How I Spent Sunday Afternoon.

What is that large glowing orb in the sky? It seems so long since we have seen the sun on the weekend that I had almost forgotten what it looked like and that staring at it causes undesired results. We finally got to get out of the house and move around without layers of clothes, ponchos, or a how-to-make-snowangels guide. I thought this was perfect timing to put the dude up on his bike and get some much needed practice on the pedals. It worked out quite well. Sam had a blast and things went quite well I think. No accidents and by the time he was too tired he was turning and stopping like a pro. What a way to spend a sunny day.

 

Bounce U?!!

We finished another birthday party for one of Sam’s friends at Bounce U. If you are not familiar with this place, it is quite the production. Inside are huge inflatable “toys” for lack of a better term on which children can exhaust themselves. They have the large slide, obstacle course, boxing ring, etc. After the allotted time of bouncing, the children are treated to pizza, juice, & cake prior to the opening of presents. Now the “host” family provides the cake of course and purchases the pizza (Dominos) from the Bounce U. All in all, not a terrible way to throw a party especially for those children who have winter birthdays and are often forced to celebrate inside where it is warm. Sam is already talking about having a Bounce U party. The only obstacles (pardon the pun) to his plan are that he is a June baby (can you say “pool party” instead?) and I learned today the price tag for such an excursion. For approximately an hour of “bouncing” and an hour of party time the price is hefty to say the least. I suppose we will have to wait and see if his desire will fade as the weather turns. He would much rather be outside on any given day.

 

New Post

Now you can’t say that I never blog.  I just don’t blog very often…at all.

 

The Digest Resurrected

Wait…I hear a pulse!  It is faint but there.  That’s right, the Dutton Digest is still alive!?!  It has been months since I blogged.  Let me try to make up for it tonight.  A great deal of things have happened around Rancho Duttonero since last you heard from us.  I will try to be thorough yet succinct.  It appears the last time there was an actual entry was in May detailing the journey to the great white north in April…so that is my starting point.

The Purple House

 

The big event in May was the arrival and assembly of Sam’s swingset/tree house/miniature castle/fortress of solitude affectionately referred to by Sir Hugh as “the PURPLE (despite that it is blue) House.”  A little explanation…Sam referrs to Lowe’s as the purple house because the local installment of this store has a purple tint to it.  In addition, for those who are Home Depot snobs, Lowe’s has an A-frame on logo on the front of their stores.  Well as you can see, the swingset has an A-frame house…hence…you guessed it…the purple house.  Now understand that this was a monsterous undertaking.  We ordered it from Costco and had it delivered here.  It arrived in 7 boxes with a total weight of 750 lbs!!!!  I knew I was going to need assistance with this project…who did I call???  Auntie Gene Genes & Uncle Stevie because being my sister I know that Regina is freakishly strong and her husband just happens to be a contractor.  If you do not have access to a good contractor of several of them as in my case…I truly feel for you.  They must be treated with the utmost respect and praise.  They arrived on Saturday afternoon and the building began.

The Crew Assembled…

 and assembled…

the foreman arrived…

and hammered home his point…

even “the boss” got involved…

materials had to be “tested”….

looking good so far…

the structure seems sound…

things are swinging now…

and now….

the smiles say it all!

even the Superman approves!!!

 

The funny thing is that each time Sam has seen his aunt & uncle, he has asked them if THEY brought him another Purple House to put together…I suppose they can steal the thunder for now.  Of course, they are the ones who are expected to have either a purple house or something better….pressure’s on them!!!

 

The New Era

Well, here we are with a new entry on a new blog.  I consulted the Margenaus (they got me into blogger in the first place) after they migrated to wordpress.  I found that we had similar complaints with blogger, so I decided to switch.  I haven’t blogged as much as I should have due to the unfriendly things about blogger (uploading & managing pictures…annoying).  I have a lot of catching up to do.  We have had Sam’s B-day, Hawai’i, our 10th anniversary, and many other things to blog…stay tuned.

