This milestone happened in the blink of an eye. I swear it was just yesterday that we stepped through the doors of Royal Road for the first time and left our precious 5 year old in the care of a total stranger in a room full of tiny chairs with tennis balls on the legs.
Now here we are 6 years later and we watched our almost-as-tall-as-me 11 year old walk across the crowd and accept not only his grade 5 diploma but also a very special award for being recognized as the compassionate, kind hearted boy he is. He received the Mckenzie Carr Memorial Friendship award for being the epitome of a good friend and a good person. Recognition for academic and athletic achievements are wonderful but being awarded because you possess the qualities of kindness, empathy, and compassion is something more.
Jeff and I were so proud of Cole. We knew he would be receiving the award, but we had no idea of the significance of it. Once the speech was made we were completely blown away. It's moments like this that make you realize you really are doing an ok job with your kids after all and maybe, just maybe, by raising your children with kindness, compassion and empathy towards others as part of their everyday life that they will grow up and make changes in the world or because of them and how they treat someone someday it makes a positive change in that person's life.
I don't expect we will ever see a Nobel peace prize hanging on his shelf but I hope this recognition stays with him and these qualities stay ingrained in him. We need more people like him in this world. So please, help your children foster these qualities. Have the hard conversations when you see injustice in the world around them and use those examples to teach them why it's wrong. Enrich their lives and show them the beauty in the differences of people everywhere from different races, genders, religions, sexual orientation, abilities, and cultures. It's important. Teach your children love and acceptance before someone else can teach them to hate. Spread the love! It comes back to you tenfold. My heart is full right now and I couldn't be more proud of the young man my little boy is turning out to be.
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Mactaquac Provincial Park - June 10-12
Located about a 15 minute drive from our home is Mactaquac Provincial park. The park consists of the campground, a golf course, some hiking trails and a beach on the shore of the head pond.
We set up camp at site 120 with a beautiful view of the head pond. It took quite a few tries for Jeff to get the camper in the right spot and even more to level it off but we got all situated in enough time to have supper and for the kids to make rock spears and invent a survival game down by the water.
Later in the evening we had a campfire then Madi wanted to watch her new movie The Descendants before we settled for bed. It was a chilly night so the heated beds came in very handy that night.
In the morning we were treated to what seems to be a rarity these days...sunshine! The kids played around outside with a friend they found while Jeff and I just enjoyed the nice weather. After lunch we dropped Madi off at a birthday party and headed back to finish out the day with Cole.
We played a couple rounds of ladder ball, took Love for a walk and watched Cole play a huge game of "grounders" at the playground with a group of kids. The evening was beautiful and warm and I was nursing a well deserved sunburn by the campfire making s'mores and popcorn. We were sad to not have Madi there but she phoned to say goodnight and was having an absolute blast with her friend.
In the morning it was gloomy as if the world was mad my vacation got denied (ha! As if) but it did make it a little easier to roll out of bed at an ungodly hour, get my scrubs on and pack my sleepy son into the car so Jeff could drop me off at work.
I don't know that Mactaquac would be on our must do list. It it is nice and convenient for a mid week quick get away when one of us still has to work while the other is off.
Stay tuned for this week's adventure when we head to Fundy National park for hiking and more red chair hunting!
Adventure is out there!
-The McDonnells
We set up camp at site 120 with a beautiful view of the head pond. It took quite a few tries for Jeff to get the camper in the right spot and even more to level it off but we got all situated in enough time to have supper and for the kids to make rock spears and invent a survival game down by the water.
Later in the evening we had a campfire then Madi wanted to watch her new movie The Descendants before we settled for bed. It was a chilly night so the heated beds came in very handy that night.
In the morning we were treated to what seems to be a rarity these days...sunshine! The kids played around outside with a friend they found while Jeff and I just enjoyed the nice weather. After lunch we dropped Madi off at a birthday party and headed back to finish out the day with Cole.
We played a couple rounds of ladder ball, took Love for a walk and watched Cole play a huge game of "grounders" at the playground with a group of kids. The evening was beautiful and warm and I was nursing a well deserved sunburn by the campfire making s'mores and popcorn. We were sad to not have Madi there but she phoned to say goodnight and was having an absolute blast with her friend.
In the morning it was gloomy as if the world was mad my vacation got denied (ha! As if) but it did make it a little easier to roll out of bed at an ungodly hour, get my scrubs on and pack my sleepy son into the car so Jeff could drop me off at work.
