The Cardinal Blog

Video extravaganza

2012-01-11T11:14:00.000-05:00

By K.J. Cardinal

I need space on my external hard drive, so The Cardinal Blog is the beneficiary of a video extravaganza today. Below are a few of my favs, but if you want to see them all, be sure to check out (and subscribe to) my youtube page.

Leo rides

2012-01-08T16:52:00.004-05:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Leo let his hair down and went for a cruise on his new ATV this afternoon. I can't wait until we can get him a real one some day...

(Thanks Jaden & Kassie for the awesome gift!)

Anna, star of screen, now star of stage

2011-12-20T16:57:00.000-05:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Anna has long been a star on computer screens across the country, but today she made her debut on stage and it's official... she's a star there as well.

Ms. Katie's preschool class performed The Gingerbread Man at the Intel Mini Theatre at Hudson High today and Anna had the dubious honor of playing the Fox that (spoiler alert) gets to eat the Gingerbread man.

The Gingerbread man was played by none other than Anna's buddy Brynn. I'm obviously biased to my little girl, but I'd be a fool if I didn't recognize Brynn for her performance... she clearly stole the show.

Anyway, enjoy the play...

A fall classic

2011-11-15T09:50:00.000-05:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Anna plays soccer

2011-11-09T08:25:00.000-05:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Angie signed Anna up for this kids' sports class at Teamworks in Northboro and this week was the first class. First sport on the docket: soccer.

Anna really let the Portuguese in her come out as she seriously showed some skills.

[WATCH VIDEO]

Happy Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T10:33:00.001-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Happy Halloween from the Cardinals.

[WATCH VIDEO]

No dragons were hurt in the filming of this video.

Anna's 4th birthday party

2011-10-10T13:36:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Yesterday, we celebrated Anna's 4th birthday with a family party at our house. Picture perfect weather actually allowed the kids to play outside in their bathing suits and we all had such a blast.

All the kids get along remarkably well and Anna was in her glory to be surrounded by all her cousins that she loves so much. Thanks to everyone that came and helped make Anna's birthday so special.

[WATCH VIDEO]

The greatest team ever

2011-10-07T08:31:00.001-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

As if I really need to explain this to anyone, but the 1986 Celtics are clearly the greatest team ever. Don't believe me, then you'll have to take Brian Wilson's word for it...

[WATCH VIDEO]

The only way this 2Ksports video could get any better was if Wilson was wearing my dad's old school Celts jacket... talk about greatest ever.

PS: I think I'm one of a handful of people in the world that are really upset that the NBA may not play this season. I may have to invite Mike & Tommy over for dinner because I don't think I will make it over a year without them... actually, Anna and Tommy and boys, so maybe I'll just have her reach out to him.

Daddy's angel turns four

2011-10-05T09:22:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Four years ago at 5:47 p.m., we welcomed into this world an eight pound, 2 ounce baby girl named Anna Maria.

I remember those first hours as a father as perhaps the happiest of my life up to that point. Here I had a healthy, cute baby girl, a healthy wife that was a champion through the labor process and Manny Ramirez blasting a rocket over the Green Monster to give the Sox a walk-off win in game two of the ALDS verse the Angels.

I thought to myself: life couldn't get any better. Luckily for me, I was dead wrong (well, not about the Red Sox, but that's a story for a different blog post).

Ever since then, Anna has helped make each day better than the last and makes me feel like the luckiest father in the world because she is, without a doubt, Daddy's little girl.

Living the Anna Experience (and trust me, she's an experience) for four years has been so amazing.

I challenge you to find a more fun kid to be around. Perhaps I'm biased, but I honestly can't recall ever meeting a child that's more fun than Anna.

Anna is a relentless, adventurous ball of energy that is always looking to go new places and do new things, while making people feel good and having fun along the way.

Because of this, it is difficult for me to get wrapped up in the fact that the first four years of Anna's life have already passed us by. While part of me is sad to see her childhood vanish in front of my eyes, her attitude on life makes me even more excited for today and tomorrow.

So, happy birthday Anna! You're getting older, but you'll always be my little angel. Love ya (cluck)!

The loss of Lena

2011-09-29T16:20:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

I was deeply saddened this morning when I learned of the passing of Lena George and would remiss if I didn't take a moment to recognize such a wonderful lady.

One of the most selfless and caring people I've ever met, Lena was the matriarch of the George family. The mother of some of my favorite people in the world, Lena was a do-it-all type of person that was there at every turn for her family, her friends and her community.

The Cardinals and Georges have a long history together in Farmington, which was taken to the next level when Tiffany and Pete got married back in June of 2003. The marriage of our families has always been such a treat for us Cardinals and I was psyched to be officially tied to the Georges. There is not a family on this planet that I respect more than the Georges and this all stems from Lena.

Her amazing traits and characteristics can be seen in all her children and it is why I admire her so much. While she is no longer with us, her legacy is for sure to live on through her kids, grandkids and great-grandkids that she leaves behind.

If I close my eyes, I can hear Lena's distinctive "down home" voice tell me about her latest escapade at Foxwoods or how good Sam did at his baseball game. Just the thought of her brings a smile to my face.

My deepest condolences to Pam, Karon, Billy, Pete, Paul and their families. Lena will be missed, but I know you all will continue to make her very proud.

Anna mastering scissors, hair fearing life

2011-09-27T17:04:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Well, Anna's preschool introduced our little girl to scissors and it's all downhill from here. She's doing a solid job of mastering how to cut things out, but I know it's only a matter of time until she lops off a big clump of hair.

I'd like to think that she's above that, but it's inevitable, right? That's a rhetorical question.

I have already convinced myself that it's going to happen, so I won't be shocked when it does. Call it reverse psychology if you want, but I call it being a realist.

Missy gets married

2011-09-18T14:10:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

One of Angie's best friends, Missy, got married on the Cape this weekend and we such had blast.

The ceremony was on Friday in Orleans, followed by a cookout at this amazing house they rented in Truro. With Angie being a bridesmaid, I knew Anna would get a kick out of Mommy and Aunt Missy dressed up as "princesses", so I made the up and back trip on Friday so the kids could enjoy day one of the wedding festivities.

Leo dominated the dance floor, per usual, and Anna had the time of her life playing with her new best friends Ayla and Aiden.

On Saturday morning, Vo Nezzie came to pick up the kids for the night and I was able to bum a ride back out to the Cape with Juan and Trish for the official reception to cap off the weekend bash.

There seriously is no better group of people on the planet than Angie's college friends and all the relationships that have spawned from them. With so many weddings and babies lately, we've been able to get together more than usual and it never disappoints.

Congrats to Missy and Corey and thanks for a great weekend... and one of the most spectacular sunset views I've ever seen...

Keithaholic at it again...

2011-09-14T18:14:00.005-04:00

By Katie Cardinal

I had the most amazing time in my entire life this weekend on my Canadian Keith Urban Road Tour with Sydney James. Check out MY blog at www.keithaholic.com to hear how awesome it was...

A tribute to Jack Grinold

2011-09-13T10:49:00.002-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

While The Cardinal Blog is all about the Cardinal family, I'd be remiss if I did not post this amazing tribute to a great man, Jack Grinold.

As a co-op student at Northeastern, I was fortunate enough to work for Jack for four years in the Sports Information office. Jack had a huge impact on my time at NU and the direction of my career path. I have never met someone more dedicated to his work and his work was truly his life.

Kudos to Northeastern's Joe Case for putting together this amazing video. It's a 10 minute video, but believe me, it's worth your time. Enjoy...

[WATCH VIDEO]

Payback's a b*tch

2011-09-11T21:54:00.003-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

For months now I've been saying that I can't wait for the day when Leo is able to dish out a little punishment to his older sister because Anna is forever torturing the kid. Well, it looks like that day has arrived.

This evening, Anna and Leo were being so cute just sitting on the couch together watching a movie, which prompted me to pull out the video camera and capture the precious moment. Precious indeed. Finally some sweet revenge for the little man :)

[WATCH VIDEO]

Anna goes to preschool

2011-09-08T09:31:00.001-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Our little girl is off to school. If you would've asked me prior to this morning, I would've bet that I would be somewhat emotional and sad about Anna's first day of preschool. But shockingly, I'm not.

She was just so excited and so cute about wearing her backpack and going to school that I found myself being more proud of her than emotional about the whole ordeal.

It is still absolutely mind-blowing that she's going to be four-years-old and is in preschool, but I'm OK with it... she's still Daddy's little girl... for now.

Leo steals the show, yet again

2011-08-14T09:36:00.001-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Ho hum. Another day, another show-stopping moment out of Leo.

I'm not sure if or when I'll ever be able to understand why or how Leo ends up stealing the show everywhere he goes. But, he just does. It's getting to be a little absurd.

We could be at the grocery store, waiting in traffic at a stop light or at a wedding. You name it, he ends up owning it and making everyone around him so happy.

Please witness Exhibit A...

[WATCH VIDEO]

Leo begins to walk

2011-08-09T15:53:00.002-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

And, he's off...

[WATCH VIDEO]

5th Anniversary of the Best Party Ever

2011-07-29T00:01:00.001-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Five years ago today, Angie and I threw the best party I've ever been to... also known as our wedding.

Nearly 300 guests. The best DJ around. Amazing food. A bouncy house. Eight kegs. I could go on and on and on.

But, there were really two things that made the day so special.

1) the people involved...

300 of our closest family and friends. My dad as Best Man. Sammy as the Maid of Honor. Vicky as Justice of the Peace. Heather on the flute. Readings by our sisters. Jimmy and Corey as DJs. Mandy's cake. Candy's flowers. Carl & Lynda's house. Muddah and Papa John. The food crew. The clean-up crew.

2) the little moments that I will never forget...

My dad's cherry toast. Wearing the cake, not eating it. The mother-son dance. JuJu eating corn. Carl on the golf cart with the kids. Grampa dancing. Uncles tending bar. The downpour. The sombreros. Shoeless Polgreen. Fusta the bride. Keg stands.

And, I'm sure I'm missing some key people and events.

Nonetheless, day one of our marriage set the bar extremely high, but the past five years have not disappointed for one second.

Our wedding day actually foreshadowed what the next five years would be all about: family, friends and fun. Those are the three things that we wanted to make our wedding all about and it's also what we've tried to make every day as husband and wife about.

The past five years have been hectic and full of significant life changes and milestones for us, both personally and professionally, but we couldn't be happier with where the journey has led us. And, I'm very proud of the family we have started, the relationship we've maintained and the direction that we're headed.

With three healthy and wonderful kids, families that we love dearly and friends that we couldn't live without, we feel like the luckiest people in the world.

I love you, Ang. Here's to not changing the locks on me for a few more years. Cheers!

Classic KIMism

2011-07-15T10:25:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

It's not every day that you are fortunate enough to experience a KIMism in person (unless you're my Mom), but boy oh boy was I treated to one while camping with my parents last week... and I have audio to prove it!

[If you're not a long-time follower of The Cardinal Blog, then you probably have no idea what a KIMism is... well, read the original post here.]

