It's hard to believe, but Hannah turned 11 years old today -- Wednesday, September 26th!  We decided to make a whole day of the birthday celebration, so Hannah stayed home from school and was treated like a princess all day (yeah, like that doesn't happen every day!)!  She slept in a little, had birthday cake and gifts for breakfast, then played computer games and watched a movie before going out to our favorite bookstore (The Bookworm) for lunch.  After a terrific meal, complete with a chocolate crepe that makes you feel like you are in Paris, we visited the Hongqiao Market as Hannah decided she wanted a small piece of jade to wear as a necklace for her birthday (wearing jade brings you luck and longevity!).  After a short walk around that part of town, we then went to the Silk Street Market for a brief visit before going to our favorite German pub for a yummy dinner of pork sausage, garlic mashed potatos, and saurkraut -- topped off with a hot fudge sundae for dessert.  I believe Hannah had a wonderful 11th birthday and is now tucked soundly into bed waiting for the tooth fairy because, oh yeah, she lost a tooth today too!!  What more can you ask for?!

We hope all of you had a great day too!  Until next time, zai jian!