janae and I took of Kara and Troy's wedding.

Our First Blog

After seeing the great blogs some of our friends and family have done, we decided to create our own. Here is the first attempt.