Anyway, this gem occurred while my Dad was playing his guitar as we sat around the campfire. For me, this was a real cool set of songs by my Dad because it was a lot of stuff I hadn't heard him play in years.

After listening to a cool version of "Don't let the sun catch you crying", made famous by Gerry & the Pacemakers in the mid-60s, he let out this priceless nugget (WARNING: a little 'choice' language).

I had to leave a little of our reaction in there because that part cracked me up too. There was about a one-second pause and then I start giggling like a school girl.

There are seriously no two people on this planet that Angie and I would rather hang out with than my parents. And that's a fact... especially if KIMisms are gonna be thrown around.

Fantastic Fourth

2011-07-05T12:10:00.004-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

I don't think I could script a better Fourth of July weekend for us if I tried. We packed as much stuff as we could into the long weekend and ran the kids (and ourselves) ragged, but it was such a blast.

[WARNING: You are about to embark on an epically long blog post now.]

Friday night we kicked off the festivities by hitting up a Worcester Tornadoes game. Leo was actually into the game for a few innings, which was kind of surprising. His fascination for balls and people watching skills were on display and everyone in our section clearly loved the little guy.

Anna's infatuation with Twister, the Tornadoes mascot, continued. She brought her Twister doll that we got her last year and couldn't wait to see him in real life when we got there. Once again, she spent nearly the entire game worrying/wondering about Twister's whereabouts.

Unlike last year though, she wasn't afraid to go up to him and say hello. She actually wanted to give him some of her popcorn, then milk, then cotton candy... we eventually convinced Anna he wasn't hungry, so she settled for a high-five and a hug from the furry "dog".

I got it all on video and her (and Angie) are so cute after... as Anna says, Twister was so "comfully".

While Leo didn't go in for any action with Twister, he was perfectly content just hanging out in the stands and playing with Mommy...

On Saturday, we headed down to Jamie and Maura's house in Stoughton for a Fourth of July cookout, but first we decided to brave the Atlantic Ocean on the kayaks with the kids down at Plymouth Harbor. Don't worry, I had done a significant amount of research to find a good spot that would be safe for us and Plymouth Harbor was exactly that.

We headed down to Stephens Field, right on the water in Plymouth, to put the kayaks in there. Plymouth Harbor was absolutely mobbed with boats, but it was great to navigate through them all to get to the Mayflower (replica) that is docked in the harbor, along with the Plymouth Rock.

The Mayflower replica was pretty cool, but other than the historical significance of the Plymouth Rock, I could not have been less impressed. I mean, there are larger boulders in my parents front yard... seriously.

After kayaking, we had a picnic lunch back at Stephens Field, let Anna explore the playground for a little bit, and then we were off to Jamie's for the cookout.

It was an absolutely perfect day for some burgers and beers with good friends. We ended up pitching our tent outback of Jamie's house and stayed the night.

We headed home on Sunday morning to unpack and repack and then we were off to Boston. Scott and his roommate were out of town for the weekend, so they graciously offered up their apartment to us for the weekend so we could enjoy the Fourth in the city with the kids... and we did just that.

Sunday afternoon we got settled at Scott's and ventured into the city. The weather didn't cooperate that much, so we had dinner, checked out a few things and then headed back for a relatively quiet night at the apartment.

Monday, however, wasn't so quiet.

We started off the day just walking around the city and checking out all the huge boats in the Boston Harbor. It was hot early, so we let the kids cool off at the Rings Fountain that's part of the Rose Kennedy Greenway.

Leo was slightly intimidated by the big jets of water at first, but a little help from Ang and he was in full attack mode.

Shockingly, we pretty much had the fountains to ourselves, which was great because Anna was a maniac in the thing. Running, jumping, sliding, sitting. You name it, she was doing it.

After the fountains, we headed over to the Old State House to watch the reading of the Declaration of Independence from the site where it was originally read in 1776...

This wasn't high on the priority list for Angie and the kids, but it's something I always wanted to do and it was cool... if you're somewhat of an American history fan, like myself. I know I'm biased, but Boston is the best city and the history around every corner is what helps make the place so special, without a doubt.

After the reading, we headed to meet up with Tiffany, Pete and the kids where we caught the parade rolling by in front of Faneuil Hall...

Next up, the New England Aquarium. Tiff and Pete recently purchased a big family pass and were happy to treat us to a day with the fish.

On our way over to the aquarium though, we got sidetracked again by the Rings Fountain as we let the kids cool off. Anna and Andrew have become rather inseparable lately, so to no one's surprise, they were even attached at the hip in the fountain. Leo didn't get to venture in this time as it was super crowded, but he was perfectly content hanging out with the adults... most notably Uncle Pete.

Finally on our way to the aquarium and the three big cousins couldn't be any happier as they walked hand-in-hand with Aunt Tiff...

The aquarium was a blast and probably my favorite part of the day. With Andrew as the tour guide, he basically took Anna through the aquarium, showing and telling her everything he had learned the day before when he was there too. Andrew is freakishly smart with an unreal memory... he's one apple that fell way off the tree.

Anyway, when we stopped in a little nook of the Giant Ocean Tank, the kids were priceless... screaming at the top of their lungs when they'd see sharks, Natalie joking with Pete to "throw her in", me getting Andrew to believe that a fish was whistling. I could go on and on. We were only at that spot for about 15 minutes, but it really summed up the day with Tiff and Pete and the kids... tons of fun!

After the Aquarium, we hit up Tia's on the Waterfront for lunch and then ice cream in Faneuil Hall before saying goodbye to the George's as they headed home.

We once again regrouped back at the apartment before making a late-night run out to catch the fireworks. Both kids were fast asleep, but we just had to get them out to see some of the fireworks.

Leo was an absolute trooper. He woke up the second we put him in the stroller at 9:15 p.m. and stayed awake until about 11:30 when we got back. And, we were so glad that we took them out for the fireworks because Leo was in sheer awe at the spectacle.

It was so dark on the Longfellow Bridge, that the videos I tried to take didn't come out, but he was oohing, ahhing and pointing the entire time.

Anna, however, was not interested in being woken up to catch the fireworks... at least we tried.

Well, I hope you're exhausted from reading this uber-long blog post... imagine how we feel after just living it. Excuse me while I try to sneak a nap in this afternoon.

PS: Special thanks again to Scott and "The Grizz" for letting us stay at their awesome Beacon Hill apartment. We had a blast!

Leo turns 1

2011-06-28T16:01:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

A year ago today, we were graced with the best-natured little boy that anyone could ever ask for when Leo Michael Cardinal was born.

It's insane to think that we've had the little guy for a full year now... as the last 365 days have been a complete whirlwind for us.

The leap parents must take going from having one young child to two young children is HUGE and Leo did his part to make this a stress-free transition for us. I mean, thrice he had double ear infections and never even cried about it. Talk about low maintenance, huh?

There are a lot of things that I could say about Leo. Like how I'm so proud to finally have a son. Like how psyched I am that he's a "big" kid. Or how much I love seeing him in Angie's arms. But, honestly the thing that I can't express enough about Leo is how happy he makes me each and every day.

I think most parents can say this about their kids. And, I know I said it about Anna, but Leo really takes this to a whole new level. The kid just makes me happy. In fact, he makes EVERYONE happy. There's really not much else to say. If you've met Leo, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. If you've been a shopper passing by him in the grocery store, you know exactly what I'm talking about. He's just this little infectious bundle of joy that makes people want to do two things:

1) Smile, and
2) Pinch his chubby cheeks.

That's it. Just thinking about him makes me smile ear-to-ear. We have been blessed with an amazingly good-natured kid that is always smiling and loves to make people laugh. He's such a treat and I am so excited to watch him grow up.

So, happy birthday Leo! Thanks for being you and for making me the happiest father in the world. I love you, big bud.

PS: My "happiness" may turn to fear the minute he starts walking... stay tuned.

Where's Waldo?

2011-06-20T20:57:00.001-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

And by Waldo, I mean, Where is K.J. at the US Open?...

[Click on the photos to enlarge]

Leo goes camping and kayaking

2011-06-14T14:25:00.001-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Summer officially began for us this past week as we took Leo on his first-ever camping and kayaking expedition.

We hit up Pawtuckaway State Park for four nights (well, three actually since one night was a "rainout" for us) and had a blast. The weather didn't cooperate the entire time we were there, but Friday was definitely one of the most enjoyable days with the wife and kids I've ever had.

The campground is right on Pawtuckaway Lake (we were at sites 75/76 on Horse Island), so we set out on the kayaks for a little exploring. The lake is great because there are tons of small islands with lots of spots to park your kayak for remote fun.

We ended up docking at the campground store, hit up the beach next to it and then got the kids' ice cream there. It was so great finally being able to take both kids out to do something cool like this. Anna was in her glory and Leo was a treat as always.

I snapped this video of Leo eating his apple in the kayak with me. It got wedged between his chest and his life vest, but that didn't stop him from eating it. I actually think he preferred eating it this way, as he is a pretty lazy eater...

[WATCH VIDEO]

Leo was also happy as a clam to just be in the tent. He got a pretty big kick out of it (as this video shows), so needless to say, we'll probably be camping and kayaking a whole lot more this summer...

[WATCH VIDEO]

On Sunday night, Meme and Papa brought their motorhome and camped with us... as if the kids weren't in their glory already.

Leo and Anna both got to jump on Meme's bed and asked after what her favorite part of camping was, Anna said, "having a pillow fight with Meme."

Anyway, it was a fantastic way to start the summer for us. Now excuse me while I take a nap.

Tornado misses us in Hudson

2011-06-02T07:30:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Thankfully the tornado missed us last night out in Hudson, but it was a surreal scene that I have never witnessed before as our entire house was surrounded by lightning. Check it out...

[WATCH VIDEO]

Leo putting his bucket on his head

2011-05-16T20:15:00.001-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

My little buddy is learning new tricks everyday...

[WATCH VIDEO]

As an aside, this HD movie and photos were all taken and edited directly on my iPhone. Took about 10 minutes from start to finish... technology is pretty slick, isn't it?

It's official: He'll eat anything

2011-05-13T20:26:00.001-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Leo 1, Lemon 0.

[WATCH VIDEO]

Leo's first haircut

2011-05-08T17:26:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

In an impromptu move, Angie decided that she wanted to give Leo his first haircut today. Being Mother's Day and all, how on earth could I say no, right?

Actually, I was all for it too. Sammy seemed a little incredulous. And Anna was a little disinterested, but we went ahead with it anyway. These photos really tell the story...

Three things I just need to say here:
1) I had to include that photo of Leo crying, but he actually loved getting his haircut 90% of the time.
2) Leo is no longer a baby or an infant, he's a little boy. And,
3) My wife is perdy.

Leo's first Easter

2011-04-26T09:37:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Sunday marked Leo's first Easter and our annual trip to Ludlow was in order.

Anna was particularly psyched in the morning, not only because the Easter Bunny hid Squinkies throughout her room, but because she got to see her cousins and go on Vó Nezzie's "jump-a-room" (AKA: trampoline).

Nezzy made a feast that got approval by all, especially Leo as he had ham for the first time and sweet potatoes.

