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.