Get a Glimpse Creations

Summer '09 ~ so far...

2009-06-09T14:17:00.000-07:00

Cade and Drew have been SO GIDDY over this:

Gran & PawPaw put in a WATER SLIDE!!! As you can see, the boys LOVE it! It brings many SMILES to their little faces! By the way, the above picture melts my BIG HEART...I love seeing them so HAPPY :)

Here they are being launched through the air...by DADDY!
Memorial Day weekend was spent in Galveston...

We, or shall I say Drew & Daddy, experienced a lot of excitement watching our driveway & sidewalk get transformed:

Drew was digging the cement truck!

Cade finished Kindergarten!! He sang and signed during his program...it was the SWEETEST thing!

My birthday...

2009-05-06T14:34:00.000-07:00

It was ANOTHER great one!! My family and friends are SO good to me :). Birthday wishes and gifts abound. Here is a picture of ONE of several gifts I received...beautiful roses Miss Meagan brought to me!

I plan to purchase a few other things with my birthday $ and gift cards...maybe I'll have more pics to come soon!

K*

2009-05-06T14:26:00.000-07:00

Some of my faves of K*...from a recent shoot!

Easter 2009

2009-04-14T14:10:00.000-07:00

Wow, I have so many pictures from ONE holiday...I guess that is due to the fact that we had 3 different egg hunts! I'll try my hardest to keep it brief, only including my favorites :)

The first Easter party took place at Drew's preschool...

Next we headed over to Greentree Elementary for Cade's Easter party...

Daddy helped Cade...
Drew was SO AMUSED by this yellow balloon...

As well as the playground equipment...

The boys enjoying POPCORN BALLS after the hunt!

Finally, we spent time with family at Gran and PawPaw's house...

Sammy and Drew stayed together while hunting for eggs. Drew was giving all the eggs he found to Sammy!

Blaine & Cade...

Mr. Cade hunting...

Mr. Drew hunting...

Drew eating his YUMMY CUPCAKE!

Our Family...

Hope your Easter was as HOPPY as our's!

Need to catch up....

2009-04-14T13:20:00.000-07:00

on things that have been happening around here. We've been very busy! First, I'll share a few from our trip to Galveston Island. This is the first time we've been to the island since IKE...

Cade is such a poser...these were all HIS idea!

Drew having a hard time getting his shoe on...
It was really BRIGHT & SUNNY!
All but 1 of the Maple Grandkids...
Jacob, Cade, Drew, & Kyle...

Next, we enjoyed a day in Clear Lake City getting faces and arms painted...

Cade wanted a snake on his arm...

Drew as Spiderman...
I LOVE MY BOYS!!!!!

2 wheels...

2009-03-19T10:19:00.000-07:00

Drew is riding his bike WITHOUT training wheels!!!!!!! He has been anticipating this day for a couple of weeks now, and alas it's here! He'd been telling his friends and teachers at preschool that he can ride his bike with no training wheels, when in fact, that was not true...IT WAS JUST WHAT HE WANTED TO BE TRUE! So, now he can go back to school and say it with FULL CONFIDENCE!

Drew has always been a smiley little boy, but yesterday when he realized he could ride by himself, his smile said nothing less than, "This is TOTAL BLISS!" That smile just doesn't stop...he is SO proud of himself! So, now for some pictures that will surely make YOU SMILE...

This was Monday of this week. Daddy worked with him for a while, and he just wasn't confident enough to do it alone...

And here he is on Wednesday...riding all alone!!!!! Look at that SMILE... I was in the house watching the kiddos play out front, when I saw one of the girls on our street give Drew a push...and he took off! That was all she wrote! Thanks Emily!
a few more...
starting to get tired, but he is UNSTOPPABLE! I <3 href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3612/3367670027_e440d01f19_b.jpg">
Already wanting to lose the helmet...
This is what big brother Cade and cousin Jacob were doing while Drew practiced his riding skills...
Happy Spring Break!!!! We sure are HAPPY around here :)

So SWEET...

2009-02-23T10:19:00.000-08:00

This is the card C* made for Mike and I on Valentine's Day...

Hope you all had a Happy V. Day!

Happy Birthday Mr. D...

