Pictures Worth Thousands Of Words.

Obviously, I haven't been cranking out the posts lately. I even missed that whole month called November. Suffice it to say, we have had some distraction, but enough of that. WE understand that the text of these posts play the second fiddle to the real reason why people view them. So I thought I would just give the people what they want...pics of Sam.

This is a pic of the little slugger on his way to trick or treat. He went this year as a baseball player.


Next, we have Sam "inspecting" his new little cousin Alana as she sat on Auntie Marlena's lap. This was taken during Thanksgiving when Tiffy's family came to eat turkey at Rancho Duttonero.

Finally, we have Sir Hugh of Dutton in the famous "Thinker" pose as he ponders his next adventure.
We hope everyone has a safe and happy Holiday Season this Duttonember...and to the people at CSMS...Happy Festivus!

You're Gonna Need A Bigger Boat!

This past weekend we took a little trip down to Gatlinburg, TN (aka Tennessee Tourist Trap # 3, I figure that Memphis would have to be # 1 and then Nashville). We arrived Saturday morning/afternoon and to our surpise, found more people than you could shake a stick at...just a little Southern saying for you there. The 160 mile trip to the outskirts of the place took about 2.5 - 3 hours. The 10 mile trek into the actual area took about 1.5 hours because of the traffic build-up!!! We both thought that somehow we had been magically transported back to Northern VA. I had to call upon my bumper-to-bumper traffic skills that had been lying dormant since June. Anyway, we got there and checked into the hotel around noon. We decided to rest for a few moments and then decided (Sam dictated to us) that it was lunch time. We hopped into the car and began what was the first episode in the recurring theme of the weekend...sitting in traffic on our way to eat. Things were so bad that we ate a SHONEY'S not once but twice while we were there because it was just easier. To most, that would ruin a weekend. After battling traffic in the greater DC area for 8 years, it was a mere inconvenience. The Great Smoky Mountains were beautiful and...well...they were smoky. No surprises there. Tiffy and I couldn't get that song "Smoky Mountain Rain" out of our heads and it is still kinda stuck there now. For the rest of Saturday, we just chilled...including a collective 3 hour nap, Sam included! Possibly the best vacation nap ever!
On Sunday, we got up bright and early and went for some breakfast. We had heard so much about the local aquarium that we just had to go. We knew it would be an attraction that Sam would enjoy. We were right. The little dude loved it and loved it and loved it some more. He was so into the fish that his only disappointment was that he couldn't actually touch the fish...but he sure did try!In addition to all of the exhibits, one portion of the aquarium was a moving sidewalk that carried you though a tunnel while the fish (sharks, rays, eels, etc. It was cool!) swam above you. I liked it even though I am not the marine biologist that some of the people I know are. Sam really got into that part. He even learned a new trick during the tour of the aquarium. This shot was not staged at all, but he is doing the pucker face naturally. The kid is a genius!

At the end of the aquarium visit, Sir Hugh of Dutton was exhausted. He decided that he needed to recharge his batteries before moving on to the second event of the day...Outlet Shopping!!!



Let's just say that he didn't enjoy that quite as much, but his mother and father sure did. We concluded the day with dinner despite the traffic. Monday morning we got up early and got on the road back to Kentucky. All in all, it was a great little get-away weekend vacation. Sam was more amicable on this trip than on any we have taken him on...perhaps it was the fish?!

My Son...The College Student!?

Last week, Sam completed his first college course! I know what you are thinking...is this kid a genius? You may also be thinking that his old man is off his rocker...well...that's true. However, I am not lying about it and here is the proof.
So there...take that! Yes, it is true. Sam for the past 4 weeks has been part of the Tiny Tots Swim Class at Eastern Kentucky University and man did he love it! He and Tiffy went twice a week to class where they would practice jumping into the water, sing songs, play games in the pool, etc. It was quite an adventure. Here we see Sam diving into the pool into the arms of mom who I think enjoyed this "class" as much as her son. Remember, she should have been born with gills. I do apologize for the pic quality...it was too humid and dark to get any good snapshots. Just know that in all of the other very dark photos, you can definitely almost make out two very large smiles. I would have joined in on the fun...but alas, I forgot my trunks. Maybe next class?!