By mid afternoon the house was an absolute zoo with kids galore running around all hopped up on sugar and we had a blast.

Here were a couple priceless pics I snapped, but you can check out more photos on facebook.

Anna learns to ride

2011-04-25T08:33:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Spring has arrived and with it comes a slew of kids in our neighborhood that are forever riding bikes around the block... the biggest difference this year is that Anna is quickly becoming one of those kids.

Angie knocked the dust off Anna's hand-me-down bike (from a neighbor), slapped the Dora helmet on her and away she went. Anna showed no fear, which was awesome.

Anna still doesn't quite grasp the concept of stopping or turning (much like me when I first learned to ski), but that doesn't stop her from going like a bat out of hell down the sidewalk, giggling the whole way.

Leo turns nine months

2011-03-28T16:45:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Nine months of this "little" buddy have been so much fun. I know a lot of parents have tough times when their kids are babies and infants, but Leo has been so awesome.

For example, about a month ago, we were commenting that Leo seemed a little "off" and then a few days later he opened his mouth and had six teeth. I know the teething process for some kids makes parents want to gouge their eyes out, but Leo took it in stride... which is what he really does with everything in our crazy lives... flashing his infectious smile the whole way.

Leo had his nine-month check-up today and continues to impress the doctor. The little guy tips the scales at a healthy 26 pounds, nine ounces (99th percentile... finally back ON the charts), is 29" tall (87th percentile) and has a head circumference that ranks in the 96th percentile.

I think people who say it isn't fair or right to compare children are either crazy or don't have a blog to use as their reference. I mean, when you look back at when Anna turned nine months, she had four teeth, weighed 20 pounds, 3 ounces, was 28.25" tall and had a head circumference in the 80th percentile. It's neat to compare Leo to Anna like that. Kind of puts everything in perspective for me.

While it may be easy to compare their stats, the difference in Anna and Leo's personalities is probably more of a reflection of how Angie and I have changed and how we (mostly me) had more of a clue what to expect the second time around as a parent to an infant.

Leo's just a feel-good kind of kid. Anna was, and obviously still is, our little performer, but it doesn't seem like Leo's personality traits are headed as much in that direction. Anna makes you die laughing by being goofy and putting on a show (see Exhibit A), while Leo makes you feel so warm and fuzzy just by smiling or tilting his head with that adorable look on his face (see Exhibit B at left).

Sure, comparing the children is fun to do and has some tangibles to it, but there's really no comparison with how lucky we feel to be blessed with another happy and healthy child. I'll let you debate who's cuter, I think it's a push...

Anna discovers Photo Booth

2011-03-20T22:44:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Anna discovered the Photo Booth app on my Mac today and proceeded to ham it up, big time. If you can watch this without cracking up, then you need to check your pulse.

[WATCH VIDEO]

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T20:00:00.002-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

This little buddy makes me smile

2011-03-16T23:11:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Leo starts to crawl

2011-03-14T21:23:00.001-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

[WATCH VIDEO]

"Pals" jinxed by post

2011-02-14T14:12:00.000-05:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Well, that didn't take long.

On the heals of Saturday's Play Pals post, I think I may have jinxed the great relationship between my two kiddos as Anna let her true colors come through during today's playdate with James.

Here's a brief recap of the day with three photos.

The three kids do their best zombie impressions while watching Toy Story 2.

Anna is enamored by the cute boys that surround her.

Anna turns on Leo in an instant as he tries to play with her ball.

Sorry, Leo, but the honeymoon may be over.

Play pals

2011-02-12T21:56:00.000-05:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Anna and Leo have turned out to be great play pals. Basically, Anna puts on a show and Leo sits back, watches and laughs. It's really a win-win for everyone because Anna loves to make people laugh and Leo loves to giggle.

I'm sure there will come a day when Anna and Leo at each other's throats (right, Tiff?), but at least I'll have this video to remind me how cute they used to play together.

[WATCH VIDEO]

Anna & Leo's first hockey game

2011-02-01T19:30:00.000-05:00

By K.J. Cardinal

In perfect fashion, Anna and Leo's first hockey game was none other than one of Ethan's games at the New England SportsCenter on Saturday morning.

With Ethan's Bantam team playing in a three-game, two-day tournament less than 10 minutes from our house, Bill and Ethan came down to stay with us for the tourney.

Ethan had a rough schedule which consisted of a 10:30 p.m. night cap on Friday night, an 8:30 a.m. contest on Saturday morning and then a 9:30 p.m. game on Saturday night. Crazy.

That schedule obviously meant that the only game we'd be able to take the kids to was the Saturday morning game. So, we bundled everyone up and off we went.

Leo obviously had no clue what was going on, but looked adorable in his "fuddy duddy" hat, and Anna seemed to like the Zamboni and arcade in the lobby more than anything. Nonetheless, it was their first hockey game.

More important than the actual games was the fact that we got to hang out with Bill and Ethan for two-straight days. I can honestly say that it's been about 15 years since I've been able to say that... which is a shame and something I'm hoping to change because Bill's always been one of my all-time favorite people and Ethan is following in his footsteps, that's for sure.

Anyway, the best part of the whole weekend was learning that Anna shared the same affinity for Bill and Ethan that I do. On Saturday, there was a lot of time between games and we just hung out at our house. Anna used this time to make Bill her play date... which was hilarious.

The two were making puzzles together, horsing around on the couch, playing catch in the kitchen and basically anything else that Anna could think of. After a good while of playing together, Bill sat down on the couch to get a break and Anna relentlessly came over to him and asked him to play some more. I was doing my best to interject and convince Anna to give Bill a break, but once she said to Bill, "You're my best friend. Do you want to come play with me?", all bets were off. I mean, not only did that leave me speechless, but it really left Bill with no choice, but to go play with his new BFF. It was classic Anna.

The icing on the cake of this great weekend was seeing Ethan score a goal in his final game on Saturday night. What a perfect way to cap a great weekend. Thanks for coming down guys. Hopefully we can do it again sooner rather than later... I mean, Anna can't go long without seeing her new bestie.

Love ya (cluck)

2011-01-31T18:55:00.000-05:00

By K.J. Cardinal

[

Isn't she just too much?

Angie and I can't even remember how this began, but for some reason, Anna and I have been saying goodbye to each other for months now by saying "Lova ya" and then "clucking" at the end.

It's turned into my "1, 2, 3.... 4". Only my immediately family probably understands what I mean by that, but it's just a special thing that somehow Anna and I started that has now evolved into me, Angie, Sammy, Anna and Leo saying it to each other on a daily basis.

Hey Anna... love ya (cluck)!

[WATCH VIDEO]

The champ's here...

2011-01-31T18:34:00.001-05:00

Leo rocking the greatest gift ever... his C's bathrobe with embroidered name. Thanks Ben & Lynsey!

The Year in Photos: 2010

2011-01-01T09:09:00.004-05:00

[WATCH VIDEO]

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T00:01:00.024-05:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Merry Christmas everyone! Today is sure to be the best Christmas of my life, thanks to these two little kiddos. I hope everyone enjoys time with their families because I know I will. Ho ho ho!

And... here's our "Christmas card" in case you haven't seen it yet. Enjoy!

[WATCH VIDEO]

Morsh

2010-12-20T19:13:00.001-05:00

By K.J. Cardinal

What the hell is a "morsh" you ask? It's the key ingredient in the cutest Christmas song ever heard. Take a listen and I think you'll agree.

Anna turns 17

2010-12-19T16:52:00.000-05:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Not really, but my little girl looks so old (and so adorable) in this photo. I'm gonna be in trouble when she really does turn 17. Excuse me while I load my gun.

Family Christmas Party 2010

2010-12-19T09:06:00.002-05:00

By K.J. Cardinal

For the second-straight year Tiff and Pete graciously hosted both sides of our family at their house for a Christmas ripper on Saturday. It is absolutely one of my favorite days of the year, so thanks guys for throwing such a great bash once again.

Holiday festivities this year are going to be extra special for us as we now have "little" Leo to experience numerous "firsts" and Anna is at the absolute best age for Christmas.

The day was filled with food, laughs and presents, but my favorite part about both sides of our family is that it's always all about the kids. And boy did they steal the show... particularly Leo.

He has got to be the best natured baby I've ever been around. Everyone was playing "pass the baby" all day and pretty much every photo of him throughout the day shows him smiling away and enjoying himself... this is so evident in the photo of him and Auntie Carol... one of my favorite photos of all-time. I honestly don't know who's having more fun.

Anna got her fix of cousins and uncles on the day too, that's for sure. Like usual, Anna had a blast playing with Kaeleigh and Marisa, but also got some solid time in with Uncle Jim and Uncle Bill. One of the classic moments of the day was watching Anna parade Uncle Jim around the house, holding hands and playing... so cute. And the way she says "Uncle Bill" is simply priceless.

Anyway, the holiday season has officially begun for our family and we can't wait for next weekend's festivities in Ludlow and back at Tiff and Pete's again on Christmas day.

On a side note: How gorgeous are these two?

Belated birthday celebration

2010-12-12T19:31:00.000-05:00

By K.J. Cardinal

We capped off a great weekend today by having my parents down for a belated birthday celebration for my mom.

It's sad to say, but I hadn't seen my parents in over a month and I was definitely jonesing for a fixin' of Meme and Papa.

We celebrated the only way we know how, with good food, good drinks and great company. We supplied the lobster, my parents brought the filets and a full-fledged Cardinal celebration ensued.

Papa did his best to tire Anna out... or maybe it was the other way around??? Either way, those two were in their glory playing together, which was perfectly fine with Meme as she got to spend some serious QT with Leo.

The best part of today's get together is that it officially marks the start of the holiday season. Today was the first of at least three-straight weekends we get to see my folks. The holidays truly don't get any better for me as work slows down and family time picks up.

Happy birthday, Mom! Thank you guys so much for making the trip down to see us! We can't wait to spend the next couple weekends with you guys and the kiddos.

Christmas Tree 2010

2010-12-11T19:37:00.000-05:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Today we were able to continue our family tradition of cutting down our Christmas tree on Papa's birthday. The original Leo Cardinal would have been 95 years old today.

This year's tradition had extra meaning for us as it was the first time having a little Leo Cardinal of our own in tow to help carry on the tradition. Obviously Leo didn't have much of an active role in the process this year, but it was definitely a special occasion and his namesake would have been proud.

Anna, however, was VERY active in the whole process. She helped pick out the tree, helped cut it down and provided entertainment along the way.

We told her she could pick out whatever tree she wanted. At first she liked this idea, but then she was a little bummed when we informed her that she couldn't get this little sapling that she seemed to love.

In the end, Anna helped pick from the handful of full-size trees that we chose. It was a good compromise, but in hind sight, I kind of wish we would've gone with the sapling just because she was so cute posing with it.

At the end of the day, I noticed something that caught me off guard a little and left me a little teary-eyed. Behind where we parked, there was a shed housing an old Ford tractor.

Sure it wasn't the right color or the same model as Papa's old, red tractor, but the fact that a 50-plus-year-old Ford tractor was sitting there staring at me on this day brought back a lot of memories.

