elisalou designs » Travel

times are changing

Mon, 13 May 2013 17:59:54 +0000

I used to be one of those moms that didn’t allow toy guns. Not even squirt guns.

I think I only had one boy then.

By the time I got to three boys that rule was long gone.

When I took Cole and Eva to the beach store, they BOTH bought really loud toy guns.

I still don’t like them.

And I hid them at one point.

But this picture still cracks me up

Bald Head Island

Fri, 10 May 2013 18:03:41 +0000

I am finally getting around to looking at my pictures from Bald Head Island.

I love that place

I have never been anywhere quite like it.

This time we only spent the day

So we packed as much into is as we could

We played hard and at the end of the day we loaded back onto the ferry for the mainland.

See you later Bald Head.

Saying good bye to North Carolina

Thu, 02 May 2013 11:47:22 +0000

Last week I loaded up the car with the two youngest and a good friend (and her two kids) to head down to North Carolina to meet the movers at our Chapel Hill house.

We decided to grab some beach time as well

My fave beach house is still there

The first day was the best weather wise

He’s still a beach bum

Eva changed outfits multiple times a day.

She had no problem going into the ocean fully dressed

Sam was super helpful with Eva

Eva was a total handful. It’s hard for her to be out of her normal routines

More to come

Tomorrow

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 01:14:54 +0000

Tomorrow I am headed back down to Chapel Hill. I honestly can’t believe that this chapter in our life was so brief.

I know it was for the best- but I also know our North Carolina story is not over.

How it will all play out- who knows. I just know the Carolina Girl in me feels a strong pull towards that state. It just wasn’t the right time- or the right city.

Anyway as I pack to head south with the two youngers I can’t help but feel bad about leaving the older two. But honestly I think all three boys are looking forward to a quiet week, male bonding, no drama.

In fact I know they are. 2 out of 3 admitted it.

Cheers to their quiet week- And my
crazy week being on the road with the dos Ioco niños

30A

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 13:02:17 +0000

Love.

I love Watersound. It’s the perfect beach.

This year was a little chillier than usual but we still had fun. I missed all the frogs though, and catching minnows.

There was a definite shift this trip. The older boys were far less playful than years past. It made me sad.

But Cole spent every second swimming in the heated pool. Even when it was cold.

I’m ready to go back.

The inspector just arrived to inspect the insulation in our basement- same one that did it back when we were remodeling last time. We are nuts to do this again.

Today we get drywall!

Spring Break 2013- iPhone style

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 14:49:42 +0000

I can’t believe our week at the beach is almost over. Boo. It’s always so hard to leave. I’m just getting warmed up!

Blake, Cole, Eva, and I took off Friday morning and headed down to the farm.

Must be nice to tune it all out….

Farm means horses

Hello Pretty

The girlie found an old bridle

This was the first long car ride that she was good. What a relief that was….hoping the trip back goes just as well.

We stopped in Birmingham for the night. And the kids hit the pool.

The next morning we hit the road again.

And later after we arrived in Watersound, we hit the pool again

I have never seen the water so rough here. It only lasted a couple of days

It snowed at the farm- Barley sent me a selfie

I felt a little bad we were enjoying the sun…

Eva loved this dead cockroach. She said it was her friend and the best pet ever. She accidentally broke off a couple of its legs.

Beach

We have spent a lot of time on the back screened porch. This house has so many porches.

We take a lot of night trips around the neighborhood.

Tiffany and her family came to visit. The girlies were so funny together.

June left her pink princess sunglasses and someone borrowed them

The week started winding down and we started to get a little sad about leaving.

This little dude is my biggest fan (although Andy says HE is)

Sunset

Off to enjoy our last day at the beach- tomorrow we start heading back.

Sunny and Chilly

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:38:26 +0000

I wish that it was warmer but it sure beats snow.

By lunch time it warms up and we head out.

I’m not ready to go back north.

Our house has a pink golf cart. Eva loves it.

Meeting up with some friends today- can’t wait!

School- Day Two

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 13:19:50 +0000

Yesterday my kids started school. And it was a weird day. I was all out of sorts in a million and one ways. Eva has been feeling crappy the last two days…. it was just a long emotional day.

Today is set to be equally challenging. Eva woke up at 4am looking around the house for Blake and fell down the stairs headed to the third floor. She has never done that. Plus she has a well check today to get shots. Not gonna be fun.