I don't know that Mactaquac would be on our must do list. It it is nice and convenient for a mid week quick get away when one of us still has to work while the other is off.
Stay tuned for this week's adventure when we head to Fundy National park for hiking and more red chair hunting!
Adventure is out there!
-The McDonnells
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Madi Turns 9!
June 5th our little lady celebrated her 9th birthday.
Her day started with a BBQ at the church to celebrate the end of religious formation classes for the year and a visit from Auntie Debb and Grampy. I had to sleep all morning to prepare for a night shift so unfortunately I had to miss the BBQ and the visit.
After lunch Jeff took her to the Dollarama to get some supplies to make treat bags for her party and we were off to Kingswood!
We didn't get a big crowd of kids. A couple were sick and a couple couldn't come but her closest friends were there and they all had a good time bowling and playing laser tag so that's what counts! Jeff and Cole challenged the girls to laser tag and I'm not quite sure who had more fun, but I bet you can guess!
Fast forward a couple of days and my shifts at work are all done and we can finally get Madi out for her birthday supper. She chose East Side Marios because she loves to spin the prize wheel and then she wanted to spend some of her birthday money. She came home absolutely thrilled with her purchases of a few new stuffy friends, some tsum tsums, a book and a Descendants doll.
I can't believe how time has flown by. This is my baby girl's last year in the single digits. She is growing into such an independent, unique young lady. She's her own person that's for sure with a very interesting personality. You just never know what she's going to come out with next! She makes me laugh everyday, her creativity never ceases to amaze me, she's a good friend, has a huge heart and still loves to curl up with mom for a cuddle. She keeps us on our toes and does not give in when she doesn't want to do something. That stubbornness is going to pay off for her one day!
Happy birthday, little one. We love you!
Adventure is out there!
-The McDonnells
Her day started with a BBQ at the church to celebrate the end of religious formation classes for the year and a visit from Auntie Debb and Grampy. I had to sleep all morning to prepare for a night shift so unfortunately I had to miss the BBQ and the visit.
After lunch Jeff took her to the Dollarama to get some supplies to make treat bags for her party and we were off to Kingswood!
We didn't get a big crowd of kids. A couple were sick and a couple couldn't come but her closest friends were there and they all had a good time bowling and playing laser tag so that's what counts! Jeff and Cole challenged the girls to laser tag and I'm not quite sure who had more fun, but I bet you can guess!
Fast forward a couple of days and my shifts at work are all done and we can finally get Madi out for her birthday supper. She chose East Side Marios because she loves to spin the prize wheel and then she wanted to spend some of her birthday money. She came home absolutely thrilled with her purchases of a few new stuffy friends, some tsum tsums, a book and a Descendants doll.
I can't believe how time has flown by. This is my baby girl's last year in the single digits. She is growing into such an independent, unique young lady. She's her own person that's for sure with a very interesting personality. You just never know what she's going to come out with next! She makes me laugh everyday, her creativity never ceases to amaze me, she's a good friend, has a huge heart and still loves to curl up with mom for a cuddle. She keeps us on our toes and does not give in when she doesn't want to do something. That stubbornness is going to pay off for her one day!
Happy birthday, little one. We love you!
Adventure is out there!
-The McDonnells
Thursday, June 2, 2016
Jeff Turns 35!
Yesterday was Jeff's 35th birthday! He was adamant that all he wanted was to go out for supper and a movie with the kids and I...so that's what we did!
We were hoping that he would be able to get off work a little early but that didn't pan out so the kids and I headed over to the south side to pick him up when he was finished work.
(I wasn't feeling too hot but thought I would try and tough it out anyway...I ended up thankfully being ok by the time the movie rolled around!)
Jeff's pick for supper was Swiss Chalet for chicken and ribs. I got the 1/4 chicken breast dinner, Madi got mini hamburgers and Cole got chicken wings and perogies....he didn't like the wings too much as he found them a little spicy but Jeff was more than happy to step up to the plate and help him out. The kids each got special drinks and Jeff and I stuck to our usual...you'd kinda wonder whose birthday it REALLY was based on how much fun the kids were having but hey!
After dinner we went over to Cineplex for Jeff's movie choice: Captain America Civil War. We brought the kids with us but they were the only children in the theatre. This made me a little uneasy at first but I thought well, they've seen all the other Avengers movies sooooo....there were a few parts I made Madison turn her head but other wise it was a pretty (older) kid friendly action movie and they really liked it. The big kid did too!