Can You Say BUSTED?

Hey, long time no blog. I know. But then I saw this picture and thought that I just had to share this little bit of hilarity with everyone. So Tiffy and Sam were at home and Sam had finished his breakfast. Well, Tiffy got up from the table, started the clean up process and released Sam from the high chair. Typically, the next portion of the morning involves playing with Sam's toys in the living room. This morning was no different when Sam, as he does, got up to "hide" from Tiffy in the kitchen. This is where I need to fill in the backstory. About 3 or 4 days prior, Tiffy and Sam had gone to the local Kroger for the weekly shopping. While strolling through the aisles, they happened upon a lady giving away samples of a Kroger brand cereal (the one pictured above.) Sam had not one, but two samples and fell in love with it. So Tiffy picked up a box for the whopping price of $1.25. A good deal for everyone. So back to the story. As Tiffy was getting up to "chase" Sam, she heard the remaining portion of the box of cereal unceremoniously fall to the ground. She ran to survey the scene and fortunately the camera was sitting nearby. The picture above tells the rest of the story. Sam, caught marshmellow-handed refused all attempts for an interview by the media. Word from his camp is that he happened upon the cereal in that state and was trying to help cleanup. Sounds like he has a good PR team.

An Evening with Sam and Dave!

Last weekend, we loaded up the land yacht and headed for those wonderful hills of WV. We decided to meet Tiffy's family for dinner. We were talking to Chucky (Tif's brother) via the telephone and I made the suggestion of meeting in Huntington at the mall at the Outback. Being Chucky who is as much of a steak lover as me, he thought this was a good idea. He spoke to Marlena (his boss) and it became a date. We even wrangled Karen (Tif's mom) into making the trip. We were all about to spend the evening togther with Sammy and David Lee (that would be Dutton and Meadows, not Hagar and Roth!!)
We chose Huntington because there is a decent-sized mall there and plenty of eating spots. Also, Huntington is only about a 2-3 hour drive for us and is basically half-way between Rancho Duttonero and Beckley (Tif's hometown.) We (the Duttons) arrived first and decided to stroll through the mall to take a look at the sights. We were hoping to find a kiddy play area so that Sir Hugh of Dutton could stretch his legs. We had no such luck, but we did find the kiddy version of Las Vegas...well at least it had lots of bright lights. Here we see Sammy and Tiffy enjoying the carousel.
Tif was almost too short to hold Sam on the horse once the whole thing got going. It was comical to watch. Sammy thought that this brightly lit spinning thing was made just for his enjoyment and enjoy it he did. He took several rides and smiled the entire time. From here we did some more window shopping until we wound up at the Disney Store. Again, Sam thought this place was just plain awesome. He refused to be held or hoisted onto my shoulders. Instead, he insisted on walking through the store occasionally stopping to handle the brightly colored merchandise. I am shocked that they didn't ask us to leave, but I suppose that it is the Disney Store and they are sort of use to it. After all, Sammy is in their targeted age group.
We were just about to check out the other side of the mall when Chucky called to say that the other half of our act had arrived. We raced over to the Outback to meet the family. It was cool seeing everyone again. The only person missing was Tif's Dad who was at work. Of course, since he converted to Vegetarianism, the Outback isn't quite his cup of tea. I made sure to eat an extra large hunk of beef...just for him. We had fun, the food was good, the company was inviting, but I think that Karen was the one who enjoyed the visit the most because of moments like this...

After dinner, we all decided to take a stroll around the mall together. We spent the evening just having a good time and enjoying the boys. It was a great time and I figure that we will be meeting in Huntington very soon so that we can all have another evening with Sam and Dave.

SuperSam Returns!

Look up in the air! It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's SuperSam! He's back after a lengthy absence. An absence caused by the evil villain, the Time Thief who uses his diabolical weapon of school starting to capture teachers like SuperSam's earth father and steal their blogging time.
We find our hero coming to the rescue of his earth mother in the living room of Rancho Duttonero. He swoops in with his red cape waving to save the day. Never fear, mom! SuperSam is here!

It seems that someone had disorganized all of the toys in the living room. Strange that mild mannered toddler (yes, note the bipedalism on that kid) Samuel Hugh isn't around to see SuperSam. I wonder.....no, it couldn't be.