When I asked the elderly man that owned and operated the tree farm about the tractor, he was quite proud of his old machine that he's owned "forever" and still uses to this day to plow snow.

Talk about the most fitting way to end our annual tree cutting tradition. Little Leo was with us in body, but the original Leo Cardinal was also clearly with us in spirit. We miss you, Papa.

Anna the elf

2010-12-04T08:56:00.000-05:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Well, Christmas season is officially upon us and Anna has become addicted to Elf the movie.

She definitely takes after her dad and Aunt Kate as she is quoting the movie already. Take a listen to these two little nuggets I captured: Buddy the elf | Cotton-headed.

I can't wait for Christmas this year, Anna is at the perfect age. And, work should slow down enough so I can catch my breath and actually update everyone on my cute kiddos. Stay tuned.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-09T07:59:00.000-05:00

By K.J. Cardinal

I know Halloween was almost two weeks ago, but I still had to get this post up.

Well, the loyal followers of The Cardinal Blog had their voices heard as Leo donned his Candy Corn costume for his first Halloween, much to the dismay of his father.

Spiderman made a valiant late run in the online poll, but Candy Corn edged him out 33-31... Rudolph garnered a measly seven votes. Thanks to everyone who voted.

While this was Leo's first Halloween, the holiday ended up being all about Anna. She experienced Halloween festivities at Intel, downtown Hudson, daycare and of course Gerry Drive on Halloween night.

At Curious Kids, all the kiddos strutted their stuff in their Halloween costumes with Anna being "Tinkerbell." I finally got to snap a pic of Anna with her buddy Noah (AKA Woody), so it was a momentous occasion.

After the gathering at day care, we headed downtown for trick-or-treating at the local businesses in Hudson. With very long lines at every stop, Anna was able to eat the piece of candy she just received before we were even able to get to the next store. Thankfully she was tired and didn't mind us heading home a little sooner than anticipated.

Halloween night was once again a blast. As was the case two years ago, the highlight of the night for me came prior to trick-or-treating when we handed out candy at our house. Every time the trick-or-treaters would ring the doorbell, no matter where Anna was in the house, she'd scream and come running to see the kids.

This year I let Anna hand out the candy too, which was pretty comical. I would hold a big basket up for her and she would reach in and dish it out to the kids. Some kids would get one or two pieces, while someone would get seven or eight. There didn't seem to be a rhyme or reason, but I'm sure our "generosity" got mixed results from trick-or-treaters throughout town.

We had over 100 trick-or-treaters, which was awesome. We nearly ran out of candy and toward the end of the night, Anna was getting somewhat stingy with the candy and wouldn't even consider giving any kids the remaining few boxes of Nerds, as those were definitely her favorite candy of Halloween 2010.

All-in-all it was a very successful holiday. It took Anna a few days to come down from her sugar high, but there is still some Halloween candy in the house, which is always a parent's best friend as a bargaining chip.

Every year Halloween seems to get a little more exciting for us and I'm sure next year will be the best yet when Leo's walking around...

Cardinal Vault XXI: You want some?

2010-10-29T10:30:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Last night I was doing some work and somehow stumbled upon this old clip of Anna that I just had to post. So, the 21st installment of The Cardinal Vault brings us all the way back to September 23, 2009.

You want some?

Leo turns four months old

2010-10-28T09:16:00.000-04:00

By Angie Cardinal

Well, it's obvious that Pack Network is flourishing these days as KJ doesn't have as much time as he'd like to update the blog with posts of our adorable little Leo. So, I've decided to step up and help remedy the situation by trying my hand in this blogging business. Here's an update from me, Angie, on my little mama's boy.

Physically, Leo is still off the charts. He had his check up this morning and now weighs 21 lbs 14 oz and is 27 inches long. When it comes to Leo's behavior, he's a role model for all babies out there. He's sleeping through the night now (Yay!) and has put himself on a consistent napping regiment throughout the day. As you can imagine, Leo is a champion eater. I'll take some video of him eating his cereal and post it soon. It could be a little foreshadowing of his competitive eating career.

I return to work this coming Monday, so Leo will start day care next week. We made a visit last week so he could meet his "teachers" and new "friends" in the Infant room at Curious Kids. This is the same day care where Anna goes to preschool which makes my return to work a little bit easier this time around since we know and trust the teachers and staff.

During Leo's 9 + 1/2 month gestation, both Meme and Vo Nezzy (aka Darlene and Ines) have told me there's nothing like a mother's love for her son. I didn't doubt them one bit, but I couldn't have fully understood their words until I experienced the way Leo looks at me. I don't know how to describe it but he does in fact have a way of connecting with me a little differently than either Sammy or Anna did. I am truly blessed!

Opening Night 2010

2010-10-26T20:49:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

There used to be a time in my life when I'd be so bummed if I wasn't in the building for a big game like tonight's Celtic home opener against the Heat. But Opening Night festivities at our house tonight couldn't be matched anywhere.

During the preseason this year, I busted out some of my Celtics paraphernalia (rally towels, thunder sticks and wrist bands) and Anna really took to it. I used it as my way of getting her into the games and it has worked like a charm.

Sure we spend most of the first quarter bopping each other in the head with the thunder sticks, but she'll get into the game a little bit with her patented "yessssss!" when the Celtics score. And, she'll dip into her bag of tricks and do an occasional "whoooo!" and wave her rally towel. It's pretty fun... until she gets sick of it, right around halftime and is ready to move on to something else.

Anyway, Leo threw on his Pierce jersey/onesie (thanks Adam & Holly!) and fit right in. He is pretty amused by anything Anna does, so thunder sticks and rally towels really grabbed his attention.

I am already looking forward to the day when I can take both of them to a Celtics game. Some of my favorite memories with my Dad have come watching the Celtics both in person and on TV, when I was a kid and an adult. So in my mind, they can't be too young to get addicted to the Celtics. It's in there blood, so they really don't have a choice in the matter. GO C's!

Meow

2010-10-19T19:53:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

I can't get enough of that audio clip of Anna I posted yesterday. I have probably listened it to 100 times and can't help but laugh each time.

So, I've decided to try to make the audio clips a regular occurrence. When asked what she's going to be for Halloween, listen to what Anna said.

NOTE: Anna is actually going to be Tinkerbell for Halloween... but don't be surprised if Daddy buys her a kitty cat costume if she's going to meow like that :)

Really, really delicious

2010-10-18T21:31:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Anna LOVES chocolate. Just listen to what she has to say about it.

2010 Halloween polls are open!

2010-10-17T20:36:00.001-04:00

By Angie Cardinal

The past three years, The Cardinal Blog has featured a voting poll so followers could determine which adorable Halloween costume Anna sported on Halloween. Last year your voices were heard as Anna was monkey-ing around Hudson. In 2008, she had a yabba dabba doo time as Pebbles Flintstone, while in 2007, a three-week-old Anna rocked a chili pepper costume at the request of the Cardinal Blog majority.

This year Anna has decided to be Tinkerbell, thus shunning the vote of the populous, and has her costume waiting in the wings. So naturally, Leo "willingly" becomes the subject of our 2010 Halloween poll to keep the tradition alive!

Your choices this year are:

CANDY CORN

SPIDERMAN

RUDOLPH

Sammy helped get these photos together so you can make an informed decision in exercising your Cardinal Blog follower's right to vote.

The poll, which is posted in the column on the right, will close at 5 p.m. on Thursday, October 28, so be sure to get your votes in soon!

Note: You facebookers out there, log on to TheCardinalBlog.com to cast your vote today!

Apple pickin'

2010-10-09T13:20:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Three glorious years

2010-10-05T17:47:00.001-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

26,280 hours. That's how long we've been fortunate enough to have Anna in our lives. Our baby girl turns three today.

The last three years have been the craziest, most hectic time in my life and I wouldn't change a thing. Watching Anna grow and being able to have a direct influence on her every move (good and bad) has been such a challenging and rewarding privilege.

She is turning into quite the little girl who always keeps us on our toes and that's probably what I love the most about her. You never know what she's going to do or say and she's a ball of energy and passion.

Her "passion" can sometimes come through in feisty ways, but when it comes to that, the good outweighs the bad by a long shot. I've always lived my life passionately and the fact that at three years old Anna is passionate really makes me proud.

She is funny and playful. She is tough and determined. She is independent and carefree. She is loving and caring. She is smart and beautiful. She is a good sister and a fun cousin.

She is so much more than I ever thought my daughter would be and I can't believe that she's already three years old. I really wish I could bottle her up at this age and just never have her grow older. Obviously that can't happen, but it just shows how much I love my little three-year-old.

Happy Birthday Anna! We love you more than you will ever know.

Cruisin'

2010-09-12T21:12:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

My obsession with my newest toy spread to New Hampshire this weekend as we went up to visit my family.

After seeing the footage from my ride with Anna, my Dad seemed to be into the idea of hooking the camera on his motorcycle, so that's exactly what we did. Such a cool perspective.

[WATCH VIDEO]

TIP: If the HD video is loading too slowly for you, click the up arrow in the bottom right corner of the video player next to the number (720p) and select small size (360p, 480p). Or, get a better internet connection.

Anna's chariot

2010-09-09T14:01:00.022-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Anna benefited from a little Pack Network R&D this morning as I brought her to daycare in her little chariot.

For work, we recently purchased this tiny little HD camera that you can pretty much mount anywhere. The dimensions on the camera are 1.6” x 2.4” x 1.2”, so it really is tiny. And, it shoots standard and wide-angle 1080p HD video. It's legit.

In just two days, this camera has already turned into my favorite toy and will be sure to provide some unique perspectives on anything and everything I can think of. Enjoy the show!

[WATCH VIDEO]

TIP: If the HD video is loading too slowly for you, click the up arrow in the bottom right corner of the video player next to the number (720p) and select small size (360p, 480p). Or, get a better internet connection.

Off the charts

2010-09-09T11:37:00.001-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Well, well, well. Leo had his 10 week check-up today and the "little" guy is OFF THE CHARTS.

The doctor said that his percentiles for height and weight are so high that they are literally off the chart... meaning he's above the 99th percentile in both categories.

Leo is already up to 25 inches long and... wait for it... 17 pounds, 2 ounces. Good lord.

As a point of reference, at 18 weeks Anna weighed 15 pounds, 1.5 ounces (80th percentile). And, at nine months, she weight 20 pounds, 3 ounces (75th percentile). This kids' gonna be a beast.

I'm expecting a phone call from ABC any day now to start shooting the pilot for a new reality series called "Leo vs."

Leo giggles

2010-09-08T09:29:00.002-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

For some reason Leo loves the feel of my goatee so much that it makes him giggle.

[WATCH VIDEO]

I Can Die a Happy Woman...

2010-09-06T11:38:00.003-04:00

By Katie Lou Urban...I mean, Cardinal

Come one, come all and read the story of the YEAR!!! For those of you who DIDN'T get a hysterical phone call from me on Saturday - I GOT TO MEET KEITH URBAN! It was literally the best moment in my entire life...so much that I still find myself pinching my skin every now and then to make sure it wasn't just a dream. For the FULL story, please visit MY blog at keithaholic.com.