Soooo…. instead of dwelling on that- let’s take a look at Bald Head Island. When we were at Kure Beach Austin convinced us to to the ferry on over to Bald Head. We parked the car and jumped on the the boat.

The ferry ride was fun- we stood at the front and got splashed a lot.

If you have never been to Bald Head you need to go

I have never been anywhere quite like it

I loved that there were no cars on the island. When you get to the ferry they take all your luggage, bikes, whatever you are taking over for your stay (be it a day, a week, or the summer) and then they deliver it to your house on the island.

We knew there was a good chance of rain. We went anyway.

We rented a 6 passenger golf cart and off we went to explore.

I love this blurry pic

And then the sky got a little dark

And it got a little windy

We decided we needed to find some shelter before the sky opened up

We didn’t quite make it

There are so many cool houses on Bald Head- I would even take this little carriage house (above) or this cool house below

Our neighbors have a house there that we will for sure be renting next summer

And then the sky cleared up

More cool houses

There is a magazine (that you can view online) with amazing pics of the island and information about it here.

Years ago when we lived in Ohio I sent Andy this video. I’m not sure how I stumbled upon it but I said, “I want to go there!!”

Beach Day Two

Sun, 26 Aug 2012 12:59:59 +0000

Sometimes you just get a bunch of bad pics- and that is pretty much the case with pics from this day.

But that’s the way it goes sometimes.

No idea what’s going on here. An itch maybe?

And a goofy face here

One kid not looking

now a different kid not looking

Guessing a hurricane took this pier out? Andy thinks they just took it down. Who knows.

Beach houses at night- love

Yesterday it was 70 degrees here and it felt like fall. I opened every window. Perfect.

My kids start school tomorrow. Summer is over.

Seawatch at Kure Beach

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 12:22:19 +0000

There is an awesome little neighborhood in Kure beach called Seawatch. The houses are bright and happy and drool worthy. Most of the houses are 2nd homes that are not rented out. Which makes for a tight little community of people that know each other. I saw them down at the beach in a big group under tents, surfing, boogie boarding.

I loved that you could sit on the front porch and wave to people jogging by or walking their dog. That’s hard to do at home in Chapel Hill where all the houses are on a couple acres and not close together. I felt I had the best of both worlds.

The neighborhood had it’s own little walkway to the beach that had a bathroom and a covered area with chairs and places to just sit and look at the ocean.

I went over on Thursday with 3 out of 4 kids. Austin had cross country practice and Andy had to work on Friday.

We played at the beach all day, went back and ate a small dinner (I always bring mac and cheese, hummus, and milk for the first night so I don’t have to hit the store right away)

Then Cole and Eva and I went back to the beach for an evening walk

Early evening is my fave time at the beach

The sand isn’t hot, sunscreen isn’t needed.

I’m not a big fan of jumping pics- I think they are kinda dumb (mho) and like all things in photography, over-done. But….if a kid is jumping because he loves the beach, that is a whole ‘nother story.

And this kid jumps at the beach because he is a total beach bum.

Worth every hassle these spur of the moment trips can be- to see the smiles…

The beach is so recharging.

More cool houses

And more cute Coley man

Austin just left for freshman orientation. Sigh. High School. Just crazy…..

Home

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 01:42:49 +0000

Back home, doing laundry, settling in, getting ready for school to start….

Love the beach.

Beach Time

Sat, 18 Aug 2012 12:18:27 +0000

Just a brief check-in from the beach

This time we are at Kure Beach, near Wilmington

It’s a cute little neighborhood of brightly colored houses with big front porches.

The neighborhood is not directly on the beach but has it’s own private walkway to beach. I kinda like that it isn’t on the beach because the yards have big live oak trees, grass, and lots of flowers. Reminds me a lot of Watersound in South Walton, Florida.

There are lots of protected turtle eggs.

Most of the homes in the neighborhood are not rentals. Which is nice. The one we are staying in is for sale.

This dude, is still a beach lover. And with his hair getting more blonde he’s looking like a true beach bum. Real pics soon.

Therapy

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 22:59:23 +0000

Who agrees that insurance should cover beach therapy? Does the beach help soothe your soul?

When we lived in Ohio I remember looking at Andy on days when I thought “if I don’t see the sun soon I am going to go crazy” and he would say, “book it”. Or something similar.

He understands.