 

And Now It Is Time To Blog

I know. Long time, no posting. No excuse. I have been a slacker. But we have been having so much fun with much more to come that it hard to find the time. So now I will try to make up for it. Here are the recent headlines from the lives of the Duttons…

North by Northwest and Delta

For spring break this year, we planned to visit the Margenaus. Just one problem. They no longer live in the greater DC area. No, they moved to Ottawa. Yes, cAnAdA! So you say, no problem, just fly. Have I mentioned at this point that I had never flown commercially before? Well, it was true. I am 33 years older and this was the first time that I had been on a “big jet” as Sam calls it. I mean, he is not even 3 yet and he has already been in the friendly skies. Good for him. Good for me. The trip was a blast and we had such a good time getting to see Kyle, Lindsay, & Luke. It was going on a year or more since they had had the opportunity to see me (us) and I didn’t want them to suffer. So I cowboyed up and got on a plane in Cincinnati that took us to Detroit for our connection to Ottawa. Now most people like to go somewhere warm and sunny for spring break, but not the Duttons. We are not conformists. We left behind 60 degrees Fahrenheit and blossoming fauna for -2 degrees Celsius and 6 feet of leftover snow. But all was well, we didn’t go for the weather. We actually had fun showing Sam what real snow looked like considering we had at most 6 inches one time this year. So here we go…

Tiffy & Sammy at the Airport

First full day there, we went to a local mall with a kid friendly play zone. The kids had fun!!!

Dudes at the Mall on the way to the Kiddy Play Place

Sammy & Luke climbing the big toy at the play place.

Day 2, we went to the Cultural Museum where they had a wonderful exhibit on First Nations (Native Americans we call them) Peoples.

Totem at the Museum

The museum also had a great kids exhibit which lots and lots of things to do. It was great.

Sam’s breakfast at the Museum (hey, it was vacation!)

Practicing Parallel Parking at the Museum’s Kids exhibit.

Making a call. Hey, international long distance is expensive kid!!!

Day 3, the Duttons were off to do some sight seeing on our own. We ventured around Ottawa and took in some of the local scenery and places to shop. Later that night, Kyle and I went to a hockey game. It was the hometown Sens vs. the Boston Bruins. The Bruins won mainly because the Sens squad was depleated due to injuries. For pics, check out Kyles blog. If you are Kyle and you are reading this, why is it everytime I go to a sporting event with you, I cheer for the losers???? Think about it…Philly vs. Skins? Giants vs. Philly? Sens vs Bruins?

Anyway, did you know that they make maple syrup in Canada? Who knew? On day 4, we went to a maple syrup farm which also had a breakfast buffet with everything maple. Nice!

Maple Syrup Farm w/ Restaurant

Straight from the tap!

Tiffy enjoying the farm.

Tiffy and the “Lollipop”

The sugar buzz has worn off!

It was a wonderful trip to see the Margenaus in the great white north. Canada was a nice visit and a good way to break in the non-flying Duttons (Sammy & me). Our next trip up, up, & away will come in June when we go to Hawaii. Stay tuned…

 

In Just Under The Gun!

Whoa! I almost missed March. Which is just an indicator of how things have been around here lately. But enough of that, here are the headlines.

Welcome Alyssa Dru Meadows!

The same day we learned about my grandmother (see bel0w), Tiffy and I were called aunt and uncle again. Talk about a whirlwind of a time and us caught in the middle somehow. Charlie (Sam’s Uncle Sucky) and Marlena were blessed with a new addition to their family and to everyones’ surprise the arrival was about 8 weeks premature. This of course explains the tiny features on this little sweetheart (she was only about 3.5 lbs at birth). Her decision to enter the world so early resulted in a 3 week stay at the NICU in Huntington. We travelled back and forth the two weekends of her stay to visit. I am glad to report that she and mother are fine. She put on the necessary few pounds she needed to come home.

