Life is Beautiful

Motherhood, Sewing, Family

Temple with my sister

~ Etc.

My outfit detail: dress c/o (sold out but similar 1, 2, 3, 4) | shoes: F21
My sister and I got to go to the temple together while she was visiting UT.  The weather was so nice and the lighting was excellent so we decided to have a little photo shoot and take turns taking each other’s pictures. 🙂 She went back to California and oh, how I miss her!  During the 1 1/2 months she was here, I tried to convince her to move to Provo, but it didn’t seem to work, darn it!  It might mean I just have to  move to California one day. 😉
The temple is such a peaceful, sanctuary place for me.  Before we went inside, I was stressed and overwhelmed with my life and worrying about little things here and there, but as soon as I stepped inside, I felt an immediate peace.  I realized none of those things I was worrying/stressing about matters in the end!  What matters is that I tried my best, no matter what circumstance I am in, and sometimes that’s not by being perfect but lacking in many areas, but if it’s the best I can do, then that’s all is required of me and nothing more.  I am able to look at life in a more wise, mature perspective if I view it from a broader, eternal perspective.   

Mother & daughter Sunday best

~ Etc.

Daughter’s outfit: dress: Joules c/o | rain boots: Target
Mother’s outfit: dress: Banana Republic | rain boots: Joules c/o
My daughter and I were matching in our eyelet dresses and rain boots.  I had a hard time picking which rain boots I liked because Joules offers so many cute ones(and they’re on sale for only $45), which you can check out here.  My daughter and I have similar tastes(it wasn’t before but her taste is becoming more like mine, muhahaha) where we both love unique fabrics such as embroidery, lace, eyelet and such so it’s fun to shop for her because if I love it, chances are she’ll love it too.  She always goes through my closet and asks, “Mommy, when I get older can you give me this dress?  This top?  Ooh, I love this dress too, mommy can I?”  
She is my little fashionista and I love her for it.

Party all the time

~ Etc.

You guys, I hardly get invited to these cool blogger parties but I attended three all in one week!  That never happens!  Thankfully, I made some blogger friends since this party where I mostly stood in the midst of the crowd by myself and acted like I was so content and having so much fun by myself.  And then if I saw someone I recognized and wanted to talk to, I went and stood right next to them while they were in a circle, busy talking to their friends, while I was “preoccupied” looking at all the clothes and feeling the texture and checking out the quality.  I didn’t want to be rude and intrude in their conversations so I stood next to them and watched them and waited for them like some stalker.  Not creepy at all guys. 
Event one:
Amara Day Spa threw an awesome party and pampered us with great services, great food and an amazing gift bag for all the guests.  I also won a 4 hand massage giveaway!  Wild Zucchini hosted and the food was so good!  I stood right next to the food table and didn’t leave it’s side for the first 30-40 mins. of the party so I could just eat!   
(above photos via)
Look, all the food is gone because I ate most of it!
I said, “Let’s be Asian!”
My outfit: Dress(that I DIY’ed here) | Heels(similar here)
Asian sensation in the house! I had an epic idea of getting all the Asian ladies together for a picture so I went around and found all the Asian looking ladies and asked, “Excuse me, oh hello. Are you Asian? Would you like to join us for an Asian Sensation photoshoot?”  Luckily they were all Asian(spared me from the awkwardness if they had said no), and luckily they were all for the photoshoot.  I’m such a dork.
Event two:
Toscana had a red carpet event and this party was a blast!  Every single lady that attended the party was so awesome.  They all seemed so genuine, real, humble, and fun, it was so nice getting to know them.

They picked us up in a limousine to take us to the red carpet entrance.  We are so fancy.

All the guests made a grand entrance by getting out of the limousine and stepping onto the red carpet to have a photographer waiting for us.  Before we got out I made sure every girl wore their panties and didn’t pull a Britney Spears. I put my right leg out onto the red carpet and waited until they took a picture of just my one leg.  

I invited Kelsey Bang to come with me to the event.  I called her and said, “Hey Kelsey, how have you been?  What are you doing this Tuesday?  Well, if you’re not doing anything, I am going to this party….”  and then I started cracking up and said to her, “Oh gosh, I feel like I’m asking you on a date!”  So now it’s a joke between us.
I was nervous asking her out to come with me but she said yes!  We had a DTR when I dropped her off and we’re now official.;)
The owner of the restaurant Ken Murdock liked us enough to sit with us for dinner the whole event!  And this is the one and only picture he took the whole night with his phone.  We were so flattered!  
Event three:
Downeast Basics had us at their Jordan Landing location to come check out the new products and shop. This event was quiet opposite to the other two events I went to, it wasn’t fancy or red carpet, but I loved the casualness and the simplicity of the event!
Aren’t these so cute?  Can you guess which out of the 4 tops I ended up purchasing?  I bought the black embroidered top on the bottom right. 🙂
I brought along my beautiful sister Pearl.
Outfit: top | jeans: H&M(love these here) | heels: F21 bag: Brahmin(similar here)
Whew, I had so much fun at these parties and now that they are all over, give me my sweatpants, T.V, and a tub of ice-cream! 