Anna has a hat, whaddaya think of that.

2010-09-01T21:15:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Those of you who have seen Anna in the past few months may have experienced her "Hat Song" that she learned at daycare. Well, Tuesday was "Hat Day" at daycare, so to get her fired up for the occasion, we all wore hats in the morning. Anna was pretty cute in her cowgirl hat, but the little guy really stole the show...

Take her out to the ballgame

2010-09-01T20:52:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Nearly the entire time while we were on our road trip odyssey, Anna provided the entertainment. Singing was more often than not her method of amusement and Take Me Out To The Ballgame was probably sung a few hundred times... and it never got old. Take a listen and I think you'll agree.

Leo's first road trip

2010-08-26T00:45:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

The insanity that is our lives these days yielded Leo's first road trip last week and without a doubt he proved to be an unbelievably portable baby.

Over the course of six days, we traveled over 1400 miles, visited four states and stayed in four different hotels... and the little guy didn't miss a beat the entire time.

We left Hudson on Friday morning for Rochester, N.Y. A friend of mine, Jeremy Friel, was getting married on Saturday and I was the wedding videographer. Having to stop every three hours or so to feed Leo, we ended up being rather pressed for time for me to make the rehearsal. Thankfully we made it with a few minutes to spare.

The rehearsal was straight forward and didn't take too long, and then we were off to find a little local flavor for dinner. We ended up stumbling across this cool spot right on Lake Ontario, The Pelican's Nest. Anna was in such an awesome mood that she really stole the show at the entire restaurant.

At 9 p.m. a local cover band was set to play, so near the end of dinner they started their sound check. Anna was so into it. All she wanted to do was cover her ears with both hands and stand there and stare at the band. It reminded me of how she is with fireworks... you're not sure if she likes it, but then once they'd stop, she'd beg for more. It was hilarious.

Saturday was pretty much all about the wedding for me, while Angie took the kiddos to the pool at our second hotel of the trip. The wedding was great and it was fun to get to spend time with the entire Friel clan... New Hampshire's finest.

On Sunday morning, we woke up and had breakfast in the hotel with the other wedding guests. After a great breakfast, we hit the road without a plan. Those of you who know Angie and I, know that we often have the most fun when we don't have a plan... kind of like on our honeymoon when we ended up staying a night in the guest bedroom at a winemaker's house in the middle of his family vineyard in Sonoma... but I digress. Well, this wasn't quite that good, but it was still a blast.

First up, we were cruising on the highway, about to blow through Buffalo, N.Y., when I said, to Angie, "Google 'the birthplace of buffalo wings' and see what restaurant comes up." Sure enough, the first result was the Anchor Bar... so off we went.

This place was a combination of dive bar and hole in the wall... definitely right up our alley. We obviously ordered wings, which were very good... nothing earth-shattering about the wings, but tasty.

After lunch, it was back on the road again, with our destination this time being Erie, Pa. While we were at lunch, I was searching for things to do in the area and found out that the Erie County (N.Y.) Fair was ending that night.

So, Angie threw Leo in her little baby sling, we woke Anna up from her nap and put her in the stroller and off to the fair we went. Angie was once again a super good girl and was all excited to try out some of the awesome fair rides.

We quickly realized that Anna is probably at the worst age for these fair rides... too short for the rides she wants to go on and too big for the baby rides. Once she laid her eyes on the Super Slide though, that's what she wanted to do. Luckily for us, the attendant of the ride didn't bother checking Anna's height, so we snuck in and up the stairs we went.

Anna was a jabberjaws the whole way up the stairs and was visible ecstatic to go down the slide. We sat next to each other and down we went. We were about half way down, when Anna's momentum got the best of her and she banged her head on the slide pretty hard... Angie got this picture which is actually kind of funny (knowing that Anna is OK) because this is the exact moment when she fell back and smacked her head.

I knew that Anna was more scared than hurt, but she was actually pretty shooken up by the whole incident. So, I diverted her attention by pointing out the huge bouncy house obstacle course ride they had. This seemed like a good idea, but nearly turned into a huge disaster for her.

To make a long story short, she couldn't make it through the obstacle course, so the ride attendant (donning a sick mullet) helped her out of the bouncy house just a minute into going through the five minute course. Anna didn't realize that she missed out on nearly the entire ride and was eager to get in line for another ride, when over her shoulder, I saw the bouncy house attendant hollering for help because the bouncy house lost its air and was collapsing down on kids.

Thank God Anna got off that ride before that happened because she definitely would've been trapped in there. And, while she probably wouldn't have been hurt, she may have been scarred for life by fair rides after her Super Slide incident too.

Anyway, we capped our day at the fair by checking out the Stunt Dogs show. This was BY FAR Anna's favorite thing of the day... I know, shocking it was better than the near concussion or entrapment of the fair rides. But, this was actually really cool.

These dogs were up on this small stage... probably 30' x 30'... and doing all sorts of tricks. The final trick of the show was a contest between two of the dogs to see who could jump higher. Amazingly, one of the dogs cleared 62"... I was floored to see this and as you can see, Anna was too...

We left the fair around 10 p.m. and headed to Erie. The second half of the trip wasn't nearly as good as the first half.

In a word, Erie, Pennsylvania is depressing. We checked out Presque Isle State Park, which had potential, but it was rainy and windy, so we couldn't take advantage of the dozen or so beaches and ponds. We drove around for two hours trying to find a good spot to eat and ended up settling on a chain restaurant across the street from our hotel. Pretty sad.

On Tuesday, we got up and headed to Moon Township, Pa. for a training session I had scheduled at Robert Morris University. We were able to squeeze in a lunch at this cool cafe in Sewickley and hit up an old-school candy store for Anna.

We capped off the trip by driving til about midnight and crashing at a hotel just outside of Scranton.

As you can see, there was a lot going on and the trip was a blast. Angie proved once again why I married her as she was such a trooper with the kids while I had to work and agreeing to the crazy road trip in the first place. I wasn't looking forward to being away from my family for six days straight, so we turned that potential negative into a huge positive and had a blast.

I can't believe that the new athletic season is here already. The summer went by like a blur, but at least we got to cap it off with a solid road trip.

Best Friends Are We, My Sister and Me

2010-08-25T10:13:00.002-04:00

By Katie Lou Cardinal

I know this blog was set up to talk about the adorable little kiddos of the Cardinal family, but I just had to post because I'm SO EXCITED for Sunday. No folks, I'm not spending the day with Keith Urban, but with the amazing, beautiful, intelligent.....TIFFANY GEORGE! On Sunday I got a call from Tiffany asking if I was doing anything this coming Sunday. Fortunately, Sunday is my day off from ALL jobs, so Tiffany and I are spending a day together...AT FOXWOODS! You may ask yourself, could this get any better?!?! YES...We are going to CIRQUE DREAMS JUNGLE FANTASY!!! The plan is to leave New Hampshire at some point on Sunday morning, travel down to the Foxwoods area where we will check into our hotel and take the shuttle to Foxwoods to *hopefully* win some mula and drink our faces off (...well, I will at least). At 7pm we will attend the awesome new Cirque show (that I've been wanting to see for years) and have a wonderful night with just the two of us. I know to a lot of people this seems like just a fun little trip for two sisters, but really it's so much more. Obviously I love my nieces and nephews SO much, but it's always so much fun to just spend time with your sibling. I'm so excited and so grateful that Tiffany asked me to join her on this awesome adventure. I can't wait! LOVE YOU SISTER!

The Cardinal Blog turns three

2010-08-16T19:49:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

It's hard to believe, but three years ago today, The Cardinal Blog was born.

What started off as a way of keeping my mother up-to-date on all things related to her soon-to-be granddaughter has really evolved into one of the greatest creations of my life... second only to my children, of course... which without whom would make this blog rather boring.

Over the course of three years, I've blogged about pretty much everything from being a work-at-home dad to watching my favorite team capture an NBA title. And, it continually amazes me how many people are paying attention.

Not a week goes by when I don't run into someone that is mentioning the blog. When I decided to do a running diary of Angie's induction day for the birth of Leo, the blog had nearly 1,000 hits for the big event. I'm not sure if I should be flattered or frightened.

Either way, the blog is clearly here to stay. And, even though my posts are more sporadic these days with an increased work-load, I'm proud that I've managed to get up nearly 400 posts over three years.

The two motivating factors that drive me to do the blog are my mom and my children. My mother is so appreciative of the time I put in, that it makes it all worth it. And, my kids someday will look back at the blog and think one of two things... "I'm so lucky my dad stuck with this blog to chronicle my life" or, "Wow, my dad's a total nerd." A combination of the two is probably most likely.

Anyway, thanks for reading and continue to enjoy the show.

Child labor

2010-08-10T14:39:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Just over six weeks old and Leo's primed to be the next Pack Network employee... thanks to this awesome onesie that Norm got the little guy.

One thing I can promise, he's going to be an awfully cute nerd... Leo... not Norm.

Leo meets the Lords

2010-08-08T09:38:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Yesterday Leo got to meet one of my all-time favorite families... the Lords. Bill, Kathy, Ethan and Kaeleigh were in the area for a hockey equipment sale and we parlayed that into a day of hanging out at our house.

We had a blast as it was really a love-fest all around.

Ethan took to Leo, kind of like how I took to Ethan when he was a little kid. The age difference is about the same, so it's a good comparison. On several occasions Ethan tried to talk Bill and Kathy into having another little one, but I don't think he'll have much luck there :)

It was so great to hang out with Bill and to get to see him with Leo. The males in our family all have a great way with kids where they gravitate to kids and vice versa... so we were all in our glory.

Not only did Leo and Bill get some good time together, but by the end of the night, Anna was sitting on Bill's lap and gave him a big kiss when they left. No disrespect to Bill though, but he wasn't Anna's favorite on the day... that title, without question, goes to Kaeleigh.

Anna shadowed Kaeleigh all day and the two became fast friends. Most girls Kaeleigh's age would probably be annoyed by having such a relentless shadow, but not Kaeleigh... she seemed to love it.

Anyway, Angie and I had such a great time too. Those of you who know them can attest that Bill and Kathy are two of the easiest going, fun people to hang out with. With a collective six kids between our families, life is so busy, but we are hopeful that we can make a conscious effort to hang out more often... with the love-fest that goes on, it just seems like the right thing to do.

Thanks so much for coming down, guys. Hopefully we'll see you all (and Sam) soon!

Leo's first ballgame

2010-08-06T23:47:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Despite being only 40 days old, we took Leo to his first ever baseball game tonight as the Worcester Tornadoes hosted the New Jersey Jackals.

Our swaddled little bundle of joy was as perfect as could be. For most of the night, Angie had him cocooned to her body in this Moby contraption and he was as snug as a bug in a rug.

Seriously, he loves that thing. But then again, what man wouldn't love one of those things... being pressed against a woman's chest with nowhere to go... but I digress.

He will obviously have no recollection of the game, but it's just already evident that with our second child we are letting our guard down a little. I mean, we didn't take Anna to her first baseball game until last year, when she was just over a year-and-a-half.

