Happy Birthday!

Today is Anyssa's birthday. 6 years old already...WOW! They grow up so fast. Seems like we've only known her 6 months! OK...c'mon...you have to let me get that joke off every so often!

Anyway, as I mentioned, today is Anyssa's birthday. From we can gather, she's never had a "party" before. We are going to have something at the "Jump Zone" in a few weeks. The Jump Zone is a kids party place with inflatable slides and climbing things...just like the places we DIDN'T have as kids, but would have loved! We are also planning a family party. I'm sure that by the time it's all over, she will be sick of parties and gifts. (yeah, right!)

But, today is her birthday, so we had to do something to celebrate. She got a special Happy Birthday banner and some balloons (which she loves.) Laura and I took her out for a special dinner...at the Golden Chopsticks restaurant. The waitress commented that "she looks like she's Chinese." It's funny that we had to tell her that she was! I guess it's still not that common for Chinese folks to see white people with Asian kids. Anyssa had her favorite...RICE! And some chicken, of course. She wore her little paper birthday crown that she got at school. When we got home, she opened a present that she received from Carlson's all the way from Wisconsin. This is no exaggeration to say this, but SHE LOVED THE CLOTHES AND JEWELRY!! It was the kind of honest outburst that only a kid can pull off. No lie. She got a beautiful coordinated top and short/skirt with a matching bracelet and hair clips. From owning absolutley nothing 7 months ago until today...I have no idea how she can process what has happened to her. We just enjoy the fact that she enjoys it.

Here are a couple of pictures from the restaurant. More will follow shortly!!

Such a shy little girl!