And just because it is summer, and I see the sun every single day, there is just something about the beach that makes things better. At least for me.

The night I arrived at Holden Beach last May I felt like a thousand pounds had been lifted off my chest. Nothing felt more perfect than that night.

I have been bugging Andy about a trip to the beach, one last one before school starts…. but we both kept talking ourselves out of it. Too much going on, too expensive….he can’t take the time off work.

But then I found one for a long weekend yesterday and he said yep- we need it. So off the kids and I go tomorrow. To dip our toes in the Atlantic Ocean. Smack dab in the middle of Shark week.

We are trying a new beach this time

It's fairly close to home so Andy can come and go.

Look how cute the house is

My kinda beach house.

I dream of the day we can own our own beach house- for weekend trips, or summer weeks. Or when I simply need the therapy of the salt air in my hair.

Bald Head Island

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 14:00:28 +0000

Today Austin left for his 4th beach trip of the summer. This time to Bald Head Island.

Bald Head is on my list of places to check out so I am glad that he gets to go and scope it out for me. Not glad that he will be gone for a week though.

The island is about 3.5 hours from here

There are no cars on the island. You get around on bikes and golf carts.

Obviously you have to pack well, I guess most people pack in big rubbermade tubs that are easy to transport onto the ferry and then into the waiting golf carts.

I love the architecture of the houses on Bald Head

I am missing the beach. Hmmm, thinking I may have to talk Andy into a day trip to Wilmington.

Right now is sea turtle season. My friend said there are tons of nests on Bald Head, I hope Austin gets to see one.

Ahh I love the beach.

On a side note, we have found it pretty funny to see all of the cars with Ohio plates on the roads all summer. Every other car is from Ohio. The other night at the grocery store I saw two cars with Columbus Blue Jackets plates. Last stop before they hit the beach I am guessing.

Currituck Lighthouse

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 13:48:07 +0000

One of the fun things about the Outer Banks is the lighthouses.

You have to wait in line to get in, but the line goes quick and fortunately the day we went it wasn’t super hot.

The history is fun to read, even the kiddos got into it.

This picture below cracks me up- Cole….

The care-takers house was so cool, one of them was turned into a little store. The older girls bought books about ghosts on the Outer Banks

This was about the only time I pulled out my big camera. The whole area smelled so good- like Pine. There were ginormous Rosemary bushes everywhere that smelled great too.

As we climbed to the top I felt my knees starting to wobble- it’s high.

But the view is gorgeous

And the breeze feels so good

Have I mentioned that I am happy to be home? I feel like I have been gone all summer. Yesterday morning we got Austin off to camp. I miss him already and his phone died right before he left- he dropped it into the water while fishing at the beach.

Blake is at a sleepover and Cole has a friend sleeping over so I am down a kid, down another kid, and up a kid.

I am trying really hard not to think about school starting in a month. Boo. I love summer.

Blake is missing from the family pic below- he didn’t go to the lighthouse with us.

Beach

Sun, 15 Jul 2012 00:41:39 +0000

You all know I love a good beach trip- no doubt there is just something just so right about the sand and the water.

We had two houses, and four/five plus families for most of trip.

Boys and girls of all ages. We had a good group.

We had days of really calm surf- and days of crazy intimidating surf. Either way the kiddos loved it.

The Outer Banks are a pretty special place. Just a sliver of land stuck out in the ocean.

We stayed in Corolla, right near Duck. Tons of stuff to do, lots of restaurants.

We found two houses that would be perfect for cousin camp next summer. Both with pools, right on the ocean.

Evening walks on the beach were the best- there were soooo many big crabs at night.

They are so funny when you chase them- they stop and take a karate chop stance

We had one day of rain- we spent that day driving up to the remote part of Corolla where the wild horses were.

The storms produced tons of crazy waves- these boys loved it

Cole is a beach bum- no doubt about it.

Packing up to get Austin off to camp bright and early tomorrow. This summer is flying by….

OBX

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 13:56:51 +0000

Just a quick post from the Outer Banks. I have been offline all week- well not completely, there is always the iPhone.

Back to regular posting soon!!

Summer Vacay

Sun, 01 Jul 2012 00:35:59 +0000

We have been on the road for the last week or so- and still going. First stop was the Farm, then Ohio so Austin could attend lacrosse camp at Ohio State. We are still up here. I only have iPhone pics.

