4 years!

and the 2 became 1.

It is hard to believe it has been 4 years.

As I sit hear typing with one hand because I am holding our little one, I knew I was happy that day,but I had no idea how happy I would become. I just keep loving you more and more. Now to see you as a loving father, I just can't wait to see what else God has in store for us.

Happy anniversary, my love.

6 Months Old!

We have had the pleasure of getting to know two little boys that God has blessed us with. It has been a wild 6 months. We moved across the country without having a house to move to, we

found a house and we moved in. We have been adjusting to becoming parents and they have adjusted to being out of the warm cozy place where they spent 9 months. The boys pose pretty well individually, don't you think?
Drew is rolling over and we can't keep him on his tummy. He is also sitting up with just a little help. Gavin is probably going to walk before he does anything else. He loves to be on his tummy for a while but seems to have forgotten how to get off of it. He still loves to stand and is very vocal. They are finally napping well which makes everyone happier. They go to the doctor tomorrow so we are anxious to see what they weigh and how they are progressing.
Speaking of napping well, it seems they are up. We took a walk this morning and they slept. We went to Costco and they slept so I was prepared for them to wake up a little early. It is like 60 degrees and sunny but very windy here. I thought the weather was crazy in TN. We had snow on the ground Sunday. I have to admit is is weird to see tumble weed blow by with snow on the ground. I guess they went back to sleep because they are quiet now. I better work on Christmas gifts while I have the chance.
I can't believe I have been a mom for 6 months. I have to say it has been some of the best months of my life. God has doubly blessed us with two adorable, lovable, kissable, and funny boys. I look forward to spending many more months getting to know them. Thank you Brian and Beth for the wonderful blankets. I know you are ready to have one of your own any day. I know you will see what I am talking about when you think how in the world did God give us something so wonferful that is part me and part daddy, but still his own little person? How can any parent not believe in God? I know I am not creative enough to think of all that we are blessed with.

The Day after Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We hosted Thanksgiving for the first time and this was my first time fixing the meal all by myself. It is hard to time everything isn't it? We had some friends from our small group over. They are from Canada so we could have had pizza and they would not have know the difference. They had to ask what day Thanksgiving was on. All the kids were good (they have a 4 year old, 2 year old and one year old and one on the way). We had a wonderful time. Andrew found a golf buddy and I found someone to talk about babies with. The day after Thanksgiving we all just hung out. We took our family picture for our Christmas cards and I took this one of my boys. I am surrounded by boys. Does Harp count because he is fixed?

I have been busy working on Christmas gifts. Andrew has been busy with work. The boys have seen their first snow. We are working on Christmas gifts. Apparently, we are the Scrooges on the court because we are the only ones with out our Christmas lights up outside. It is not even Dec. 1st! So, Christmas decorating is on the agenda for this weekend in between football games.

Go Vols! (Doesn't it look like they are cheering?)

Happy birthday Grandpa Greene! We miss you and love you!

One Shot

There is not much going on in the Greene household. We are getting ready for Thanksgiving. It will be our first time not being with family. In fact, Andrew and I have never spent Thanksgiving or Christmas at our home. We have always been in Indiana or Knoxville with family. Oh, I guess we were in Spain one year for our honeymoon for Christmas. We are eager to start some of our own traditions but we will really miss our families.

I am going to post a typical photo shoot when we are trying to get a good picture of the boys together. They got these shirts from our beloved neighbors and friends Mark and Linda when they went to Europe. They saw Wicked and found these and had to bring them back for the boys. I have Wicked to read but I have not read it yet. Apparently, it is about the Wizard of Oz characters and particularly the Witch. If you remember, the witch it green so that is why the shirt says what is says. If only there were another "E" on the end. Actually for this photo session it should say, "Greene babies drool." It seems like when we get a good picture of one the other is looking away or starting to fuss or in front of his brother. The other big issue is movement, They just don't like to sit still. These pictures are just a few of the 50 or so we took. In fact, Andrew got distracted and took a few of Harp while I repositioned the boys and settled Gavin.Thank God for digital photography! Finally, they were both so wet that there was no way we were going to get a good picture and the first one turned out to be the best. There is always next time! (Sorry the last one is sideways, the boys were crying so I didn't have the time to change it.)

