I wasn’t able to get Christmas cards out to everyone I wanted to this year because I didn’t have addresses. So, it’s a bit less personal, but Merry Christmas to you all (and here’s what you would have received…)
Every year we dismiss the idea of sending out a letter with our cards because, well, we really don’t have anything all too exciting to write about. I’ll tell you what…
2008 has been a year we will never forget!
It all started peacefully enough; unless you count the extremely cold and snowy winter in Utah that I was not particularly fond of.
In April we did a bit of remodeling. We knocked down the wall between two bedrooms and turned that space into a studio for my photography business. I keep myself plenty busy between my photography and spending a ton of time at the school involved with the PTA.
In May, Justin and I ran our first ½ marathon. Yes, indeed, that is 13.1 miles! It was a beautiful run around a lakeshore and then down through Ogden Canyon and the weather was great. Our times were on the slow side, but we will work on those next time. It only took about a week for our muscles to recover.
June came and we made our first trip to Primary Children’s Hospital. James had surgery to get his ears “pinned back.” It was an elective surgery that we decided he would be grateful for when he was older. James is our sensitive and very competitive little 1st grader and I am pleased to say that his ears look wonderful!
Fast forward to October and our second trip to Primary Children’s Hospital. We found out that Chase’s palate and back wall were not closing all the way (compromising his speech articulation) and he needed surgery to take tissue from behind his tonsils to add to the back wall. He did great during the surgery and the overnight stay. Chase still talks about his “hospital sleepover.” Chase is our fun-loving, comedic preschooler and I am pleased to say that he is talking so much better!
Justin decided he would complete the year of “Hospitalizing the Boys,” so between the little ones’ surgeries he had a doctor appointment of his own. Imagine our shock when, in September, Justin was diagnosed with colorectal cancer! Two weeks later, he was in for a colon resection where they removed 7 inches of his colon including the 2 inch tumor. After 4 days in the hospital and then several weeks of recovery, he was back on the surgical table while they inserted a port in his chest to receive chemotherapy infusions. The doctors feel that all the cancer was removed with the surgery, but at the same time recommended further treatments of chemo and radiation to reduce the risk of recurrence. Every other Tuesday now finds us in the Oncology office getting the infusion and then sending him home for 2 days with a portable pump. He has been through 3 treatments with 9 remaining. Considering all that he has been through, I am pleased to say that he is doing quite well.
Annika couldn’t be outdone by the boys this year, and on the first day of Justin’s treatment, as they were about to begin, I got a call from the school. It seems that she passed out in her classroom and then again as she was walking down to the office. Her doctor’s office recommended that I take her to the ER to get her checked out. Annika was discharged just in time for us to head down the hall and be there for her Daddy. The tests all came back just fine and I guess some kids are just more prone to passing out than others. (The doctor said stress can bring this on… Not that we have had any of that at our house.) Annika is our sweet, book-loving 4th grader and I am pleased to say that she has not had any other issues since.
Through all of this, we have realized how many blessings we truly have. We have wonderful friends and a supportive family. Our family has grown stronger with all of the challenges we have faced together. The Air Force has been amazing to us! They have been very generous in giving Justin medical leave when needed and every level of his organization has provided full support to us during this time.
We are all looking forward to 2009, when Justin finishes his treatments and we can hopefully return to a normal, uneventful year. We hope this finds you doing well and we wish you a wonderful Christmas and New Year. You are also welcome to check in periodically during the year for the latest Hinman family activities at www.photographymoments.com/blog.
With Love, The Hinman Family
Tamra, Justin, Annika, James & Chase
The Temple in Salt Lake City is absolutely beautiful any time of the year, but at Christmas time it is amazing! Last night I joined a group of photographers to walk the Temple grounds and enjoy making images of this grand place. Here are some of my favorites…
Here’s a sneak peak at Meghan’s session last night. She is a doll and a great little model! Meghan brought along Ellie, her little elf-dog, so we had to get her in as well. 
I knew this one was perfect just as soon as I clicked the shutter:
In the spirit of Thanksgiving this year, I made it a point to truly appreciate those things that I am thankful for. Number one on my list is definitely my family. I am blessed every day with a wonderful husband and three beautiful children. They were kind enough to humor me while I did some pictures of them:
First up, my handsome husband:
One of my two main objectives was to get a nice picture of Annika and her Daddy. I ended up with two wonderful ones:
James asked if he could get one with Daddy, too. I wasn’t about to turn him down!
With James and Daddy in place, I just had to add Chase:
Really, boys, tell me how you feel about this 
My second main objective was a nice picture of the three kids together:
And then we got a few others before they had had enough:
Here’s what happens when grown men get a hold of clippers and a willing little guy –
I wasn’t so sure about it at first, but James actually looks pretty cute with no hair. They tried to get Chase next, but I put a stop to that! I love Chase’s curly fluffy-top. Though I will admit that he desperately needs a hair cut right now.
What is it with my boys and their smiles???
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