When the movie was finished and Madison had her 3rd bathroom trip of the hour (tiny bladder on this one...) we drove down to the Smythe Street Tim Hortons to participate in Camp Day where the proceeds from all coffee purchases go towards sending underprivileged children to summer camp. My coffee was horrible, but at least it's for a good cause right??? The kids got braided camp bracelets too.
All in all a good evening and a low key birthday which was just what Jeff wanted.
Happy Birthday, Jeffy! We love you!
We were hoping that he would be able to get off work a little early but that didn't pan out so the kids and I headed over to the south side to pick him up when he was finished work.
(I wasn't feeling too hot but thought I would try and tough it out anyway...I ended up thankfully being ok by the time the movie rolled around!)
Jeff's pick for supper was Swiss Chalet for chicken and ribs. I got the 1/4 chicken breast dinner, Madi got mini hamburgers and Cole got chicken wings and perogies....he didn't like the wings too much as he found them a little spicy but Jeff was more than happy to step up to the plate and help him out. The kids each got special drinks and Jeff and I stuck to our usual...you'd kinda wonder whose birthday it REALLY was based on how much fun the kids were having but hey!
After dinner we went over to Cineplex for Jeff's movie choice: Captain America Civil War. We brought the kids with us but they were the only children in the theatre. This made me a little uneasy at first but I thought well, they've seen all the other Avengers movies sooooo....there were a few parts I made Madison turn her head but other wise it was a pretty (older) kid friendly action movie and they really liked it. The big kid did too!
When the movie was finished and Madison had her 3rd bathroom trip of the hour (tiny bladder on this one...) we drove down to the Smythe Street Tim Hortons to participate in Camp Day where the proceeds from all coffee purchases go towards sending underprivileged children to summer camp. My coffee was horrible, but at least it's for a good cause right??? The kids got braided camp bracelets too.
All in all a good evening and a low key birthday which was just what Jeff wanted.
Happy Birthday, Jeffy! We love you!
Monday, May 23, 2016
Kouchibouguac National Park - May 20-23
Camping season has officially begun!
This long weekend we kicked off our 2016 camping season at Kouchibouguac National Park. This park holds a ton of childhood memories for both Jeff and I seeing as the park is about 45 minutes away from our hometown of Miramichi. This was where my grandparents always camped and where we would go to the beach and I spent several girl guide camps here!
The campground was packed and the weather was gorgeous so it made for a fantastic kick off weekend. We stayed in the South Kouchibouguac campground at site 306...great location but only had electric service so it made for a little planning for water conservation and having to use the park facilities for the most part. Not ideal, but we made it work! We were thankful to at least have electricity since the nights did get chilly enough we had to put the heated beds on.
We arrived Friday evening after supper and set up pretty quickly. We broke in the oven and made pizza for the first time ever in the camper...and set the smoke alarm off. Oops! The kids roasted some marshmallows over the fire and we got ourselves all settled in. Danny had the lot right next to us and some of our friends were scattered around the park too so we saw a few friendly faces around.
Saturday we took the kids on a bike ride and scavenger hunt the park was putting on. It was so hot it felt like July so we didn't do more than 6km before taking a lunch break and finishing the further away clues by car. There were a few things we needed to get so we took a drive into Richibucto and found a Tim Horton's before heading back to the awards announcement for the scavenger hunt. We ended up winning a deck of cards and laughed at the poor announcer trying to pronounce our names (apparently McDonnell looks a lot like Mitchell on paper).
Sunday was a little cooler and a little more laid back for us. We lazed around the campsite reading and napping while the kids played an endless game of monopoly before hiking the osprey trail in search of the red Adirondack chairs Parks Canada hides around the national parks in very picturesque locations for visitors to find. Unfortunately we discovered why we had never done this trail before and why it's not one of the more popular ones. It was 5km of rougher trail through the woods hiking with not a whole lot to see and no fun information stops along the way. And...no red chairs. Madi thought the forest was very mysterious and both kids learned a lot about different kinds of trees from their grandfather before we finished up and headed back to camp.
Monday morning we got up a little late and had a big breakfast before making the trek home. Madison fell asleep before we even left the park and Cole was out somewhere between Doaktown and Fredericton. Even the dog is sleeping off her adventures!
All in all it was a wonderful weekend and a great start to the season with awesome weather, great company and a chance to work out a few kinks getting back into the swing of things! Our next adventure keeps us close to home while we check out Mactaquac Provincial Park in June!
Adventure is out there!
