This is Jordan at the airport Friday morning about 5 AM. She is such a sweetie. She always wakes up happy and despite getting up at 3:30 AM on this day, she was still happy. She was so excited to leave on our trip. Mommy too!
I thought for sure Jordan would sleep on the long flight to Philadelphia but I was wrong. She stayed awake the whole time and had a great time coloring. She colors so well now and I love her pictures.
We arrived! Ali met Jordan at the gate. It was a happy reunion!!
The girls were so cute pulling Jordan's backpack and engrossed in their conversation.
Upon arriving, Jolie and Ali took us to Linvilla Orchards. What a wonderful place!
Linvilla Orchards is a 300-acre farm. They raise their our own fresh fruits and vegetables that you can pick yourself or purchase in their Farm Market. While there, the girls visited Pumpkinland, took a hayride thru the fields and orchards, and played in the Playland Playground.
After Linvilla Orchards, we visited Ali's new school and picked up one of her classmates. We all then went to one of Ali's favorite places, Gumdrops and Sprinkles. Jordan loved this!! We have heard so much about this place and were so excited to finally go there.
The girls sitting in cute ice cream cone chairs and coloring with chalk on the tables. Jordan enjoyed this place so much we had to return again the next day.
After ice cream and then dinner with some more of Ali's friends, we went to the Please Touch Museum for a Halloween party. This museum was incredible. It is designed to create learning opportunities for children through play. The girls enjoyed riding the carousal at the museum.
The carousel, originally located in Woodside Park, Philadelphia, was crafted in 1908 by the Dentzel Carousel Company of Philadelphia, and is now in the museum after more than 40 years in storage. The carousel was beautiful.
Hall of Doors & Mirrors in the Wonderland Exhibit at the museum.
The girls walking through the Wonderland Exhibit. I loved this exhibit. It was designed to look like you were descending down the rabbit hole into Wonderland.
The girls shopping in the City Capers - Supermarket/Kitchen at the museum. Jordan loved this. She pushed the shopping cart around collecting groceries off the shelves. The girls then took their items to check out and actually went through the check out process. The only hard part was explaining to Jordan that she really did not purchase the groceries and she could not take them home. She had so much fun doing this. The girls also got to play in the Medical Center at the museum.
Saturday, the rains came down! It was still a beautiful fun day though. I like this picture of the girls with the trees in the background changing colors. It was so beautiful to see this. In fact when we landed back in Texas, Jordan commented while driving out of the airport that we did not have big trees with all the colors. Very observant!
The girls loved playing in this playhouse at one of the stores we visited.
I love this picture of my sweet girl. I took this picture for her Daddy.
Back at Ali's, the girls dressed in their Halloween costumes and had fun putting on a show. Jordan is thrilled with her costume this year. She finally picked this one out after changing her mind so many times.
Ali the cheerleader and Jordan the Snow Princess!
Saturday night, we went to this wonderful Chinese/Japanese restaurant and had a great time. Jolie was so kind and bought Jordan a birthday cake to have a late celebration for Jordan's birthday. The cake was so delicious. Thanks Jolie!
Sunday after playing at Ali's house in the morning, we boarded the plane back to Texas. I took this picture because I was amused at Jordan -- watching her video IPOD, drinking a ginger ale, and enjoying her plane purchased chocolate chip cookie. Yes, she is definitely loved.
She is such a great kid. She was so good the whole trip and had a wonderful time. She is just happy 99% of the time and that makes me happy.
I took this picture for CHH. When I was packing to go, his usual mantra to me was "It is only a weekend." Between Katelyn's presents and buying some new clothes and books for the girls, I had to borrow a suitcase from Jolie (I didn't want to carry the stuff). Two suitcases, a backpack, a work bag (full of documents for review) and a camera bag -- we needed a cart to walk the 20 gates to my car!! CHH would have been making fun of me! Jordan loved sitting on the bags as I strolled through the airport out to my car.
When we arrived home, Katelyn was so excited. The thrill in my heart when I saw her running out to the garage when we pulled up was beyond imagination. I was so excited to hold my littlest girl in my arms. As stated, I missed her big time!
Jordan is handing her all the presents we purchased for Katelyn while away.
Katelyn with the mouse Ali and Jolie purchased for her.
My messy browned-eye girl.
My little trick-or-treaters ready to go Halloween night.
Grandpa with his girls.
Papa and Grinny with their granddaughters. The grandparents are visiting from Florida this week.
A wonderful couple at Jordan's school hosted the pre-k girls at their house for Halloween. The families ate dinner and we all went trick-or-treating together. Talk about fun! 
Yes, Katelyn lost her shoe several times that night while running. One time she was so excited she just kept going. I was so excited when I actually found her shoe in the dark!
Katelyn got tired at the end and had her Daddy carry her. She was so cute running from house to house after all the big girls. She loved it. Her favorite candy now is Reece's Peanut Butter Cups. She loves them!
Katelyn and me with a few of the other Moms. As stated, we had so much fun. The kids were running and screaming. Jordan at one point told me that she couldn't stay with me because she had to catch up with her friends. It melted my heart to see how happy she was and how much fun she was having. It was also great for CHH and I because we enjoyed having time to speak with the other parents and get to know them better. I will not forget watching the girls run from house to house with their friends and all the parents trailing behind and talking. Fun, fun!!
This is a picture of the girls closing their eyes with their Halloween gifts I put in their laps to surprise them.
Katelyn and Jordan with their new Halloween Barbies and Halloween books.