Dear my birthday boy.

~ Etc.

The very first pictures of Aiden: 
And now a year later:
To my dearest Aiden, the birthday boy.  Today was your birthday.  We didn’t throw you a big birthday party, I hope that’s okay with you.  I didn’t even make you a cake, I hope you don’t mind.  
Grandma had cataract surgery yesterday so we decided to postpone your party to later this week but while I was grocery shopping earlier today in the late afternoon, I decided to just go ahead and throw you a little party tonight, nothing fancy, just your sisters, daddy, me, grandma & grandpa and your uncle Mike.  I was planning on bringing fish tacos to your grandparents’ for dinner tonight(they’ve been needing extra help and care ever since they returned from Korea) so I decided to keep the same menu and then make a simple cake.  I bought an angel food cake and whipping cream to make homemade whipped cream(so I can make it not too sweet so it doesn’t upset your stomach eating cake for the first time!).  When we got home and I put you down for a nap(I had to lie with you for over an hour before you finally fell asleep), I made fish tacos and whipped cream, and planned on decorating the cake once we got to your grandparents’ house.  We packed all the food and got everyone ready and was pretty much all ready to go but….. we couldn’t find your Korean traditional costume that you were suppose to wear at the party.  We looked in every single room and every closet, every box, but never found it.  We were planning on doing this Korean traditional ritual with you and needed the costume.  So I decided we’d just go to your grandparents’ house to eat dinner with them, and do the cake and the ritual later this week.  Once we got there, I found out my dad(your grandpa) didn’t even eat lunch because he thought I was going to bring this big feast for dinner since it was your birthday.  But all I made were fish tacos.  No appetizers or any other side dishes, just fish tacos.  They were good fish tacos but I felt bad that my dad had skipped lunch because he was expecting a big fancy feast for dinner.  I felt like I failed you and my dad.  I thought about going ahead and decorating the cake for you to at least eat the cake, but I thought about having to make another cake a few days later and decided to just save the cake for later, when we find your costume(I’m hoping we’ll find it) and do the ritual.  I’ve been so overwhelmed with life lately that the thought of making another cake just gave me more anxiety.  
After we ate our not-fancy dinner, we put a dollop of whipped cream & raspberries on a plate and sang you a birthday song and let you go for it.  Grandma kept saying, “Oh, I wish I had bought him a cake!” because she felt bad you didn’t get cake but a dollop of whipped cream instead, not even with a candle.  You didn’t seem to mind it and loved the whipped cream!  You tried to feed your sister Adi and got it all over her face, and on daddy’s arm.  Daddy bathed you in the sink and when we got home I put you to sleep.  You fell asleep plopped on my stomach and after I lied you gently on your pillow, I couldn’t stop smelling you and kissing you.  You are my one year old boy now.  You are growing up way too fast, my sweet little boy.  You can wave bye, clap, you look to the window when I say, “Achilles!” and stretch your neck out with wide eyes to look for our dog, you smile constantly and we call you Mr. Smiles.  You can say “Uh oh, mama, ppa(you’re trying to say appa which means daddy in Korean), your favorite thing to do is eat and cuddle, and boy can you eat!  And cuddle!  People love holding you because no matter who reaches out to hold you, you open up your arms and lean towards them and when they hold you, you rest your head on their shoulders.  You melt all their hearts and you even made one gentleman teary-eyed at church.  He always told me how cute you were and how smiley you were and then he would say, “But I bet he won’t like me, all babies hate me, I make them cry!  They’re scared of me, every one of them!”  So I told him I was going to prove him wrong and brought you to him.  Undoubtedly, you opened your arms and leaned towards him to have him hold you and when he did, you cuddled with him and rested your head on his shoulder.  Then you lifted your head back to see his face and then rested right back on his shoulder, and repeated it about two more times.  The man’s heart just melted and he held you tight and smiled so big the whole time, with his eyes teary!  You make everyone happy, but mostly you make mommy and daddy the happiest since we get to be with you the most.  Your sisters adore you and greet you every morning with screams, excitement and hugs.  You sure are very loved.
Mommy is trying so hard to be a great mom to you and even though I feel guilty constantly that I can’t do it all or how I should do this and shouldn’t do that, I want you to know that I am so happy I have you.  Three kids has been so difficult for me, like mind blowing, overwhelmingly hard, I cry a lot and have anxiety attacks(I’ve never had anxiety attacks before I had 3 kids!) hard, but I am so glad I decided to have a third child because it is you.  Mommy loves you.  Infinitely. 

Sunday stroll with my family riding the coolest bike!

~ Etc.

Okay, are you blown away yet?  Well, get ready because you’re about to be blown away even more.  This child-carrier bike also turns into a stroller in less than 30 seconds.  Yes, I am for real, see it for yourself!

