I’ve been working on finishing our basement. I’m not what I’d consider a true handyman, things like plumbing and structural integrity scare me, but I can get along fine enough with small fixes and expanding spaces.

Last fall I spent a good amount of time finishing my basement office / man cave and I thoroughly enjoyed it when I didn’t expect I would. There’s something about creating something with raw building supplies and power tools that makes me feel less like a shriveled, useless programming weakling.

Kaden and Adrie are shaping up to be quite the entertaining pair as they continue to define their relationship. It’s hard to believe how quickly they both are growing up and into their personalities.

I don’t deal well with death. I try to ignore it, like food between someones teeth that I’m talking to. The topic makes me uncomfortable, unsure how to discuss it, unsure how to describe it.

My uncle died this week. He was always a friendly person – quick to laugh, quicker to joke. My cousins huddled quickly here in Ohio to spend his last days by his side. As sad as the situation is, I hope I get that opportunity for closure with my family somewhere down the road.

As introverted as I think I am, i can always count on a funeral to sink me a bit deeper into that hole; I’m essentially the worst bereavement conversationalist ever.

Sena thinks I’m broken when it comes to grief management. I think I’m just really terrible at it. I feel bad for not knowing how to express my sadness at the whole situation, I just don’t want to offend you or the memory of yours. I’ll just hang out over here by the photo montage next to the guestbook.

Celebrate life, our shitty luck, our lucky shit.

Rest in peace, Gary.

So I was one of those people who got the iPad on launch day. Overall, I’m extremely impressed with my purchase.

The WordPress app is beautifully executed without any glaring issues. I love that I can now prepare my blog posts while away from the computer, sitting on my patio or while lying in bed, and them review and publish any time I want. Of course it doesn’t mean that I’ll write more, but that’s a whole different issue.

I love that my Apple bluetooth keyboard syncs flawlessly so I can type quicker and more efficiently, even if I am getting better at using the onscreen keyboard.

Kaden and I broke out the John Deere for the first time this season. Buying a riding mower was definitely the best investment I made last year.

A long time has past since my last update but life continues on. Adrie is growing up so quickly and the rest of the kids are following suit. Kaden is now three and still a handful, especially now that he is talking more and more. Alize is ten now, she has her own personality and style and cellphone. Keylie is getting older but doesn’t seem to be getting any bigger, she’s still my little girl.

Time moves on, things change and stay the same.

Happy Spring everyone.

So, Adrie will be here soon. I’m excited to have a new baby around and scared to death at the same time.

Kaden is such a handful, it’s amazing how different boys and girls are. We’re finally experiencing what “terrible twos” really means. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Adrie appears healthy, regardless of all the problems her mom has been having. Sena has had a rough pregnancy and she’s a trooper as always.

Keylie and Alise both just had their birthday parties, always a hectic time of the year. I can’t believe that Alise is 10 now.

I’ve been hectic balancing family and career and sanity. Everything seems to be speeding up.

What a crazy life.

So, we are having our fourth and final child.

I’m excited and relieved that we are done. I already feel old and done with that stage, I want to enjoy watching them grow into the mischievous deviants I know they can be.

Everyone is healthy, everyone is happy. Life is pretty good in these less than happy times we live in. I feel lucky.

taking the kids to halloweekends at cedar point; they are extremely excited to be scared.

found some old swanky stuff on a CD..  good stuff.

I’ve moved things back to dustin.vannatter.com ; I’ll keep the ‘sometimes they malfunction’ theme, but there was no reason to keep the domain – these days I’m all about cutting costs and being frugal. Having three kids will do that to you, regardless of how much money you have.

Speaking of kids, they’re all doing well. They are enjoying their summer and their new home. I’ve been working day and night on making their adjustment this time as painless as possible – so far, so good I believe.

Sena turned 30 this past month so I can finally start cracking the same ‘over the hill’ jokes on her that she rained on me over the past year.

It’s been a great summer, sitting on my front porch looking out over the cornfields. I feel at home finally.

Winter has been cruel here in Ohio.

I can take the cold, I can’t take a constant flux between cold and warm. This back and forth is killing me (and my bum knee [my built-in barometer]).

Kaden turned one this past weekend, we had a Spongebob party for him. I bought him a Porsche, die-cast.

I don’t know why we stay in Ohio. It’s been a month since we got back from vacation and I can’t find any reason to stay here much longer. The only thing keeping us here is our extended families and that’s not a good reason to make financial and opportunistic sacrifices.

It always gets better in the Spring; at least until Fall.

I’ve been working on a new ‘web project’, my first real one since I decided to retire from the “Oh, Hello” grind. It’s been fun so far, I hope it sticks – I miss the challenge.

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House flooded, basement smells of mold and frustration.

Kids arguing, frustration floods me.

Summer gone, falling to Fall, girls older, boy bigger.

Cold wind through shoddy windows, need replaced, frustration.

Laughing at myself, my self reflection seems gone. This isn’t about me, it’s about doing what needs done, for girls and boy and wife and home.

Seasons, fall, stand up.