I still don't think they look alike. Andrew and I were just talking last night and we don't even think they look like brothers sometimes. We do know they have a mix of both of us though. Gavin has my eyes but everything else is Andrew and Drew has Andrew's eyes and everything else is like me. It is neat how God combined the two of us to make such perfect little beings. Of course we are a little biased. Can you believe they are almost 6 months old?

They are starting to really mature too. They reach for everything and of course it goes directly in their mouth. They also babble and now Drew has discovered his squeal. I was talking to Gramps (Grandpa Replogle) the other day and Gavin was screeching. Dad said you don't even here that do you? I think I replied hear what?

Speaking of talking they are talking to each other in their crib as I type so I better get on with our day. I love it when they wake up in good moods! Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Not Much . . .

Not much is going on in the Greene household. It sure gets dark early here. As a result, Andrew has not had the opportunity to work much on the retaining wall except for on the weekends. It gets dark around 5:30 or 6. This makes it hard for him to get anything done outside after work. He has gone for a run the last couple of nights in the dark with Harp. Which makes us all feel better because Harp gets some energy out and so does Andrew. There is one thing that I like about the time change now is that it is light out when I take my morning walk/jog at 6. It makes it easier for me because Harp doesn't freak out as much if he can see the pumpkins, scarecrows and caution cones while we are on our walk. Sorry, Sweetheart, for my selfishness.

These pictures are taken off of our back deck. I have put the before and afters side by side. That is 15 pallets of block. Each block weighs 68 pounds. We have had help from various friends and family and we really appreciate it. If it doesn't rain this weekend (which it is supposed to), Andrew should get closer to completing it. Unfortunately, he has to give up his treasured weekend football game viewing because the games are on so early here. I can't wait until we are able to enjoy Daddy's hard work.

I know I say it every time I talk about the boys but they are growing so fast. Each day it seems like they are learning something new. Whether it be blowing spit or sticking out his tongue when he smiles they are grabbing and reaching for everything. They are also napping better which makes Mommy much happier. They are also starting to wake each other up in the crib so I am thinking about separating them. The other night Gavin started screaming shortly after I put them to bed and I went in and checked on them and Drew was straddling Gavin's head and kicking him in the shoulders. Gavin got even because the next night I heard Drew whimper in the middle of the night and when I went and looked in on him Gavin had his feet propped up on Drew's belly. Nap time is going all right with them in bed. In fact, I almost hate to separate them because they always look for each other when I put them down.

This is the boys in their jogging stroller that a wonderful family from our small group gave us. We were on our way to get the mail. They really aren't looking at the camera but don't they look cute in their baseball hats?

I just can't eat another bite, mom. This eating cereal thing is wearing me out!

He is such a ham for the camera. I had a hard time picking just one.

They are both awake now so I better go! Have a great weekend! Pray for no rain until next week !

Happy Day After the Day After Halloween

Blogger did not cooperate yesterday! So it was put off a day!

I totally forgot to take pictures yesterday. We had a play group in the morning and then had to go to the Mart (Wal-Mart) in the afternoon and I just forgot. We are not big on Halloween anyway. We did not have as many trick or treaters as we thought we would. I guess we had everyone we knew in the neighborhood so I guess about 20 -30 kids or so. The evening ended with Harper eating some of the candy. Luckily it all stayed down.

We did not end up going to Walla Walla last Friday, we went to Leavenworth. It was a beautiful drive and a quaint little town. It is a Bavarian town up in the mountains. We walked around the shops and got some cheese and meat. I also had a pretzel that looked better than it tasted. This little town is known for their annual Christmas Lighting Festival as well as little inns and spas. Maybe we will make it back up there without the boys.

I realized I have not posted a family picture in a while. Thank you Grandma for taking this one. The boys were really good and awake the whole time we were walking around. We tried to get some fall pictures of them but they seem to have developed a fascination with their feet so they are looking at them in almost all of them. As I have said before it is difficult to get a good picture of both of them at the same time. So this is the best we have at the moment.

We are making it official today. We are planning on getting our WA licences. It kind of makes me sad. I hope they let us keep our TN licenses but I doubt they will. Well I hear a little one stirring and it is 8:00! Thank God they are sleeping so well and the time change won't kill us! God is good even in the little things!

Grandparents are great!

Two weeks ago Grandpa Greene visited and helped Andrew with the wall and did some babysitting for me. This week Grandma Greene is with us and she has allowed me to get some things done around the house. They had different fall breaks because they work in different school systems. So they each got to spend some one on two time with the boys. It is great to have people around that love the boys as much as we do and love watching them grow and learn new things.

