The Avery Family Blog

Long Beach

Here are a few pictures from our trip to Long Beach. The weather was warm and everyone had a great time playing on the beach. Andrew stuck his toes in the sand and even did a little exploring on all fours. Nicole really seemed to enjoy flying her kite in the stiff breeze that comes off the ocean. For Mommy and Daddy, it was a chance to get out of the house and have a little fun!

Manivanh and The Gang

Andrew's first experience in the sand.

"Help! I can't sit up, and I can't lay down!"

"Now, that's more like it."

Kites are fun!

"Er, Houston? We have a problem."

 

A Young Salt surveys the mighty Pacific.

Bring on the dog days of summer.   

Summer Vacation

It used to be that I could get by with a suitcase and a carry-on for just about any vacation. Nowadays, the logistics are overwhelming. In our current family configuration, Manivanh and I travel with 3 suitcases, 2 car seats, two carry-on bags, a purse, a fold-up stroller, a 4 1/2 year old daughter, and a 6 month old son - who, by the way, is awfully cute but is also no help at all. Luckily, Nicole is old enough now that she can literally pull her own weight in the suitcase department. Actually, I don't think she had much choice in the matter.

Nevertheless, we feel very fortunate this summer that we can take a break from our work-a-day lives to visit with our family in Illinois and Texas. We are especially excited to be going to our first-ever Zink Family Reunion in Centralia, IL where we will be able to see some of the more distant relatives in our family tree. According to my records, the last family reunion was held in 1948 - long before our time.

Vancouver, BC

We finally made it to Vancouver, British Columbia for a short vacation. Manivanh has been wanting to go to Canada for quite awhile so when the opportunity to take some time off presented itself - that is where we decided to go. Vancouver is an amazing city with lots to see and do.

We stayed at the Blue Horizon Hotel on Robeson Street. The views from our room on the 26th floor were incredible thanks to the unseasonably warm weather and clear skies that graced our visit. Robeson Street is filled with hotels, restaurants, and lots and lots of shopping. It is also a convenient area to take a day trip to Stanley Park, the Seawall, Gastown, or Chinatown. You can see more pictures from our trip here.