a picture worth a thousand words

dyrk burcie was just 3 years old when his parents felt a mass on his abdomen. he was diagnosed with pediatric liver cancer and later found out that the cancer had spread to both his lungs. the toddler underwent nine rounds of chemo and a liver transplant but to no avail. in april his family decided to stop intensive treatment and make the most of the precious time he had left.

dyrk's dad is a lieutenant with the dallas fire department and his fellow firefighters decided that while they couldn't help heal his son physically, they wanted to to lift the burcie family's spirits. firefighters began taking photographs of themselves to support dyrk - decorating their truck and engines, holding up posters with words of encouragement and spelling out dyrk's name in creative ways. other departments have caught on and the photos have multiplied on his facebook support page. 

the support has spread across the country with firefighters, military, sports teams, hospital staff and families all sending in their pictures. it is such a small act in the grand scheme of things but the message of love and support is transcending. my heart breaks for the burcie family but swells with pride for the firefighters and all who have reached out. 

the above picture is of my husband and his fellow firefighters showing dyrk what a brave little guy they know he is. tim is second from the left. 

things i love {friday}

one / two / three / four / five / six / seven / eight / nine / ten

my idea of of the perfect summer day includes a warm sunny day, sand in my toes, breeze in my hair, sparkly drink in hand and my two loves by my side. a striped boatneck and comfy espadrilles would only make it that much better! enjoy my list of summer favorites & happy friday!

stroller wars

buying a stroller can be a huge investment. since we are an expanding family, the time has come to expand our baby wheels. i know everyone's criteria for a double stroller is going to be different according to their lifestyle and where they live.  

up until now, we've had the quinny buzz which we absolutely love aside from the small storage space and the lack of expansion options. we've definitely had a tough time deciding whether to go with a more compact and flexible stroller or a side by side double. i was hesitant to choose a double wide simply because of the width and i was afraid of the less than wonderful maneuverability.  we ultimately narrowed it down between the uppababy vista with the rumble seat and the baby jogger city select double stroller.  

{my stroller wish list}

lots of storage

easy fold and expansion

compatible with our carseat {we have the maxi cosi mico}

fits easily in our truck

removable seats

durability and longevity {lots of walks, park & zoo visits, etc.}

snack tray option

piggyback/buggy board attachment 

{my list of pros and cons}

uppababy vista $699 : 

pros: looks nicer aesthetically speaking, wide range of color choices, 2012 model comes in a black carbon frame, includes bassinet, bumper bar, rain and mosquito nets, easy one step fold, remains standing while folded, front seat can face forward or back, large storage basket and weighs 25 lbs. 

cons: rumble seat only faces one direction and doesn't fully recline, also sits low to ground and 2nd child's feet could take up some of the storage basket space. also pricier than the city select.

city select $659 : 

pros: 16 different configurations, can be used from birth with optional bassinet or car seat adapter, 2nd seat reclines, both seats are the same size, big storage basket, stadium seating with both toddler seats and lower price point than the vista.

cons: very heavy at 34 lbs, very long at 53 inches long, less color choices, steering is a little more work, bassinet, bumper bar and rain cover are sold separately. 

oh decisions, decisions. any input or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! 

things i love {friday}

one / two / three / four / five / six

i dream of owning a pair of ray bans in every color but at the moment i'm specially coveting a turquoise pair. i'll settle (for now) at looking and swooning at all these lovelies in aqua and coral hues that make me smile. enjoy the pretties and happy friday!

sparklers & barbecues

we enjoyed a wonderful 4th of july celebration along with our dear friends and their kids. brooke thoroughly enjoyed herself in the company of other children more than willing to hold her hand and chase after her. there was no shortage of yummy food, good company and lots and lots of fireworks!

i made a few treats for the kids that were a hit and super easy to make. seriously. all you need for the festive fruit wands are watermelon, blueberries, a star shaped cookie cutter (i used a fondant cutter only because they had smaller shapes), skewers and paper straws. and voila! 

it was a lovely sparkly day!

and just for fun some pictures of last year's fourth.

happy fourth!

wishing you all a very fun and safe holiday today! 

i'm leaving you with a few pictures of the little fourth of july shoot we did yesterday in our front yard. although 99.9% of the time brooke appears to have ants in her pants, she cooperated for a whole 5 minutes so i could get a few shots in. five minutes is an eternity is toddler land. trust me. brooke is also 17 months old today! feels like i blinked and now it's summer, she needs new jammies and says mama about a billion times a day. she needs to get my memo and stop growing for a bit. go it brooke? a mama can dream.