Sugar and Spice

...and everything nice.
That's what little girls are made of!

WE'RE HAVING A GIRL!!!!!

Here's the email that we sent out:

Hi family & friends,

Just wanted to share our happy news with you...

I went for my Level 2 ultrasound yesterday and we found out that we're having a girl!! We are so happy and just thankful to God for blessing us with a daughter! I feel like our family is complete!! Whenever we asked Joshua if he wanted a brother or sister, he would say "sister". So, I guess he was right!!

The technician was able to give us 3D pictures of her, and she's pretty cute (am I allowed to say that??). The ultrasound also showed no immediate concerns, and it seems like everything looks good - there are no existing conditions to warrant preterm labor. Please praise God with us - He is so good, and is indeed the giver of perfect gifts!!

We'd appreciate your continued prayers for our family and our little sweet pea.

Rejoicing in His goodness,
Yvonne, Jared, & Joshua

Royal Oaks Apple Orchard

Last weekend, we went to Royal Oaks Apple Orchard in Harvard, IL with our friends, the Rayman Family. It was a gorgeous, sunny day, and we had a lot of fun. We didn't pick apples, but bought a bushel from the apple store. We also indulged in some apple cidar donuts - yum! Joshua got to ride on a kiddie train all by himself, and of course, the carousel! There were a lot of activities there for kids (we usually go on a Friday), so the place was bustling. Enjoy these pics!

Devil's Lake State Park, Baraboo, WI

This year, we went on our annual Fall family vacation to Baraboo, Wisconsin. We went with the intent to see some lovely fall colors. However, we were a little too early as everything was still pretty green. According to the locals, the reason why the trees hadn't changed their colors is because of all the rain that they've had. Makes sense, I guess. But I was a little disappointed - Fall is my favorite season, and one of the reasons is because of the magnificent hues of orange, red, and yellow on the trees. Oh well...

We still had a lot of fun, though. We went hiking at Devil's Lake State Park. Being pregnant, we hiked 2 pretty easy trails. Joshua was able to do some hiking on his own, versus carrying him on the Kelty backpack. We also enjoyed the quaint downtown atmosphere of Baraboo. It seems like everyone knows everyone. Here are some of the places we visited, and things we did in Baraboo:

- we found a cute toy store that had trains galore, much to Joshua's delight!! They had a great selection of Melissa and Doug puzzles and toys. So, we HAD to buy a couple for Joshua's Christmas present!

- the first night, we had dinner at the Java Cafe, which was owned by ex-Chicagoans. Another local store owner had suggested that we go there for their pizza. It was okay...I think we've been spoilt by having great pizzas like Nancy's and Lou Malnati's, that nothing else seems to quite compare!

- we had a great lunch at Jen's Alpine Cafe the next day. They are known for their homemade soups. We highly recommend that - it was worth it!

- our favorite place has to be the Coffee Connection. One of the great things about small towns like Baraboo is that there are no Starbucks around. So, we were happy to support this local business! We even bought some bags of coffee home (and the nice guy even gave me my cup of decaf mocha for free!). We asked him about Friday Night Fish Fry, and he recommended this place called "Corner Garden Cafe" (notice that most stores in that town end with "cafe"?).

- Corner Garden Cafe...we do NOT recommend getting fish fry there (Thanks, coffee guy. But maybe stick to your coffee next time!)

- Saturday morning, before we left for home, we went to the Mid-Continental Railway Museum. We thought it would be fun for Joshua. They even advertised a 50-minutes train ride at 10am. So we wanted to get there in plenty of time. Well, we were disappointed when we pulled up and was told that the museum was closed. Bummer!! However, the guy in charge said we could walk around and take pictures.

- after the museum, we decided to check out the local Farmer's Market. It was pretty small compared to the ones we have here in the Chicago suburbs. Jared wanted to get some pies, so we bought a couple from an Amish guy.

All in all, we had a nice time. It was nice to just get away for a couple of days, and Baraboo was a good place to go.