Charlotte

Atlanta, GA...34 years, 5 weeks, 3 days
Charlotte, NC...5 weeks, 1 day

We are getting used to our new town. There are a lot of things we love about Charlotte...the people are friendly, traffic is somewhat of a joke, pace of life is a little slower. And while we are not loving this apartment, it definitely has it's pluses. For example, if anything is lost, you don't have to look too long before finding it. No need for baby gates or baby monitors really since there are no stairs and the kids are never out of ear's reach. We can literally walk across the street (a 2-lane road) to a (very nice) Wal-Mart super center...this ain't your Austell Wal-Mart! But probably the best thing about apartment living is that we are somewhat forced to get out and explore all that this city has to offer every Saturday and Sunday. The less time we spend cooped up inside, the better for all of us.

Savannah and Gage have adjusted quite well. Both kids started the first 4 weeks at a day-care very close to my office. While the teachers and staff are super nice and love the kids, my mommy gut told me to look for an alternative. Thankfully, we were able to get Savannah enrolled in a Primrose School. She started last Monday and she is a completely different child after just 5 days at her new school. We feel like we finally have our Savannah back! Unfortunately, there is not a spot for Gage until December when he turns 2. No worries though, he's doing great at his school...and I really do love all his teachers. His teachers are pretty smitten with him too, and that makes a mommy feel good.

Within Savannah's first week at KRK, we heard a LOT about "Bailey". Around day 4, we realized that Bailey was a boy and Savannah's best friend. By the second Monday, I learned that Savannah and Bailey were married on the playground the previous Friday...a title she won through eeny meany miney moe. Her teacher informed me that Bailey was crazy about Savannah. So naturally we had no other choice than to move her out of that school...JK :) She was invited to his 5th birthday party the next Saturday. And so it begins...birthday parties!!! Savannah was so excited to wear her party dress.



Dan Nicholas Park in Salisbury, NC was such a treat. For $7 you get a ride on the carousel, a train ride, a bucket of sand to pan for gems, access to the zoo (hey, they have black bears, bald eagles, and Gage came face to face with a rooster who cock-a-doodle-doo'd for him), and a HUGE playground. We got to the park an hour before it opened and walked around the lake which had a beach, paddle boats, and 2 bridges which were fantastic for viewing the turtles and ducks.


Panning for gems...

The loot. I found this unbreakable container to keep Savannah's gem collection. It serves as a center-piece to our breakfast table.


The thing that has been causing me the most pain...knowing that Burt's Pumpkin Patch is out of reach this year. Before we moved here, I was certain that Charlotte would have it's own Burt's-like pumpkin farm. I've been on the internet for weeks looking for the sea of pumpkins that Burt's provided this mom with a camera. Nothing that I've seen has led me to believe that Charlotte has anything similar, but I'm on a mission this October.

A group of us from work (all new to Charlotte) met up in Mooresville, NC this morning at a place called Carrigan Farms.


While it wasn't Burt's, it was a great way to spend a fall morning. It actually reminded me of Berry Patch Farms...the tractor-pulled hayride down to the pumpkin patch, pick your own pumpkin, farm animals you weren't discouraged from reaching your hands in to pet, fresh-baked pies (the apple is definitely blog-worthy), and apple cider (yum!).

They had a lot of pumpkins!!!


Savannah found a keeper pretty quickly...

Gage just wasn't into being photographed today (or ever for that matter)...



This little piggy gave me a big smile.


I had to recreate my little pumpkin pictures from last year with Savannah.



We hope the Wood ladies are feeling better after a day of rest. We missed you all!

It's been a while since we've had any update on the house...that's because there have not been any changes worth mentioning. It's that lull after framing when they do all the electrical, plumbing, insulation, and other boring inside stuff...nothing exciting. But this past week we started to see things pick up again. We have brick (about 75%). And we have drywall. Here are a few pictures from yesterday.