-The McDonnells
This long weekend we kicked off our 2016 camping season at Kouchibouguac National Park. This park holds a ton of childhood memories for both Jeff and I seeing as the park is about 45 minutes away from our hometown of Miramichi. This was where my grandparents always camped and where we would go to the beach and I spent several girl guide camps here!
The campground was packed and the weather was gorgeous so it made for a fantastic kick off weekend. We stayed in the South Kouchibouguac campground at site 306...great location but only had electric service so it made for a little planning for water conservation and having to use the park facilities for the most part. Not ideal, but we made it work! We were thankful to at least have electricity since the nights did get chilly enough we had to put the heated beds on.
We arrived Friday evening after supper and set up pretty quickly. We broke in the oven and made pizza for the first time ever in the camper...and set the smoke alarm off. Oops! The kids roasted some marshmallows over the fire and we got ourselves all settled in. Danny had the lot right next to us and some of our friends were scattered around the park too so we saw a few friendly faces around.
Saturday we took the kids on a bike ride and scavenger hunt the park was putting on. It was so hot it felt like July so we didn't do more than 6km before taking a lunch break and finishing the further away clues by car. There were a few things we needed to get so we took a drive into Richibucto and found a Tim Horton's before heading back to the awards announcement for the scavenger hunt. We ended up winning a deck of cards and laughed at the poor announcer trying to pronounce our names (apparently McDonnell looks a lot like Mitchell on paper).
Sunday was a little cooler and a little more laid back for us. We lazed around the campsite reading and napping while the kids played an endless game of monopoly before hiking the osprey trail in search of the red Adirondack chairs Parks Canada hides around the national parks in very picturesque locations for visitors to find. Unfortunately we discovered why we had never done this trail before and why it's not one of the more popular ones. It was 5km of rougher trail through the woods hiking with not a whole lot to see and no fun information stops along the way. And...no red chairs. Madi thought the forest was very mysterious and both kids learned a lot about different kinds of trees from their grandfather before we finished up and headed back to camp.
Monday morning we got up a little late and had a big breakfast before making the trek home. Madison fell asleep before we even left the park and Cole was out somewhere between Doaktown and Fredericton. Even the dog is sleeping off her adventures!
All in all it was a wonderful weekend and a great start to the season with awesome weather, great company and a chance to work out a few kinks getting back into the swing of things! Our next adventure keeps us close to home while we check out Mactaquac Provincial Park in June!
Adventure is out there!
-The McDonnells
Sunday, May 15, 2016
A Miramichi Weekend & Camper Prep
It was a busy, busy weekend for the McDonnells! We travelled to Miramichi to get our camper ready for the season and to celebrate Debb's 30tn and Alex's 1st birthdays.
We were pleased to find that our camper didn't suffer through the winter aside from a little rust on hinges and chains that's normal for every year in winter in Eastern Canada. We aired everything out and took some measurements for some extra storage options and installed some vent covers so we can open the ceiling vents in the rain and not get wet. Lists for packing and groceries were made and the fridge is being chilled right now. We made sure we had enough propane and tested the battery and the brake and turn signal lights. Our little home on wheels is all ready to go in a few more days!
Saturday evening we found ourselves at Ben's Lunchroom downtown for the simplest yet most delicious burgers and fries..a staple in Miramichi and a must do for us every visit home. I was so excited and trying to get the camera put away after Madison was vlogging that I dumped my fries all over the car floor! Cole thought maybe the car was clean enough that we could save some, but I disagreed and decided I would put in a Mommy sacrifice and let Jeff and the kids eat the rest. Lucky for me there were more than enough fries to go around. We had a nice visit with Nana and Love got to visit with Shelby who was less than impressed to have another dog in her house. Love could care less and drank all her water anyway.
Debb's friends were hosting a surprise birthday party for her 30th so we headed over there to wait and surprise her. In true Miramichi fashion we were greeted at the door with drinks, the kids were handed pop and cupcakes and Cole was promptly taught how to play flip cup (and he wasn't half bad!). Debb was taking too long to get over to the house according to Madi and was given a 4 minute time limit to show up and be surprised or she was leaving! Luckily Debb met the deadline and was super happy to see the kids there waiting to surprise her.
Sunday morning I was awakened to an empty bed, a text promise of Tim Horton's coffee and the sound of my dear sister in law being attacked by my children trying to get her out of bed by stealing all her blankets and shooting her with Nerf guns. The poor girl convinced them to give her 10 more minutes and she didn't get one second more before they were at her again but she's a good sport and got up and played with them anyway before putting them to work helping make Alex's birthday cake.