Hoppin’ Down The Bunny Trail

Before you could blink, it was Easter Time again and this year was a bunny basket for Sam. With the basket out of the way, it was time for Sir Hugh to survey the haul. He found the basket and the peripherals pleasing.

Oh Deer, Spring Time is Here!

Not a bad view we have here at Rancho Duttonero. Uncle Sucky…this picture is for you! Warm weather, birds chirping (and crapping on everything thanks to the bird sanctuary a mile down the road), and the deer running around let us know that it is almost spring time. And so do the ground moles….#$%&! It is ok! I found this new thing that you drive into the ground that emits this sound that supposedly drives them away…I bought 4. The price you pay for having a yard.

and one sad final note…

RIP Mamaw Johnson

In February, I lost my last grandparent which only reinforces my theory that I am getting old. My maternal grandmother, Ida Mae Johnson passed away at the age of 84. Her health had been failing as of late. Our family was/is saddened by her passing. The Duttons trekked back to Eastern Kentucky for the funeral and tried to comfort and be comforted. It was the first time that I had seen some of my extended family in 10 or 15 years. It was good to be together with them and share memories of Mamaw and tales of our youth, which only reinforces my theory further.

 

All Hail The New York Giants!

My team, the Giants, are champions of the NFL once again. It has been a long time (1991) since they won the big game. They played in 2001, but sadly they lost to the Ravens. Not this time. After a hard fought victory, they were left standing on “Top of the World” which is the tune they played in the stadium when time ran out. It just so happens that it is my favorite song EVER by Van Halen. So just a little icing on the cake. Speaking of icing, Tiffy showed her support for the G Men by baking some NY-themed cupcakes. Ruining a perfect season wasn’t the only sweet thing that happened here.

Needless to say, Sam loved them and wanted to get into the act. He thought he would be great with helping with the frosting…he was great at spreading it…just not neccesarily on the cupcakes.

And yes, you guessed it…eventually he just dove in. At least it wasn’t a GIANT mess.

Hopefully, we can have Super cupcakes again soon. Go Giants! Maybe next time I will get to wear the hat?!

 

How Much Is That Doggy In The Window…HOW MUCH?!!

Say hello to the newest member of the Dutton Family…Peanut Butter.

Now I know what you are thinking…an anklebiter…really? Well here is the story. I needed to go to the pet store the other night to pick up some Elodea (my students are studying cells right now.) So we coax Sir Hugh into going by suggesting that we would look at the puppies while we were there. He more than agreed and so we were off. When we get there, the perfect storm of circumstances align. First, there were several puppies in a container in the floor because their cage was being cleaned so they are open for public displays of cuddling. One of them was sort being ignored or outcast by the other (the underdog) and Tiffany said, “Can we hold him?” I knew I was in trouble when I heard her say, “He looks like peanut butter,” and then the dog had a name. Long story short, we deliberated, decided, and dished out…much money that is for this little gremlin-looking puppy.

The good thing about it is that so far he is taking quite well to his new surroundings here at Rancho Duttonero. He is pad-trained with house-breaking coming soon. He is happy, bouncy, and better than a new toy as far as Sam is concerned.

Here we see the puppy pad where Peanut Butter does his business (one of them any way, they are strategically placed throughout the house.) Yes, that is my shoe. Now I do wear a size 14, but still that is a tiny puppy.
And just to make sure he is a Dutton through and through…here is the newest member about to take a nap.

 

Holidays, etc.

Happy Holidays everyone, oh…what’s that?…The holidays were last month? My bad. Well here are some pics from those joyous times. The tree was trimmed…check! The stockings were hung by the chimney with care…check!Presents were purchased….check?!

Gifts were opened….

and opened….

and opened….check!

Families were visited…

and visited…

and visited…(behold the rarest of miracles…the Duttons)and visited….CHECK!!

When all was said and done, there was only one thing left to do…can you say “Christmas Nap?”

Another “successful” Holiday Season is in the books. Hopefully next year will be even better. I think it will and so does Sam. At least I think that was the thought he was pondering here…maybe he was just thinking of getting a puppy?