We went to Hogue winery with Grandpa in Prosser. He also had a high school friend come and visit so it was nice to meet Steve and Bonnie. We walked the river walk with them.

Drew and Harper enjoyed a nap with Grandpa. It was nice of the three of them to be color coordinated. Grandpa also helped take the boys to their 4 month check up. Drew was 14 lbs and 15 oz. 25 inches long and Gavin was 13 lbs and 10 oz. and 24.3 inches long. Gavin the little squirt is in the 15th percentile for weight and height and Drew is in the 39th for weight and 15th for height. And people say they look alike?

We are going to Walla Walla with Grandma tomorrow. We have never been there. Andrew went once on business so it should be fun. Grandma discovered that Gavin loves to look out the window. I think part of it is he likes looking out the window with Grandma because she is holding him. We had just gotten home from church in this picture. Gavin was in heaven he had his pacifier and his Grandma holding him. Andrew and I are going to try to have an actual date tomorrow night also. This will be our first time without the boys since they were a little less than 2 months old (that was 3 months ago). I am sure Andrew is looking forward to having my full attention. I am looking forward to having my focus on being a wife for a couple of hours.

We are going to miss them. The boys will have changed so much next time we get to see them. Thank you Garvin and Sandee!

Roll Tribe! Roll!

I got a great phone call from my former players (the seniors and Blaine) and I talked to them on the way to sub-state. They played Karns (where Andrew graduated from high school). They beat them soundly in 3 so they are going to State! I really wish I could be there! I hope they play hard and have fun. Coach Shaffer talked about a dynasty and so it has begun! Good luck girls.

I have to say good luck to Kelly, Sydney and Morgan too from Sciece Hill. They are welcome to become state runner-up. It would be cool to have the top two teams in the state be from our conference. Play hard girls!

The boys say go girls! Go DB! (Do you know how hard it is to get both of them to smile, look at the camera, keep their hands out of their mouths and get a good picture?)

We love you and miss you! Keep us informed! You better call us when you win it all!

Little Man

I have been called a lot of things. I guess being the youngest I get all the nicknames. I was called the squeaky wheel in the hospital, little man, and mini-Daddy. Now I am still called little man and Daddy calls me Mr. Cranky pants. I can't help it if I know what I want and I will do what it takes to get it. Mommy calls me G squared and Gavy because it bothers Daddy. My real name is Gavin Dennis Greene. Mom and Dad said they liked the name Gavin and then realized that it is Grandpa's name without the r (Garvin). I also have Gramps' name Dennis, I guess it is after Mommy as well. I was little but mighty at 5 pounds 15 oz. I was the active one in Mommy's tummy and I haven't stopped since. I have been very healthy from the beginning. My eyes are starting to look like Mommy's though-green. I also started to show my pout from the very beginning. Mommy said I was difficult because I would not latch on. It took me a while but I got the hang of it. Sometimes I really just don't like to eat-I am a true Greene. I do like cereal though. It is pretty good stuff. Most of the time I like to eat it off of my bib. I think it adds to the flavor.

There are 3 things I love most in this world: my pacifier, standing, and Mommy. I love the pacifier and I am now able to do it by myself. I still like to grab the hand that is putting it in my mouth though. I like to hold onto things. I love to stand up. I can do it very well. I can do it really well with shoes on. I also love my Mommy. Daddy calls me a Mamma's boy. Mommy says it is just because I am so much like Daddy we clash. Something about a cat in a mirror?

I have also found my voice. My brother likes to talk and babble. I on the other hand like to be heard. I do babble but I also scream. It is fun and I get my point across. I am not upset, I just like to hear myself.

This picture was taken Sunday, September 30th, thanks for reading about me!

So who do you think I look like now? How about my brother?

All about Drew

I get to be highlighted today because I just happened to be pulled out first. I am 1 minute older than my brother and I will always get to hold that over his head. Mommy is interested in whether I will be a typical first born because I was just the first to give the doctor my foot. Is it nature or nurture? I was born on a Monday June 4th at 1:25 p.m. I was 6 lbs and 8 oz. I had a little jaundice but otherwise I was healthy. My full name is Drew Curphey Greene. Drew because Mommy and Daddy could not agree on Andrew and just calling me Drew and Curphey after Grandma Greene's maiden name.