2009-02-21T15:20:00.000-08:00

Our baby boy turned 4 on January 28, 2009...unbelievable!!! He surely keeps everyone on their toes, but what life would be like without him...I NEVER want to know!! We love you little man :)

D chose to go to Chuck E. Cheese's for celebrations! Here are a few pics from his party... Look closely...D's pants are on backwards :)

He tends to get a little shy sometimes...
He picked out a Sponge Bob cake...

Kitchen cabinets

2009-02-21T13:48:00.000-08:00

As promised...pictures of our kitchen with the cabinets painted black!! Our cabinets were the originals (oak) from when our house was built in 1980. We got an estimate on cabinet re-facing...after the $9,000 quote, we decided to look at cheaper options. There is nothing a good coat of paint can't fix, right? We replaced the hardware as well. The first picture was not intended to be a "before" shot, but it is all I have of a "before" picture. We were beginning to prep the cabinets and Mr. D was helping...

A Makeover...

2009-02-17T12:57:00.000-08:00

Yes...my blog needed a makeover! Here you have it...the new look :). I do realize that the pictures in my previous post are cut in half due to their large size, but that is okay. If you must view pictures that aren't chopped in half, you can click on "older post" at the bottom of this blog to view post where my pictures were smaller.
I will hopefully have lots of new posts for you to read that will include pictures that fit this new template...We celebrated Drew's 4th Birthday, which needs to be blogged. We also painted our kitchen cabinets...a stunning black!!! I'll take and post pictures of the kitchen soon!
Back to the template...I purchased it from House of 3. You must take a look at this web site. They have everything from digital scrapping stuff to home decor.

My 1st Half Marathon...

2009-01-13T09:58:00.000-08:00

Yes, you read the title correctly...I will be running my 1st 1/2 marathon in March of this year!! This is HUGE for me...it's one of those things I would have NEVER, EVER even thought I would WANT to do...but after standing at the finish line of the Houston Marathon, and talking to a certain person that I don't even know, I became so INSPIRED!! I will be traveling and running with my SIL and great friend, both of whom have done this before. They (especially my SIL), along with many others, are so excited for me!! Here is my confirmation e-mail...

Registration Confirmation for:
Disney's Princess Half Marathon 2009
Dear Amy,
Congratulations! You are now registered for Disney's Princess Half Marathon 2009. Please check the event's official website for updates: http://www.disneyprincesshalfmarathon.com/
View your complete registration details »
Thank you for registering for the Inaugural 2009 Disney's Princess Half Marathon Weekend! We look forward to seeing you March 6-8, 2009.
To purchase a Commemorative Disney's Princess Half Marathon ChampionChip, please go to the link below.http://secure.championchipusa.com/cgi-bin/championchip/00048.html

And here is a picture of the course we will run...

I am training for this as we speak, and I am actually enjoying it...I hope it is as MAGICAL as it looks!!

"Valentine's" in December...

2009-01-13T09:36:00.000-08:00

Here are the Valentine's along with some of their extended family...the rain held off just long enough for our shoot...
I LOVE the way some of them are looking at each other...I also LOVE these of J* with her dog Luca...

Christmas 2008

2009-01-13T09:07:00.000-08:00

Better late than never...I am just getting around to posting our pictures from Christmas. Our holidays were wonderful!

We celebrated Christmas Eve with the Maple side of the family, as we always do.

Here is the newest Maple...C*

And Drew getting to hold baby C*...I <3 the look on Drew's face!

The boys loved their shirts, pj's, and Vans from MiMi and GrandP!

The boys woke up Christmas morning anxious to see what Santa had brought them! Santa brought Drew a Big Wheel and this HUGE firetruck...you can see which one interested him the most...

Santa brought Cade an electric guitar and a nice set of markers along with a sketch pad...Cade spends A LOT of time drawing! Before I could take his picture, he had to set all of his gifts out just so...

We also headed over to Gran and PawPaw's for more gift opening...

Almost all of the "Braden" grand kids...minus 2...

Photo Wall Continued...

2008-12-23T15:20:00.000-08:00

Ahhhh...finally! I take so many pictures of my kiddos, but I don't print enlargements as much as I SHOULD! But, I fell in LOVE with these recent images and HAD to print them out to add to our GROWING photo wall (it now wraps around to the adjoining wall).

