Can I just say that I love being an Auntie! Alyssa and Joshua just spent the last week with Mom and I at my place. I think this is the longest amount of time we have spent together ever! Mom stayed with them during the day and worked on a little school work with them then I got off work a little early every day so we could spend a little more time together. We took a culinary "trip around the world" this week for each dinner time. Sunday was Greek and Mediterranean. Monday we ate traditional British food at the Olde Ship. That evening Aunt Grace showed them the trick of how to make sorbet in just a few minutes. Tuesday was Alyssa and Josh's pick... Sushi! Wednesday we headed over to Brea to eat delicious Cuban food. Thursday we "travelled" to Italy and had a build your own pizza night. The kids had a fun time choosing their very own combination of toppings. Friday I took the whole day off work so Grace, Mom and I took the kids to the beach. First we drove out to Laguna Beach and went to our favorite spot, Shaw's Cove. It is a beautiful little cove with some really interesting tide pools. The kids had a good time running from the waves and finding little creatures in the tide pools. Since it was a little overcast we decided to drive up the coast to Balboa Island. The sun kept playing hide and seek but that didn't deter the kids from running in and playing in the water. They ran around chasing the seagulls, building little sand castles and getting buried in the sand. After all that fun in the surf and sand we walked to the end of the pier and ate dinner at Ruby's. Saturday, Aunt Sara took them to Disneyland for the day. For dinner that evening Grace, Jon and I got to share our favorite restaurant (Lucca's) with Donna and Greg. We enjoyed an amazing gourmet dinner and had a great time together. It was a full and wonderful week that I hope we can repeat again very soon! You can see several picture albums of the fun week here: http://chiarapics.spaces.live.com/