SuperSam quickly makes use of his super speed to arrange all of the toys where they should be according to his super decorative skills. Whewww! That was close! But with this crisis averted, he is off to the next adventure!

The Day My Son Became A Man...Or At Least A Little Boy.

Well, today was the day. I knew it had to happen. I had put it off and put it off. I had postponed it and told Tiffy that we should wait until next week, then the next, then the next. But sadly, today I relented and Sam got his first haircut. I suppose that some might say that I was living vicariously through my son, but look at this. Who can blame me? The curls are awesome...or now I suppose, were awesome.

So we went to Tiffy's local salon of choice (it is nowhere near as good as the Wargo Salon) and began the process.
Tiffy and I took turns holding Sam while Trish (the stylist) did her best to cut the hair of a moving object. There were far too many distractions available for Sam to sit still. Bottles, brushes, combs, etc. made it a tedious procedure to say the least. The process involved numerous distraction techniques, wrestling holds, songs, and dances. The whole production lasted about 30 minutes with only a minor nick of Trish's finger. At the end, there sat a little boy in the chair where a little baby had been. I must admit that Tiffy was right. It was time to take this step. His hair had gotten so long and curly that it was beginning to pull when Tiffy combed it after a bath. Yikes! In addition, we wanted to put an end to the numerous instances where Sam was mistaken for the cutest little girl. I mean come on people! He is obviously wearing little boy clothes. I can't help it that he is just that cute.

Since today was sort of a rite of passage for Samuel Hugh Dutton, what better way to celebrate than by commemorating it with a trip to a nice family style restaurant.

It was Sam's idea! He my son is after all. Well, maybe it was my idea, but give me a break. Those of you who know me shouldn't be surprised at all. Check out the stylin' little boy hairdo on that kid. Then, as if his first haircut wasn't enough of a rite of passage, check out this pic. Two things, check out his hand and the look on his face. Hilarious! Absolutely histerical!! Thanks to Kaylan for helping Sam celebrate his first haircut.

Seriously, I have to admit that I was sad to see my little baby get his first haircut, but I am glad to see my little boy happy and healthy. Here's to another milestone or two, Sammy. We love you very much little dude.

Eight Is NOT Enough!

Eight years that is! Happy anniversary Tiffy! Today makes 8 years together as husband and wife, but it seems like just yesterday. That is until you look at all the things that have happened since that time. Talk about instant wake-up calls with Sammy obviously first on the list. But enough of that. On to the celebration.

On Saturday night, I surprised Tiffy with her first ever limo ride. She had said repeatedly that she always wanted to ride in a limo, but hadn't had any occasions that would warrant it. Along comes Gary, our neighbor and previous owner of Rancho Duttonero, who just happens to run a limo service as one of his many business ventures. Mix that bit of information with my fondness for intrigue and surprise and you get this! That's Gary playing the role of chauffeur.
We were off for an evening of fine dining and guided tours of some of Lexington's landmarks.

I had made reservations at Malone's which is one of the best steakhouses in the area. We both had the New York Strip which was one of the best pieces of beef I have ever had. For those of you who know me, I don't use those words lightly. After dinner, we took advantage of the special transportation and Gary's knowledge of the area. We took a guide tour of the greater Lexington area. Our tour took us to the Kentucky Horse Park, a beautiful facility in the heart of thoroughbred country. From there, we went to Keeneland Race Park and did a drive through. We drove by Bluegrass Airport and headed downtown Lexington. We saw Rupp Arena, Triangle Park, etc. To end the evening, Gary recommended an icecream cone from Graeter's, a local favorite. It was outstanding and an excellent way to end the evening.

Now I know some of you are asking "Who took care of Sam?" or "Why aren't there pictures of these things?" The answer to both questions is Tiffy's Mom, Karen. She and Calvin, Tiffy's Dad, drove up to watch Sam. She took the pics of us with the limo and then accidently kept the camera. Maybe it is better that way anyway. The limo did have a privacy divider!! Happy 8th Anniversary to us!!!

Fireworks Sans The Traffic!