You may remember this photo from a while back...

and here is our photo wall TODAY...continuing around to the next wall...

The family picture was taken by a friend of mine (debraparkerdesign.com) and the two of the boys were taken on the same outing, but by yours truly...I know, you've seen these photos a lot lately, but here they are hanging on the walls of our home!

Details:

enlargements are 12X12 from shutterfly.com
frames are from Michael's @ $4.99/frame
wall stickers/quotes from Dollar Tree

This was a very inexpensive project...I think the prints were about $27 including shipping & handling. The stickers were purchased about 6 mos. ago (for $1)...I knew I wanted to incorporate them into our photo wall, but couldn't find that perfect spot for them until now.

This is the other corner of our office...I will continue to add pictures to the walls!

A Friday FULL of Christmas...

2008-12-21T09:35:00.000-08:00

Well, technically this first set of pictures didn't take place on Friday (Dec 19), but on Tuesday (Dec. 16). These pictures are from Drew's preschool Christmas Party! In the first picture, Drew is blessing his food. In the second, he is raising his hand for more of something. In the third, he is enjoying the green icing on his cupcake!

As for Friday, we had a busy, busy, day! We started out by having BREAKFAST WITH SANTA at Greentree Elementary with Cade.

Here you see Drew having a conversation with Santa...he was a little fidgety! He told Santa he wanted a BIG truck like his Daddy's for Christmas! Anything to be like Daddy!!

About an hour later, we went back to GTE to take pictures with Santa...

About an hour-and-a-half after pictures with Santa, we headed back to GTE for the Jingle Bell Trot where we ran/jogged for about 20 minutes trying to win that spirit stick again for Cade's class. Mike ran while pushing Drew in the stroller. Cade and I ran/jog/walked together. The weather was so YUCK! Very humid, muggy, and hot...not the kind of weather I enjoy exercising in!!

A couple hours later, we were back at GTE for Cade's Christmas Party! Here is Cade decorating and then tasting his sugar cookie...Cade is not a big icing fan, so Mike and I ended up enjoying his cookie!!

Next, Santa entered the classroom with a bag full of goodies! He called each child one-at-a-time by name to come up and receive their book. Here is Santa passing out books and Cade showing me his book...
After that, it was game time! They played the game by sitting in a circle and passing a wrapped "gift" around the circle while music played. When the music stopped, whom ever had the gift was to unwrap it...this went on for a while as the "gift" was present nestled within another present and so on. The last present to be opened was full of candy canes and tattoos...each child received a candy cane and a tattoo. Here is Cade opening the very first box...

and then showing off his tattoo...

Drew was so worn out by the end of the day...he found a comfy place to "rest" until the party was over!!

I usually have to teach preschool on Fridays, but my last day of preschool was Tuesday, so I was so glad to be able to participate in all the GTE activities with Cade! Although very busy, we had a wonderful day FILLED with lots of Christmas!

A Card for YOU...

2008-12-21T09:21:00.000-08:00

This is our family Christmas card for the 2008 year. I have already mailed them out, so I can now post it here for ALL to see! Family picture taken by my talented friend Debra Parker! We are so thankful for a year full of blessings! Merry Christmas to you and your family!!

Love,

The Maple Family
{Mike, Amy, Cade, & Drew}

Walking In A Winter Wonderland...

2008-12-13T12:45:00.000-08:00

So we had some SNOW here in Houston, TX!!! Something our youngest, Drew, had never seen before and Cade, our oldest, had seen maybe once, but was too young to remember it! It was well worth getting the boys outta bed for this sight...

Drew and Cade had to TASTE the snow...

Cade had a BLAST making snowballs and throwing them at the house! Drew wasn't feeling well and just wanted to go back to bed...so that is what we did...put him back in his warm, cozy bed!

a look at the backyard...

and the front yard...

And here are a few pictures from Drew's preschool Christmas Program...

He only sang when "JINGLE BELLS" came on...
and here you see what he did the rest of the time...talked to his friend standing next to him and of course, picked his nose!

Hope you guys are having a lovely time getting ready for the holidays!

The Emmenegger Family...

2008-12-05T19:25:00.001-08:00

A beautiful family that I am so glad to know! Here are a few of my faves from our shoot...
I LOVE the "real-ness" here...

what a SWEET one of S* and her Momma...

and some FUN shots of E* being himself...

