Discovering our new hometown

We have been in Mooresville for 3 weeks now and it seems like that time is flying by. Every day seems to pass quicker than the previous one and we are always doing something and meeting new people. So far I have attended a mommy group (MOPS- Mothers of Preschoolers) that meets twice a month in our church. It is a great way to connect with other mommies while the kids are supervised and entertained for 2 hours in a room next to us. The meetings include a combination of teaching sessions, small group discussions, fellowship time, and creative activities. They also hosts guest speakers on topics relevant to mothers and plan events such as mother's night out, play-dates, date nights and family gatherings. Because of this mommy group, Amelia and I were invited for a play-date at someone's house on Monday. Due to the rain, only 3 mommies were there but we enjoyed each others company and the 3 girls were having fun playing together. 

On Tuesday, we decided to explore a nearby park (Bellingham Park). It is only a short car ride from our house and very nice. It has two new playground structures, tennis courts, walking and running trails as well as a soccer field and picnic pavilions. The entire family enjoyed hanging out there and Amelia even met one of her new girlfriends from the play-date on Monday. 

On Monday I took Elliot to the local library while Daddy stayed home with Amelia. The library offers free events throughout the entire week and I thought that Elliot would enjoy an age appropriate (birth to 2 years) storytime. I was happily surprised how new and modern the library is and they dedicated an entire floor for the children, which includes some toys, computers, puzzles and lots of books. 

They have a separate room for storytime and in the beginning Elliot was a bit shy but warmed up quickly to the other kids and enjoyed listening to the stories, songs and a puppet show. 

And on Wednesday it was Amelia's turn to go the library. She was excited about looking thru all the books and we even borrowed some. She also enjoyed her storytime (for ages 2-5 year) and was happily participating in all the activities. It was fun to have a one-on-one time with each of my children and we will make it a weekly event for sure.

A couple of weeks ago, our little family ventured out and explored a nearby State park at lake Norman. Derrick is checking out different boat launches and good spots to go fishing at. This State park is huge (1,900+ acres) and offers everything from boating, hiking trails, bike trails, a beach with a dedicated swim area, camping and picnic areas as well as a fishing pier. 

Other days we play in the backyard, go for walks around the neighborhood, discover new playgrounds or spruce up the garden. So far I have planted some flowers in the front yard and I will work on my vegetable garden this weekend. It is quite labor intense to put plants in to the ground here as the soil is red clay. But it is all worth it once we harvest some delicious veggies and strawberries in the summer. 

Planting in process...lots of gardening soil to over up the red clay

I also had the opportunity to sell some of the kids clothes at a local consignment sale. The sale happened while we were in South Carolina so I wasn't able to shop there but I did make some money selling  a few items. Consignment stores and sales as well as yard sales are very common here and a great opportunity to make some money and buy some nice stuff for way less than it would cost new at the mall. For example: I already attended a woman's consignment sale (50% on Sunday) and found an almost new pair of Lilly Pulitzer Capri pants for $9. And I stopped by a church yard sale where I filled a whole box with kids' clothes. a big electronic piano and some cowboy boots for Amelia for a total of $5. You can find really great deals if you are willing to look. 

As you can tell, we are very busy and constantly on the go. And there is much more to explore around here. Every day is a new adventure for us and we are happy to make all those memories together.