Alex had a lovely little birthday party with all his family, an adorable cake and lots of sweet gifts. I can't wait to see him riding around on the tricycle we got for him! The kids had a blast playing with their cousins and getting a good sugar buzz on before we had to head home in the rain to get ready for another week at work and school.
It's going to be a busy week here getting things ready for our first camping trip of the season on Friday, putting our camper and storage organization ideas into play, meal planning and finding this momma a new bicycle!
Adventure is out there!
-The McDonnells
We were pleased to find that our camper didn't suffer through the winter aside from a little rust on hinges and chains that's normal for every year in winter in Eastern Canada. We aired everything out and took some measurements for some extra storage options and installed some vent covers so we can open the ceiling vents in the rain and not get wet. Lists for packing and groceries were made and the fridge is being chilled right now. We made sure we had enough propane and tested the battery and the brake and turn signal lights. Our little home on wheels is all ready to go in a few more days!
Saturday evening we found ourselves at Ben's Lunchroom downtown for the simplest yet most delicious burgers and fries..a staple in Miramichi and a must do for us every visit home. I was so excited and trying to get the camera put away after Madison was vlogging that I dumped my fries all over the car floor! Cole thought maybe the car was clean enough that we could save some, but I disagreed and decided I would put in a Mommy sacrifice and let Jeff and the kids eat the rest. Lucky for me there were more than enough fries to go around. We had a nice visit with Nana and Love got to visit with Shelby who was less than impressed to have another dog in her house. Love could care less and drank all her water anyway.
Debb's friends were hosting a surprise birthday party for her 30th so we headed over there to wait and surprise her. In true Miramichi fashion we were greeted at the door with drinks, the kids were handed pop and cupcakes and Cole was promptly taught how to play flip cup (and he wasn't half bad!). Debb was taking too long to get over to the house according to Madi and was given a 4 minute time limit to show up and be surprised or she was leaving! Luckily Debb met the deadline and was super happy to see the kids there waiting to surprise her.
Sunday morning I was awakened to an empty bed, a text promise of Tim Horton's coffee and the sound of my dear sister in law being attacked by my children trying to get her out of bed by stealing all her blankets and shooting her with Nerf guns. The poor girl convinced them to give her 10 more minutes and she didn't get one second more before they were at her again but she's a good sport and got up and played with them anyway before putting them to work helping make Alex's birthday cake.
Alex had a lovely little birthday party with all his family, an adorable cake and lots of sweet gifts. I can't wait to see him riding around on the tricycle we got for him! The kids had a blast playing with their cousins and getting a good sugar buzz on before we had to head home in the rain to get ready for another week at work and school.
It's going to be a busy week here getting things ready for our first camping trip of the season on Friday, putting our camper and storage organization ideas into play, meal planning and finding this momma a new bicycle!
Adventure is out there!
-The McDonnells
Thursday, May 12, 2016
It's Camping Season!
It's officially spring and that means the McDonnells are ready and eager to kick off camping season 2016! We have a busy, fun filled season planned with some old favorites and new adventures.
This weekend we are heading to Miramichi where our camper is being stored to get things aired out and ready for our first camping trip of the season next weekend. We have a few storage modifications we want to test out and some plans to make the teeny tiny bathroom feel just a little roomier.
Our season is going to consist of mainly exploring national and provincial parks and the line up includes:
Kouchibouguac National Park, New Brunswick
Fundy National Park, New Brunswick
Mactaquac Provincial Park, New Brunswick
New River Beach Provincial Park, New Brunswick
Anchorage Provincial Park, New Brunswick
Cavendish National Park, PEI
Twin Shores, PEI
Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia
It's going to be a busy, jam packed season and we can't wait to kick it off!
Adventure is out there!
-The McDonnells
This weekend we are heading to Miramichi where our camper is being stored to get things aired out and ready for our first camping trip of the season next weekend. We have a few storage modifications we want to test out and some plans to make the teeny tiny bathroom feel just a little roomier.
Our season is going to consist of mainly exploring national and provincial parks and the line up includes:
Kouchibouguac National Park, New Brunswick
Fundy National Park, New Brunswick
Mactaquac Provincial Park, New Brunswick
New River Beach Provincial Park, New Brunswick
Anchorage Provincial Park, New Brunswick
Cavendish National Park, PEI
Twin Shores, PEI
Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia
It's going to be a busy, jam packed season and we can't wait to kick it off!
Adventure is out there!
-The McDonnells
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