Speaking of which, Anna absolutely LOVED the entire night. She actually paid attention to the game for the first few innings, which was rather shocking. After that, it was all about the Tornadoes' mascot, Twister.

We bought her this little Twister doll right when we got to the park and her infatuation began. Once she saw the real mascot on the field prior to the game, she had to know where he was at all times.

What was comical though, was when I took her to go up to him to say "hi". She wanted absolutely NOTHING to do with him. She was clinging to my leg (which NEVER happens) and said, "Daddy, hold me." Even with me holding her, she didn't want to say "hi", give him a high five or nothing. I guess she prefers to stalk mascots, not have a real relationship with them.

Well, after the game, they had their Friday fireworks and it was once again a great showing. Like always, Anna plugged her ears and huddled against my chest as if she didn't like them. Then, once they were over, she couldn't stop talking about them.

Right before the fireworks started, I took this picture of Anna where she seriously looks about 20 years old. Such a cutie.

Probably my favorite part of the night though came after the fireworks, when Anna lifted her head off my chest, sat up straight and said, "Thanks for taking me to the ballgame, Daddy." As if the kid doesn't have me wrapped around her little finger already.

Anyway, I swear minor league baseball is one of the greatest family-friendly events that you can do... and it's rather affordable. Anna has already asked to go to another game, so we might make this a more regular occurrence. Who knows.

Buddies

2010-07-22T13:32:00.001-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Well, the blog was on fire for a while there and then reality had to rear its ugly head as I've had work to do lately. Anyway, I just had to post this photo of these little buddies.

Anna isn't infatuated with Leo 100% of the time, but when she is it's so ridiculous.

Leo is still eating like a champ and sleeping a lot... unfortunately, he seems to sleep best during the day, but it's not like he's terrible at night or anything... just a notch below perfect :)

Again, I know it's jinxing it, but he doesn't seem to fuss like normal babies. Anna was a good baby, but she'd have her moments when she'd fuss for what seemed like no apparent reason. But not Leo.

If he fusses, then you have this brief checklist to go down to solve the problem...

• Milk
• Diaper
• Burp

One of those three things always seems to satisfy him.

Well, Saturday we head off for the annual Cardinal family vacation, so be prepared for some ridiculous posts with all the kiddos together.

Life Lessons: Recycle & Save

2010-07-14T18:38:00.002-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Here at the Cardinal Blog we are about more than just cute kids and a dorky Dad. We are here to instill in everyone some of life's most important lessons, just as my parents instilled in me.

I feel Angie and I have a rather unique parenting style though, which has yielded a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter that is well behaved 91% of the time and a raging lunatic 9% of the time. So, while our "teaching methods" may not fit your parenting style, the important thing to take away from this running series of "Life Lessons" is really the message moreso than the actions.

With that, let's jump right into Life Lesson #1: Recycle.

From a young age, I can remember my grandfather taking recycling to the Nth degree. Not only would he make a small fortune off recycling his empty Milwaukee's Best cans, but he'd rummage through public trash cans in search of these precious aluminum treasures.

Some people may think, "Gross" or "what was your grandfather, a bum?". While the former may be the true, the latter definitely is not. Papa would take the money from his recycling and set it aside earmarked as lobster money.

That's right, Papa would root through public trash cans to get a taste of that sweet tomalley. He'd save the money so whenever we'd want lobster growing up, that he'd go into the small fortune accumulated through recycling to get us a batch of those beautiful 10-legged creatures. Talk about recycling for all the right reasons.

I mean, sure it's great to save the planet and all that tree-hugging mumbo-jumbo, but the ends have never more justified the means when it comes to recycling. So, I've decided that I'm going to carry the life lesson of recycling on to my children, but put my own spin on it.

Basically, I thought Anna would get a kick out of the recycling machines in the redemption center at the local package store I single-handedly keep afloat. So, we loaded two empty cases of Corona into the Xterra and off we headed to "beer store", as she calls it.

[WATCH VIDEO]

Just as I expected, she loved sliding the bottles into the redemption machine. Sure she felt it was "really loud", but once she learned that the machine would give her a ticket and that the man at the counter would give her money for said ticket, then she was hooked.

Life Lesson #1 also leads us to Life Lesson #2: Save. Anna isn't old enough to determine what she wants to save her recycling money for, but we have a secret hidden stash at home where she's going to keep this savings. I could only be so lucky for her to opt for lobsters someday, but regardless, it's all about learning life's lessons. And, in order to continue recycling and saving, I guess that means that Daddy has to continue drinking. What a shame ; )

Leo: Anna's newest toy

2010-07-14T17:28:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Leo continues to be a remarkable baby in all facets, but he's probably an even better toy for Anna.

She seems to be fascinated with him and everything he does. Her biggest fascination has to be his poop. Everytime we change his diaper, she wants to see. She inspects his bum and has to know what color his poop is. It's pretty comical.

I've debated whether or not to get footage of this and post it on the blog and I think I'm going to spare the guy a little dignity and not let the world in on him in such a compromising position. If you really want to witness this, then come on over and change a sh*tty diaper... you're more than welcome :)

Anna has also got some solid seat time feeding Leo. Today she was all fired up to give Leo his bottle, so I set her up with the "boppy" and let her have at it. She's so gentle with him, that I really don't have any concerns. Of course I sit there ready to pounce if she does something she shouldn't, but she is so gentle that I'm not nervous at all.

At that feeding, Leo was polishing off a half-full bottle to start with. So mid-feeding, Anna handed me the empty bottle so I could switch it out for the new one.

Leo was pretty hungry, so he wasn't too happy about the delay and started to do his little whimper. He only did this for a second and then was silent. When I turned back around to hand Anna the new bottle, this is what I saw...

Anna had sacrificed up her own thumb to use as Leo's pacifier. It was so cute. She was so proud of herself and said, "Daddy, he's sucking my thumb!" Such a great moment.

Leo, buddy, you don't know how good you have it. From day one you've had Sammy, one of the best big sisters of all-time, eating out of your hand and now it looks like Anna is headed that direction too. You're a lucky guy.

Water bug

2010-07-12T17:07:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Following in the footsteps of her big sister, Anna has turned into quite the water bug.

Today we visited Hopkinton State Park (you may recall we went there last year for a day as well) and we had all we could do to get Anna out of the water.

The "beach" there is rather small, but the water temp was perfect and the slow grade going into the water makes it ideal for little kids.

Immediately Anna showed no fear as once we let her at it, she just walked straight out. If Sammy wasn't there to teach Anna about how the water gets deeper, Anna would've just kept right on walking until she was in serious trouble.

Anna let me throw her up in the air and splash down in the water and thought she was pretty cool. She's still not psyched about submerging her whole head under water, but she did it a few times on her own... twice on purpose and a handful of times on accident.

I felt bad for Angie though because while Anna, Sammy and I were off in the water having fun, Angie and Leo were hanging out in the air conditioned car. We started off with Leo under this SPF 50 beach tent that we bought, but Angie thought it was just too hot for a two-week-old baby, so they hung out in the car.

She's the best mommy though, not only for taking care of Leo, but for hanging out in the car for a few hours with him so Anna could enjoy the beach. Thanks hon!

In case you were wondering, the only way we were able to get Anna out of the truck was to bribe her when the ice cream truck came rolling by. Probably the only time in the history of humanity that a parent was relieved to see an ice cream truck.

The Cardinals

2010-07-12T16:46:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

I'm so lucky to have this family.

Uh oh...

2010-07-12T14:16:00.001-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

I'm going to be in serious trouble when this gorgeous little thing gets older.

Crazy Eyes Cardinal

2010-07-08T13:53:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Leo's got some crazy eyes.

[WATCH VIDEO]

Family visitors

2010-07-08T13:21:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

This week we were fortunate to get a handful of family visitors that were eager to get their hands on Leo.

On Monday, Angie's sister-in-law, Lisette, paid us a visit along with Jaden and Kassie. It was special for us to have Leo meet Lisette because Leo's middle name (Michael) is after Angie's late brother Mikey.

Needless to say, Lisette loved the little guy, as did Kassie and Jaden. I'm pretty sure Kassie would've taken him home with her if we would have let her.

Then on Wednesday, my Aunt Carol and Uncle Bill made the trek South to see the little guy. Several people told me how anxious Auntie Carol was to meet Leo, so we were psyched for them, as well as Leo, that they could meet.

In typical fashion, they spoiled the kids with gifts while they were here too. Leo got a slew of much-appreciated Red Sox gear, while Anna got a cool remote control car... Daddy, of course, approved of everything.

Also in typical fashion, Anna ended up stealing the show. She took to Uncle Bill in a hurry and before you knew it the two were out on the back deck just chatting it up.

It was so great to get some quality time with Auntie Carol and Uncle Bill and for them to get some QT with the kids too. I know that Auntie Carol was not only glad to meet Leo, but also that we renewed the name Leo Cardinal for another generation.

Thanks so much to everyone for coming down to visit!

A Cardinal Fourth

2010-07-05T06:49:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

The Fourth of July turned into a nice little Cardinal shindig at our house down in Hudson.

The day started off with us thinking that Aunt Kate and Uncle Matt were going to come down for a quiet afternoon to hang out and see little Leo, but a quick phone call to Meme and Aunt Tiff had the entire family down.

Aunt Kate was probably the MVP of the day if you asked Anna and Leo.

After having Anna help her with her make-up the other day, Aunt Kate brought Anna down a present that consisted of different nail polishes and types of make-up. Anna was in her glory.

She immediately had to have her finger nails and toe nails painted and then proceeded to give everyone in the house a little eye shadow and blush. When I say everyone, I mean EVERYONE. Anna is such a girly girl at times.

As for Leo, he continued his string of unbelievably perfect behavior by just hanging out all day, sleeping and eating. He got to take a real solid nap on Aunt Kate and I think she fell even more in love with the little guy... if that's humanly possible.

Uncle Matt came down to finally take a gander at Leo and was kind enough to bring Bauer too... which was another big hit for Anna.

Anna was spoiled by cool Mater gifts from Uncle Matt too, but Leo was the one that really lucked out. Uncle Matt pulled out his bag of tricks and gave Leo a four-DVD set of the complete He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series. Such an awesome gift, given the fact that I was obsessed with He-Man while growing up. I can't wait to knock the dust off all the He-Men that are still up in my parents attic when Leo's old enough and watch the entire series with him. Such a great gift, Matt. Thanks!

After present time from Matt, we had lunch with leftovers from a catering gig that my parents brought down... shrimp, steak and tons of salads. What a great score for all of us!

While we all ate, Anna did a disappearing act under the dining room table with her new best friend, Bauer. She just wanted to lay next to him, patting him and rubbing his feet and tail. It was priceless.

We hung out for a few more hours with Meme and Papa and then the real party started once Andrew and Natalie showed up around 4 o'clock.

The kids are all at such a great age and get along so well. They went on the swing set, played in the kiddie pool and the sand box, but the most fun came when I broke out the hose.

Andrew proceeded to be a "fireman"... basically just spraying everything in site... most notably Natalie and Anna. It was hilarious, as the girls were loving it, almost as much as Andrew.