It’s just me and the kiddos- weird to be away from Andy for so long. I am missing my house.

And exercise routine.

But we are having fun.

I hope he is watering my plants. Including this one- my only pepper plant left after the deer ate all the rest. I moved it to the balcony- just try to get it now deer!!

The hammock was waiting at the farm and the first day was breezy and cool.

That didn’t last

It’s pretty warm now- really really warm

My Carolina blue toenails- don’t my ankles look ginormous?? That’s so funny.

And then we arrive back in the old hood.

We did some boating

Storm blew thru

farmgirl

Lax camp

That’s all I got for now!

Gettin’ hot

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 13:20:03 +0000

Yesterday I had to turn on the a/c. So far we have had a relatively cool summer, that combined with living in a forest keeps my house pretty cool. But yesterday it got up to 85 and today it is supposed to be int he 90′s. Pool time.

One of the things that I missed from this beach trip was spending good quality time with my kids. Because they had others to entertain them (for the most part) I didn’t feel as present as I do when we take family trips. I sorta felt more like hired help.

But that’s ok, I knew what I was getting into.

Next time I am going to dig out my old rebel from Blake’s room or where ever it is and use it as my beach camera. This old point and shoot stinks.

Someone asked me recently if I still do project life. I want to sigh but no, haven’t done it since we moved.

Which reminds me- I try to answer all emails and questions (be it about our house, adoption, whatever). If I don’t, please email me again. Sometimes I get an email on my phone while out and forget to go back and answer. I really feel it’s important to respond to someone that takes the time to reach out to me- pet-peeve people that don’t.

Austin is still fighting some crud he picked up at the beach- needs to get better as his high school (gulp) cross country team is already doing 6 miles each night. yikes. He has some catching up to do.

This tree washed up and the boys would plant it each day. And sometimes decorate it. It was a stinky tree- the seaweed stinks!

Eva was happy to have Mama Mikie back.

And Cole was happy to hang with Nate again.

Liam tried to do some fishing- this is all he could get

Austin told us once we got home that he likes family vacays better. That made me happy.

Trying to get a pic of all of them was not easy

And that wraps up the friends beach trip.

Beach boys plus one girl

Elisa — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 14:45:23 +0000

Going to the beach with a bajillion kids is not the easiest thing in the world. There were rules to be followed (no going in water without an adult on the shore) and lots of wrappers and messes to clean up. For some reason they never seemed to get the hang of that.

The oldest boys played outside pretty much nonstop. We had one day that was very cloudy, and one day that rained. It didn’t stop them. They still played outside.

The middle boys were a bit more lazy. They would play outside for a bit but then I would find them creeping back in to hit the electronics (which was mostly phones as I did not bring any video games at all).

I love how her feet are not touching the ground below

Cole did his usual- found a family staying two houses down that had two boys and he was gone. Hanging with them outside until Wednesday night when his buddy Nate showed up.

I took my old point and shoot and used it 99% of the time. It has become my beach camera. I still take my big one, but usually only take it out for the “after dinner” beach trip. When the lighting is good and the kids are dressed and less likely to throw sand in the air at my camera

I don’t know how she can see thru that hair. If I put it up she pulls it back down.

I don’t know what I would have done if my friend Nicole had not come. She saved me. I really don’t think I could have done it solo. Too many kids to watch. If Eva wasn’t there it would have been possible….. maybe.

There was a lot of lacrosse that was played

And Cole started doing the boogie board for the first time

I’m not gonna lie- it was pretty exhausting to have ten kids and only two adults. When another friend showed up Tuesday evening Nicole and I took a deep breath. It was nice to have a little back-up.

The girly can be a handful. Especially since she was out of her normal routine. Too many people for her I think- it just brought out her naughty side big time.

I know my boys loved having their buds there.

I’m still in love with the little turquoise house next door.

Spending the week at the beach made me realize that I am not ready for a beach house.

Don’t get me wrong, I still love the beach (we are going back next month) but I am not ready to commit to one beach. One house.

So I am back to planning the backyard pool. And watching jealously as my brother is digging his out right now.

Can you tell when I switched to the big camera?

It’s day one of summer back here at Juniper Pl and already the boys are fighting. Well the oldest is sick with a cold and still in bed but the other two are fighting. And I am gonna have to lay down some rules.

Maybe being at the beach with all those boys that weren’t fighting wasn’t so bad