Our family made the trek to Carlinville, IL early June. The occasion for the trip was a family reunion including Clint's mother's side of the family. We also celebrated Clint's uncle's 80th birthday.
The first night we arrived marked Avery's first stay overnight in a hotel. Due to his uncontained excitement (bottled up from a five hour car ride there), Avery was too excited to sleep (thus causing a little bit of a rough night for his parents since we all shared a bed). Another first included Avery's experience at a pool. He really enjoyed playing in the water at the hotel with his older cousins. We were surprised that he showed no fear of the water.
The reunion was held in a small, rural country church in between Carlinville and Litchfield. The dinner was hosted in the church's fellowship hall which also included a basketball hoop for the kids to play on. Rob, Avery's older athletic cousin, taught him some baseball pointers.
Overall, Avery had a great time staying the night somewhere new, sleeping in a big bed with his mom and dad, playing with his older boy cousins, swimming in a pool, getting attention from new family members he hadn't met before, eating yummy homemade food and the adventure of a trip outside of his routine.