As if we weren't all already psyched up for the Cardinal vacation at the end of the month, the Fourth was just a nice little preview of the fun to come and we can't wait!

Leo's first tubby (at home)

2010-07-05T05:59:00.001-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

While Leo perfected the art of bathing at the hospital, yesterday marked his first tubby at home.

Just like with Anna, it was all hands on deck... this time the bathroom seemed a little more crowded because Anna was there to lend a helping hand too.

Angie did the bulk of the work, but Anna got to wash Leo's feet and I got to wash his hair... which was really the best part of the job because he loves to have water poured over his hair.

No nursing students or other parents on-hand to watch Leo get bathed this time, but having him in our house and Anna as an assistant made it a first tubby to remember.

Fountain fun

2010-07-03T09:25:00.001-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

I'm sure this comes as no surprise to anyone, but even though Leo's been here for five days, my world still revolves around Anna.

Yesterday Anna and I had a great afternoon at the public water fountain in town. It took Anna a little coaxing to run directly through the water, but I grabbed her hand and ran through once with her and then it was game on. I swear that she ran through that thing for an hour straight without stopping.

What was particularly hilarious was when she used one of the fountains spraying straight up as her own personal bidet of sorts (pictured at right). She saw one of the other kids do it and apparently just had to give it a spin herself. It was priceless.

It's so cool to see what a difference a year makes for Anna. Last year, we hit up this fountain park a few times and she wasn't as brave as she was yesterday.

I'm already looking forward to the day when Leo can run around with her. I don't want him to grow up too fast, but being able to play with the both of them is going to be a blast.

Adjusting nicely

2010-07-02T00:26:00.004-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Well, we finally brought Leo home today and the little guy is doing just great. Angie and I were both able to take naps with him on the couch and for some reason, that action is what makes it seem real to me. When you can adjust your normal life with a newborn, that's when it all clicks and reality sets in.

Speaking of adjusting nicely, Anna seems poised to be a great big sister. She had moments where all she wanted to do was to be with Leo and times when she acted like he didn't exist, but for the most part, she was somewhere in the middle of those two all day.

My favorite moment of the day with Anna and Leo came when I asked Anna if she wanted to read him a book. She said her patented Anna line, "Um... Sure" and then spent the next five minutes deciding which book she should read.

She brought over this "Goodnight" book she has and proceeded to read it to him. Of course, she can't really read, but she just made up the words corresponding with the pictures and even let Leo touch the soft fur on one of the pages. It was adorable.

I was a little nervous how Anna would adjust to having a newborn in the house and someone that was sure to garner a lot of our attention, but now that I think about it, I was probably more nervous with how I'd adjust. I mean, Anna is a kid and most kid's adjust to most scenarios rather easily, so I think part of my nervousness for her was a reflection of my own feelings.

I didn't quite know how I'd handle having a new baby with Anna. Let's face it, Anna has been and always will be Daddy's girl, and I NEVER want that to change, so I was probably just a tad concerned that Leo may impact that relationship.

Only one day with Leo at home is in the books, but if today was any indication of what's to come, then Anna will handle the transition to a big sister like a champion and she'll continue to be Daddy's little girl... which is nice, because she doesn't really have a choice in the matter if you ask me.

On a completely unrelated note, I purchased this new app for my iPhone, called IncrediBooth, and it created the old school photo booth sequence of me and Anna that you see on the right (Jenny and Rob, you guys would love it!). It works particularly well with the new iPhone 4, which has the little built-in iSight type of camera to make lining up the shots a heck of a lot easier because you can see the screen while doing so.

Anyway, you can be sure to expect a slew of photo booth pictures from here on out on The Cardinal Blog.

Hey ladies, call me

2010-07-01T10:10:00.001-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

As a social experiment, I'm considering putting this picture of Leo up on Match.com to see how many ladies nibble at the bait. I mean, is there a woman in the world that wouldn't snatch this little guy up given the opportunity? I doubt it.

White knuckles

2010-06-30T19:49:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

As was the case with Anna, Angie is breastfeeding Leo... which is actually great news for me. Not just because I don't have to say a word to get my wife to take her top off, but because I get to be involved in the process too.

I get to feed Leo some colostrum through a syringe. In order to do this, he sucks on my pinkie finger and then I sneak the syringe into the corner of his mouth and deposit some liquid gold.

Anyway, I thought it was about the coolest thing to do with Anna and it's equally as amazing with Leo.

This pic is just so great. Leo is obviously adorable, but I particularly love how he's white-knuckling on my finger. He's got the death grip on me... and I love it.

Bath pro

2010-06-30T11:03:00.001-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Leo was such a pro on Monday night when they gave him a bath that a nurse asked Leo to be the star of the baby bathing demonstration that they did in the nursery this morning.

Six sets of parents and seven nursing students were on hand to witness Leo, as Anna would say, "take a tubby." He did great.

All the nurses were smitten with the little dude and like I mentioned before, he's already a chick magnet. Once he's able to travel, I might have to start a rental service for all my single guy friends because if Leo doesn't attract the ladies for you, then you truly have no hope.

I think we'll keep him

2010-06-29T22:44:00.004-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

After just over 24 hours of Leo, we've decided that we'll keep the little guy. I mean, he's just too damn cute and I have too much footage of him at this point to just give him up. See Exhibit A...

Anyway, day two of Leo's life was filled with lots of introductions to new family members, which was fabulous, but the highlight of the day for me was being able to see Andrew and Natalie meet their new cousin Leo.

I just can't begin to express the overwhelming joy that Andrew and Natalie were filled with when they met Leo. It was impossible not to get wrapped up in the moment.

Here's a video that has a few clips from the exchange, but I was really just living in the moment and not capturing it all because it was just too meaningful to miss behind the lens of a camera for me. So, while this clip is absolutely beautiful, trust me when I say that it doesn't even begin to do the whole scenario justice.

[WATCH VIDEO]

I think Angie put the whole scene into perspective best at the end of it all when she said, "my cheeks hurt from smiling and laughing so much." It was so great... I wish Meme and Papa were still here to witness their grandkids in action, but I know that they'll get a full week of the Leo Lovefest when we go on our family vacation at the end of July.

A few house-cleaning things to note. We will be in the hospital until Thursday. We originally thought we'd be leaving on Wednesday, but where Leo was born after 8 p.m. on Monday night, they'll keep us that extra night.

We plan to be around all weekend in Hudson just enjoying our new bundle of joy. So, if you're dying to see the little guy and aren't able to make it to the hospital this week, then shoot me an email and let me know when you plan on coming by. If you want to come by the hospital tomorrow, visiting hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Lastly, they just took Leo to get circumcised and I have this knot in my stomach. I know it's a rite of passage of sorts, but it's gotta make every man cringe just a little.

Chillin'

2010-06-29T10:40:00.001-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Leo is just over 12 hours old and he's just chillin'.

[WATCH VIDEO]

Leo Michael Cardinal

2010-06-29T02:10:00.007-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Wow. Now that was awesome. After a day of playing the waiting game, Angie got the pitocin, broke her water, got the epidural and out came Leo. It all happened so fast. It was amazing. I even cut the cord this time!

Anyway, I'm wiped out right now, so I'll keep this post short and to the point...

Leo Michael Cardinal
Born: 9:13 p.m.
Weight: 8 pounds, 10 ounces (originally got recorded as 9 ounces, but was officially 10)
Length: 21 inches

Such a little dude. The kid's a chick magnet already. I mean, seriously. I had to beat the nurses off him with a stick... it was borderline ridiculous.

He hasn't cried much yet (I know this is jinxing it, right?) and just hangs out. Barely flinched when he got shots. Liked the bath and was a champion. I love him.

Anyway, I can't wait for my sisters and company to meet Leo tomorrow. I am particularly psyched to see Andrew and Natalie hold the little guy. I'm sure it'll be such a precious moment.

Angie is getting some much deserved sleep and is doing great. I can't even begin to express how much of an amazing woman my wife is. I'm so proud of her in so many ways. Even after having two amazing kids with her, she's still the best thing that's ever happened to me.

Here's a gratuitous shot of his feet... since I love baby feet... and a video of Anna holding and kissing Leo... talk about a tear-jerker for this guy.

Good night all and thanks to everyone for the well wishes.

[WATCH VIDEO]

Induction day running diary

2010-06-28T06:44:00.014-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Well, I know I've promised a million people that I would call/email/text them with updates today, but I figure it will be easiest on everyone (mostly Angie and I) if I just keep a running diary. So here goes...

6:35 a.m. Angie just called the hospital to inquire about today's induction and they want us to call back at 10 a.m. The wait continues.

9:02 a.m. The hospital just called and we are on our way.

9:48 a.m. Just arrived at the hospital and got checked into our room.

11:03 a.m. Well, they've given Ang some medicine to try to move this thing along. Sounds like we are going to be here for a while.

1:41 p.m. Just a quick update to say there really isn't any update. Angie has had a few rather strong contractions, but we are just playing the waiting game.

3:55 p.m. Well, Leo didn't have much reaction to the first drug, so they're going to give Ang some pitocin soon. This is the drug that kick-started both labors for Sammy and Anna.

5:25 p.m. Still waiting for the pitocin. At this point, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Leo wasn't born today or late, late tonight at the earliest.

6:06 p.m. Let the pitocin begin!

6:35 p.m. Broken water!

7:21 p.m. Epidurol.

8:15 p.m. Fully dialated. I feel bad for anyone in Northwood trying to use the Internet because I'm sure Aunt Tiff is frantically refreshing :)

9:13 p.m. Leo Michael Cardinal.

Leo Eve

2010-06-27T20:52:00.001-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

The wait has been somewhat unbearable, but Leo Eve has finally arrived. Angie is scheduled to get induced tomorrow!

I can't entirely explain all the thoughts and emotions that have come over me in the last few hours, but I may always refer to June 27 as Leo Eve because it's the night before the most highly anticipated moment of my life. My son will be born tomorrow.

Just typing that brings tears to my eyes. And, while I try to keep things light on this blog, I can't help myself tonight. Let me say that again, my son will be born tomorrow.

Leo. Michael. Cardinal. Three of the most important words that Angie and I have ever uttered. [Pass the Kleenex, please, this is gonna get messy]

Some people have dreamed their entire lives of being rich or traveling the world or winning the lottery. Not me. I have always wanted to have a son. I have always felt this unspoken pressure that I've put upon myself to have a boy. To carry on the Cardinal name. More importantly, to carry on the Leo Cardinal name.

A father-son bond is something that I cherish and take more serious than anyone I know. And now having the chance to have a son, carry on the family name and honor my grandfather in the process is simply amazing.

In the midst of this blog post, I had to call my dad. I was a blubbering mess, but I just had to call him. I can't even get into it now because I'll flood our newly finished basement with my tears, but I just love and respect that guy more than I ever thought was humanly possible.

Anyway, the fact that we KNOW Angie is getting induced tomorrow ratchets up the anticipation about 200 notches too.

The birth of Anna was something I'll never forget. An absolutely beautiful (and shocking) "first" in my life. But, prior to her birth, we had no idea when she was coming. It was a surprise. I never had to try to go to sleep at night knowing the next day that I'd be a Dad.