Hope you guys enjoy the SNEAK PREVIEW!

A Birthday + Thanksgiving...

2008-12-05T19:11:00.000-08:00

Look what the boys and I did while Daddy was at the fire station! We had a blast getting the house ready for Daddy's arrival home, which happened to be his 32nd birthday... This is Drew at his Preschool Thanksgiving Feast...he was "Swift Arrow"!

This is my brother, 1/2 sister, father, and I on Thanksgiving Day...Oh, and Cade on the motorcycle w/ his Grandpa!

Hope your Thanksgiving was as good as mine! There is so much to be thankful for!

Cannizaro Family

2008-11-21T18:38:00.000-08:00

Brrrr...I was really chilly out when we did this photo shoot! Everyone hung in there though, despite the cold!

Underwear on fire...

2008-11-04T13:12:00.000-08:00

This is funny, but could have been BAD NEWS! I was cleaning. Drew was watching TV and playing. Cade was at school. Daddy was at the fire station...how ironic. Anyway, I kept smelling this burning smell. I walked around the house, searching, wondering, "Where is that smell coming from?" My mom came over to watch Drew so i could run an errand...i never said anything to her about the burning smell.

I return home from my errand. No one is here. My cell phone rings...it is my mom. She and the boys stopped at the park to play on their way home from getting Cade from school. I walk into the house. I see this pair of underwear laying on the table in the breakfast room. I am reminded again of the burning smell when i see the pair of underwear with burn marks on them.

I pick up the phone to call my mom:

ME: "What's the deal with the underwear?"

MY MOM: "Oh, i went in Drew's bedroom to get him a different shirt. I smelled something burning. I asked Drew what the smell was. He pointed to the lamp on his dresser. There, i found those underwear, laying on the top of the lamp shade, touching the light bulb. I told Drew how dangerous this could have been. That his house and toys could have all been burned up had he started a fire.

Drew: "Then we would call the fire dept. and Daddy could come home!"

My MOM: "But your house could have burned down before the firemen could get here."

Drew: "Then we will go live in our old house."

MY MOM: "Someone else lives in your old house now."

ME: "OMG! You've got to be kidding me! He almost set the house on fire with a pair of underwear?!!"

Only Drew would do something of this sort! UGH!!

Saturday=FAVORITES

2008-11-01T18:56:00.000-07:00

Today we spent the day TOGETHER (one of my FAVORITE ways to spend a day)! First, we headed to Westheimer, where I was able to create these-My NEW FAVORITE pictures of Cade & Drew...

Next, we ate lunch at Houston's Restaurant...MY all-time FAVORITE! Cade is hanging from a tree branch and Drew is sitting by "his Daddy's fire thing."
then, we headed downtown near the Wortham Center where we created these... <3

Hope you experienced some of your FAVORITE things this weekend!

The PARKER Family...

2008-11-01T18:28:00.000-07:00

This is Debra, Ernest, and their precious kiddos...Debra & Ernest are high school sweethearts and graduated w/ Mike :). Debra has such a creative soul...I visit her blog (click on "her blog" to go there) almost daily! We met up today at the Empire Cafe (click on "Empire Cafe" to go there) on Westheimer, and roamed the streets taking photos of each others families...we needed pictures for Christmas cards. Here are some of my faves of their family...

Debra & Ernest are in the process of adopting Ronnell from Haiti...Ronnell is not with them physically just yet, but he IS here in so many other ways!

We had so much fun today with this family...it was great to do a little catching up!

Happy Halloween...

2008-10-30T18:30:00.000-07:00

Today we carved a PUMPKIN. :)

Today we dressed up in our costumes and then went TRICK-OR-TREATING...

Cade was ANIKAN from STAR WARS!

Drew was a NINJA!

Mike was just FREAKY and I was a GEISHA GIRL!

and here we are trick-or-treating...

Happy Halloween from our family to your family!

He's here...

2008-10-27T09:40:00.000-07:00

actually, he has been here for a little over 4 weeks now. And, he is so very precious! As you can see from these pictures, C* is # 4 for my sister and brother-in-law! Here are some of the pictures that are my faves as well as "blog-appropriate."