This lady in this official video for Taga did it in 20 seconds but psh, whatever, she probably practiced a thousand times to perfect her meticulous time and effortless conversion, while I filmed mine with no practice.  PSH.  Whatever.  But who’s comparing anyway?  Certainly not me. 😀

I am here to review the coolest invention I’ve come across for parents, the Taga Bikes.  I’ve had this baby for a little over a year so I feel like I’m a Taga Bikes expert!  The people behind Taga Bikes had a genius idea of putting the best of both worlds of a bike and a stroller in one.  They didn’t want to compromise on functionality, design, and quality so it took them 4 years to perfect it to be the Taga Bikes it is today.  All their work has been paying off because Taga Bikes has won numerous awards for their outstanding design and innovations.  Many celebrities have been spotted riding Taga bikes such as Matthew Mcconaughey, Tori Spelling, and Kelly Rutherford(the mom from The O.C, remember that show?)  I love the idea of riding with my child in the bike and going to a store and not having to leave the bike behind and locking it but converting it into a stroller in 30 seconds to take it into the store with me.  I have 3 children so that hasn’t happened yet but just knowing that I could gives me the satisfaction, if that even makes sense? 🙂
This eco-friendly bike is a three-wheel bike which makes it very sturdy and easy for anyone to ride, even for people who don’t know how to ride a bike.  My 5 and 6 year old daughters who haven’t been taught how to ride a two-wheel can ride it without a fuss and they love taking turns riding the bike.  The adjustment for lowering/highering the bike seat is very effortless and simple that my girls have figured it out themselves just by watching me do it.  There are 3-gears for the bike and it is not meant to ride as fast as a regular bike or ride on steep hills I found.  It is perfect for a leisure stroll on flat roads with your children.  I found it difficult to pedal up the hill with my 40 lb. child in front of me, so I usually get off the bike and push up the hill.  Going downhill is a dream and it’s our favorite part!  It rides very smoothly and steers easily and I love that I can constantly see my child and talk to him/her and feel close to them.  
Taga Bikes offers many accessories such as(going clockwise) a second child seat, a basket, perfect to go alone to go grocery shopping, a Graco adapter, Maxi Cosi adapter, rain cover, and a double wooden seat.  It just keeps getting cooler, doesn’t it?  There is a weight limit on these(the main child seat that comes with the bike has a 33 lbs. weight limit on a stroller mode and a 55 lbs. weight limit on a bike mode) so check out their website and click on the ? sign to see the weight limit for each accessory.

It’s also good to note that while Taga bikes does offer two in one of a stroller and a bike, it’s mainly meant to be used as a bike, with the option of using it as a stroller.  When in stroller mode the front two wheels don’t turn and it steers just like a jogging stroller, so you have to push the handles to lift up the front two wheels every time you want to make a turn.  The bike is quiet heavy already at 52.9 lbs. so with a child in the seat on top of that makes it a little tedious to go about and maneuvering through the stores and the aisles.  But take into account the hassle of bringing a stroller with you when you want to bike with your child instead of driving in a car, and the complaint quickly goes away because it just ain’t possible to bring a stroller with you when biking.  My husband would say otherwise with his guns and all but I say that ain’t ever happening with me!  So if you plan on using this as a stroller more than a bike, I think you will be disappointed and I wouldn’t recommend getting one.  But if you plan on using it mostly as a bike, you will absolutely love it!

My kids LOVE it and always beg me to pick them up from school with it.  If you love the attention, you’ll love riding the Taga Bikes, and if you don’t, you are going to have to step out of your comfort zone by a lot because this will turn heads from almost every person and people will stop and ask you questions.  Every place I have taken this bike I have had people stop and admire and ask questions.  One time at the BCBG store in Park City, I was pushing my child in the Taga in stroller mode and every single lady in that store(there were about 8) all stopped and admired at it and told me it was the coolest looking stroller they have ever seen.  I wish I videotaped their reaction when I told them it also converts into a bicycle in 30 secs.!  You can’t just leave it at that and leave it to their imagination so of course I happily converted the stroller into a bike right inside the store.  The ladies went wild taking pictures and sending it to their friends/husbands/boyfriends.  I love meeting new people and getting to know many variety of people so I am always happy to answer their questions or convert it into a bike or a stroller mode for them right then and there.

The price of this bike comes at $1,495, with free shipping and no tax to U.S buyers.  It isn’t cheap and it’s definitely an investment.  It is very sturdy and high quality so I believe it will last you a very long time with well maintenance.  From the 14 months I’ve owned it, we, as in my husband only had to pump only one of the tires once.  But keep in mind that I got this right before I had the baby and I’m still adjusting to 3 kids a year later, so we haven’t used it on a regular basis, or as much as I’d like to.  
Taga Bikes is offering my readers a free rain cover with a purchase of the bike using the code: STYAU100.  Just add the bike and the rain cover in your cart and enter the code in the coupon box on the payment page.  Check out www.tagabikes.com for more information.

Thank you Taga Bikes for sending me a sample for this review!  I was not compensated to write this review and as always, all opinions are my own.

*for those of you that asked, my overalls are from Romwe.