Happy Fourth of July everybody or as they call it in Canada, Tuesday! (Lindsay, that one is for you.) So this year we got to enjoy a spectacular fireworks display from the comfort of our front yard. Yes, I said front yard. You see, the city of Richmond (that's the one in Kentucky) puts on a fireworks show out at Lake Reba (not the singer.) The cool thing about that is that Lake Reba is about a stone's throw from Rancho Duttonero. Armed with this information, we invited some friends over, the Dillons w/their son Lance, the Johnsons w/ their daughters Rachel & Micaiah, & the Arrington plus his girlfriend Rachel for a cookout/volleyball game/fireworks gathering.

The cookout involved burgers, chips, salsa, corn-on-the-cob, and brownies. Tiffy tried this new recipe for grilling burgers that she saw on TV. She actually placed cheese inside the hand-formed patties. One word...WOW! Thanks Food Network!

The volleyball game consisted of the team of Dillon & Dutton versus the rest. We won SGA elections as running mates in college and Brian is my eternal roommate. However, lets just say that I am glad we didn't really keep score.

Now for the fireworks. We were told in advance by the neighbors to block our driveway to prevent people from trying to park on our lawn. Now I know they weren't kidding. There were people lined up along the street in front of the house. All were waiting for the 10 pm kick-off. It did not disappoint. We pulled chairs around front and enjoyed the show. Afterwards, it was the strangest feeling not having to battle traffic to get home. We were already there!! You see, Tiffy and I braved the crowd one Fourth while in No. VA. We went to downtown DC to watch the show from the roof of the Warner Theatre (Tiffy's former place of employment.) The show lasted about 30 minutes and then we spent 2 hours (I'm not exaggerating!!!) getting home. The evening was such a hit that the Fourth of July was declared a Dutton Holiday which means that we will be hosting the event henceforth. To that I say, God Bless America.

Play Date At The Pool

Baby Sam wants you to join the Play Date Pool Party! My friends Steve and Margie live just north of us in Lexington. They called us the other day to invite Sam to a play date at their local pool. Knowing that Sammy is his mother's son (Tiffy should have gills), we knew that he would love a chance to enjoy the water. Margie and their two girls, Rachel and Micaiah, brought us along to the Southland Pool Complex. It is a large facility with pools for every size or ability level at a very affordable $4 per person. Sam only cost $3. Once inside, we found a wonderful time waiting for us.
This shows Tiffy with Sam and Micaiah riding the turtle toy in the kiddy pool. This was the kiddy pool where we splashed and played for about 4 hours with only a small break in between for a bottle, nap, and snack (for Sam of course.)
Next, we see Sam petting the turtle. Perhaps he has a future in marine biology?! I know a few marine biologists. They are not too objectionable. All in all, it was a great way to spend a day. Friends, fun, water and sun make for a happy time. I even hear that there is talk of a repeat performance next week. I know that I wouldn't mind another dip or two in that great big cement pond. Ooops, did I say type that out loud?!

A Year To The Day

Well, technically it was a year to yesterday, but we decided to celebrate today. Happy 1st Birthday Sammy! Wow, what a difference a year makes!?! This time last year we were becoming new parents. Now, I can't really remember what it was like not having Sam in our lives. He is the definition of joy and the epitome of family to me. Today we celebrated his turning one year old and what a celebration it was. The beginning of the celebration took us to Toys 'R' Us.

This was a cool trip as we strolled up and down each aisle to allow Sam to view all of the toys and select the ones he liked. He definitely had preferences to which of the million toys he wanted to play with.

Next, we had a party with Grandma Karen and Grandpa Calvin (Tif's parents) which was loads of fun. They bought him a "little" (yeah right) red wagon. Sammy loves it!

Tif decided it would be cool to bake individual chocolate cakes using a small bundt cake mold (thanks to Chili's "Chocolate Molten Cake") so that Sam could really have fun.

Wow! What a time it was watching the little dude really "get into" eating his cake.

By the end there was nothing but a messy little boy and a candle. Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

Series 1: Volume 1

Well, here we are! We have made the move to Kentucky with little mishap or misfortune. To this point, things have been going swimmingly. We decided to make the move to provide a different quality of life for Sam (the # 1 son) who is turning 1 tomorrow. So here's to a slower pace of life, home, health, & happiness.