What a difference in emotions, experiences and feelings. I'm like a kid on Christmas Eve, or in this case, Leo Eve, with the world's greatest present awaiting.

My son will be born tomorrow.

Anna's mash-up

2010-06-26T20:47:00.001-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

While Anna and I were out running errands yesterday, she started singing two different "monkey" songs. All was going swimmingly until she got a little confused, thus creating a little mash-up. Sweet.

[WATCH VIDEO]

Introducing our newest addition...

2010-06-23T21:28:00.001-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Well, after months of waiting, the newest addition to the Cardinal family is finally here... my newly finished basement.

OK. OK. I know the world is anxiously awaiting the arrival of baby Leo, but the little sucker is enjoying his time in Hotel Angela a little too much and is currently six days past his due date.

I think Leo was just looking out for his dad though. I mean, months ago I told Angie that I would do my best to have the basement done in time for Leo's arrival. So, he is just over-staying his welcome in the womb to help me avoid the doghouse if I missed my "deadline".

OK Leo, now the basement's done, get the hell out here so we can play with you!

The end of a generation

2010-06-02T10:30:00.004-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Memorial Day will forever be immortalized in the Cardinal family by the loss of my Grampa, Don Denton.

Our family was saddened on Monday morning with the news that my mother's father lost his life. I have never really been a fan of the cliche "he's in a better place now", but following bout after bout with disease after disease, that saw his physical mobility escape him, perhaps my grandfather really is in a better place now... well, at least that's what I'm telling myself.

My family has dealt with death ever since I was very young. Everything from grandparents to babies, uncles to brothers. You name it, we've seen it. But, it NEVER gets any easier. The biggest lessons I've learned from these losses are to remember the good and keep the memories alive forever.

Needless to say, I have countless great memories of my Grampa that I will cherish forever. When I sit back and think about Gramp, what comes to mind is...

• Bass fishing on Back Lake
• Trick or treating on Country Lane
• Golfing at Steele Hill
• Accidentally closing his fingers in the sliding door of my parent's van (he didn't even flinch)
• Watching him do his wood-working magic
• Seeing him at every important event throughout my life
• Learning how to operate a flatbed scanner from him

I could go on and on. Probably my favorite memory of Grampa came back in the Summer of 2003. While sitting poolside in his wheelchair at Lance and Gail's, I cannonballed into the pool and soaked him head-to-toe.

You may think I'm cruel for doing this, but not Grampa. I will never forget the look on his face when I surfaced from underwater. He had water dripping off his fisherman's hat and was laughing so hard that tears eventually rolled down his cheeks. We were both in our glory.

This story is so telling of Grampa and his great sense of humor. He was always able to laugh at himself like no other and he had one of the most contagious laughs ever heard.

The loss of Grampa has a little extra sting to it because it also marks the end of a generation for my family. Grampa was my sole-surviving grandparent, so it's hard not to reflect on the loss of my Meme and Mema and Papa at this time as well.

I have been blessed like no other with the most amazing family in the world and it all starts with Meme and Grampa and Mema and Papa. They were the Founding Fathers (and Mothers) of my family and I owe them all the gratitude in the world for making my parents into who they are.

So while our family carries heavy hearts with the loss of Grampa and the end of a generation, I vow to keep their memories alive forever and make sure that my children know what special grandparents I was fortunate enough to have.

We'll miss you Gramp.

Yabba Dabba Doo!

2010-05-12T15:58:00.002-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Anna has never seen a second of the Flintstones, but she really loves her some Yabba Dabba Doo!

Maybe having her dress up as Pebbles for Halloween 2008 has had an effect on her somehow. Not sure, but, either way, she cracks me up.

[WATCH MOVIE]

Down goes Anna

2010-05-02T21:14:00.004-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Today was the nicest day of the year and Anna and I went toe-to-toe with it for what seemed like 13 rounds.

We started off by heading to a few stores with Angie to get some summer supplies... new sprinkler for her to play in (right), squirt guns, etc. On the way home, we noticed that there was a local church that had some cool used outdoor toys that were free.

Unfortunately, we were in Angie's car and not my Xterra, so we went directly home and I snagged the Xterra to head back to see if we could score a new toy or two for Anna.

What a great decision that turned out to be. I was able to get a water table (left) and this climbing dome/tunnel (below). Anna seemed to like them both, but she really LOVED the water table... which she actually calls a "sensory table" because that's what they call it at her daycare and because my kid's wicked smaht.

So, Anna and I proceeded to play outside for nearly the next seven hours, which included a serious water fight with the neighborhood kids and a nasty grilling session by yours truly. All the kids took kindly to Anna's new toys as well, particularly the sprinkler and water table.

After dominating the outdoors, Anna and I went for a ride to get a few supplies to fix up the little crack in the water table. We cleaned up and then it was lights out for Anna.

She was so exhausted that at the end of the day she fell asleep on her couch eating dinner. The only thing missing from this video was the voice of Howard Cosell yelling, "Down goes Anna! Down goes Anna! Down goes Anna!"

[WATCH MOVIE]

What a difference a year makes

2010-04-30T21:20:00.003-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

Today, Anna and I made our 2010 debut at Wood Park. We just had to take advantage of the spectacular weather.

I was pretty much blown away by Anna's progress since last year. She was dominant on the jungle gym. Climbing up ladders she'd never done before, holding on to monkey bars and swinging, motoring across the rickety footbridge and going down the slide backwards. Pretty impressive.

[WATCH MOVIE]

That's dandy

2010-04-27T10:38:00.002-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

[WATCH MOVIE]

The Sammy Hill Show

2010-04-26T18:35:00.000-04:00

By K.J. Cardinal

[WATCH MOVIE]

Our Florida Trip -- Part II

2010-04-23T15:37:00.000-04:00

By Tiffany George

Please scroll down if you missed "Part I" to our Florida trip :o)
Our Florida fun continues! Our other big adventure was to the Lion Country Safari. The first part of this expedition involved a safari that we could drive through in the van. It took about an hour and a half to make our way through the zebras, chimps, rhinos, and giraffes but the kids loved it! They loved the fact that they were allowed to get out of their car seats to peer out the windows!

Andrew and Natalie looking out the windows in Lauren's van. And we don't have a photo of our rental car, but it was the first time Natalie had ever ridden in a vehicle with a window that could go down beside her. She loved to feel the warm breeze and was baffled when it would stop at stop lights. She's say "it's not working"...cutie pants. Animals were in the road right in front of us. So cool!

Natalie enjoying some yummy cotton candy up on Daddy's shoulders. He had a new form of hair gel that day!
Andrew's animal feeding continued at the safari. First he fed those in water, and now those on land!
Look how happy he is as it eats right out of his hand!

Here we could feed the birds. We bought popsicle sticks dipped in what looked like honey and then bird seed. Andrew was so patient as he waited a good half an hour for one to jump onto his stick to feed.

Natalie didn't know what to think as a bird jumped on to her stick!

Here is Andrew mining for precious gems. We bought a bag of dirt that you put into this sifter. You dipped the sifter into the trough of water, then shook it to get rid of the dirt, leaving behind some colorful rocks. Andrew loved everything about it, and couldn't resist getting his hands in that water!

Our first trip on a ferris wheel, hot air balloon style.

The safari also had a mini water area. We were clearly the only tourists there, as the park was deserted. Here is Natalie showcasing her new bathing suit with her hula skirt hiked up to cover her belly! Natalie wouldn't dare run through the shooting water maze like Andrew did!

This is one of those water guns that you can aim and shoot around. Pete aimed it at Andrew and claimed that "Andrew told him to" shoot the water right into his face...and Pete managed the camera to get photographic proof.

Aside from the safari, the kids had the best time just being outdoors. They played on Wesley's swingset and in his sand and water table for hours. We also got to enjoy the playground and walking paths in their neighborhood.

More tree climbing!

And fun in their pool too! The kids loved it when I let them "water" me!

Natalie with her bud from the trip, Wesley's dog Ani.

Our trip was so much fun and we can't wait to do it again next year!

Our Florida Trip -- Part I

2010-04-21T14:26:00.001-04:00

By Tiffany George

It's hard to believe we've been back from Florida for a month already! We took the kids on their first airplane ride to Florida back in March. We went to visit our friends the Alphonsos, whose son Wesley was Andrew's best bud in Rochester before they moved south last October. We had the best, most relaxing time and really had a chance to enjoy our kids and each other.

First of all, no, we did not go to Disney. The primary reason is that Andrew is terrified of dress-up characters, so a day at Disney would be torture for him. I also don't know if I'll ever shell out nearly $100 a day per person for a park....but don't mark my words! This vacation was more about enjoying the sunshine, playing with Wesley, and taking day trips to enjoy nature, which is what our kids are thrilled to do! Wesley had really trimmed down since we saw him last! He was great while we were there and shared his toys, home, doggy, and Mommy with us all!

Our flight departed at 6 in the morning, so we woke the kids bright and early to head to Manchester. They were so excited to go on the plane! Just as we stepped aboard, Andrew was invited up in the cockpit to sit in the copilot seat and check out the controls. He did take a look around, but didn't quite make it into the chair. He has talked about this ever since we got home!

We had a layover on the way down and the kids were great. We really couldn't have expected any more from them on the flights.

Here are some photo highlights of our trip:

Andrew at the beach on day 1, thoroughly enjoying being able to play in the sand!

Natalie being cute too!

Family photo on the same day!

Andrew, Wesley, and Natalie in their undies playing in the shooting water area. Even though it was FREEZING Andrew could not resist the fun! We went here on two days.

This photo captures Andrew's "real" smile. Pure JOY!

This beach and very fun tree to climb were right beside the water area. My adventurous kids climbed right up! Please notice my arm in the back there! I would not allow Natalie up that high without a prop :o)

One night we went to this restaurant for Family Fun Night. Kids ate free and they even had face painting!

Notice Andrew's teary eyes as he waits to have a bumble bee painted on his arm. In addition to the other events, they also had a dress up Barney. Andrew was on pins and needles all through dinner and had just encountered Barney first hand before this photo was snapped. So terrifying!

Wesley had a huge bin of dress-up clothes that the kids loved to paw through. Here is Natalie, the princess witch!

Here are my cuties just being themselves! They love to hold hands and we love it too! Here they are walking down the nature trail at the Florida Oceanographic Center, Andrew's favorite stop on our trip.

Notice Wesley giving Andrew a back-hug as the kids posed for this photo in front of the large game fish tank. We saw them feed huge rays and even a shark!

Andrew at the touch tank, admiring a shell.

Natalie at the touch tank, gently rubbing her shell.

The "plate" of food that Andrew got to feed to the sting rays. Fish, squid, and shrimp were on the menu. And even though Andrew was hesitant to pet the rays, he plunged his hand right down to the bottom of the tank to feed them. We couldn't believe it!

Here is Andrew in his sting ray feeding debut!

Andrew immediately after the sting ray sucked the food from his hand like a vacuum. That face is priceless! He couldn't believe he did it either!

Andrew and I witnessed this huge hermet crab move from one shell to another. Quite the lesson in Biology!

Florida is fun!