I love to smile. I never really stopped smiling. Now I laugh just a little at Mommy, she's so funny. I love to smile at other people too. Especially at Wal-mart and church. If they talk to me I might as well give them a smile.


I am still working on growing my hair. The hair I have is a dark blond. People love my big blue eyes. I get my eye color from Daddy and my hair color from Mommy.

Daddy calls me his lazy boy. I guess cause I tend to let my head roll around a little and would prefer to just be on my back and kick and play. I don't like to be on my belly. I am pretty easy going. I don't cry much (unless I am on my belly) and I love to eat. Daddy says I am just like Mommy.





I am starting to talk a lot. I have a pretty cool deep voice. I sleep really well ( all night from 9:00-around 7) and love to do it except in the afternoons unless Mommy is holding me. When I do play, I play hard.





We are just starting to eat some cereal. I don't like it to much but if Mommy is cheering for me I will eat it now and smile even though I don't like the taste at all. I really did not like it at first Now I am getting the hang of it.

Thank you for reading about me.

I hear my brother crying so Mommy has to go.

This is the most recent picture of me taken Sunday, September 30th.

#1 Reason Why Not to Leave the Boys Alone with Daddy on Game Day

I thought I would start by showing some pictures of our house before we moved in. We are really enjoying all the space. I can't believe we had enough furniture in our old house to fill this house.

family room

(which of course now houses our big screen that Andrew has been wanting for over a year now)

Kitchen taken from the dining area

master bathroom (my oasis)

Our back yard

This view has already changed due to some heavy machinery coming in and hauling away 10 dump truck loads of dirt. Andrew is now working on a retaining wall, trying to beat the weather. We hope to have sprinklers by the end of the month. Andrew has the trench dug to put in the gravel for the fence. Dirt is a lot different here. It is like a clay powder. I never thought we would be watering dirt.

living room (front room) and kitchen taken from the stairs

The shadows make it a little hard to see the tile work. I also noticed the tags are still on the bath mat, but you get the idea. There are other rooms, but they just look like empty rooms in the pictures. Things are shaping up nicely and I will post the finished product as the rooms are finished.

Now for the title of the post-why not to leave Daddy alone with the boys on game day. Andrew did not really do this alone. Believe it or not, this was actually my idea. There is a website for UT graduates to post pictures of their children and pets in UT garb. Andrew wanted to be the first to post twins. Well, we could not find anything small enough for them while we were in TN or within a reasonable price range. So, I said why not just paint their chests? We have a U and a T. Andrew thought I was brilliant (just that one time) and here you go. Gavin was great, but Drew did not like the cold on his belly. Might as well start them early! Those of you who are not UT fans please do not turn us in for child abuse :)

House guests

We had our first house guests this weekend. My college friend Sue and her husband James came to visit us and meet the boys. It was so nice to see a familiar face. We went for a walk along the river, we went to a winery where they sampled some wines, and we had a great dinner prepared by Andrew. It was a very nice visit for our first house guests.

Unfortunately, James and Sue were not our only house guests that day. We had an unwelcome, uninvited guest too. We had a snake in the house! I did not realize how much I did not like snakes until I had one in my house 5 feet away from where the boys, Sue, and I were playing on the floor. Luckily, it was caught in some packing tape and it was not going anywhere. James was our hero and took the snake outside. I called Andrew and told him I was glad Sue and James were there or I would be in the van on my way to IN right now. When Andrew came home he took the snake to a neighbor and the first said he thought it was a rattler. (Andrew later told me he thought so too.) They took it to another neighbor and he said no it is a baby bull snake. It is a good snake that eats mice and small rattler snakes. He said the head is a different shape and of course it has no rattle otherwise, they look the same. They let it go in a nearby field. For Sue's rendition of the story, check out her blog.

I can barely look at that picture. Like I said I had no idea how much I hated snakes. I had every intention of writing this blog and just ranting about the snake being in my house. I have to admit I have been very disturbed by this event. I have lost sleep and not left the babies alone on the floor or anywhere but in their crib since this happened. Even when they were in their crib I would pray for the Lord to watch them and protect them from the snakes. I have opened every box since then praying that there would be no snakes. Since we had no idea how it got in here I have been on alert. Was it here when they were building? Did it come in when the movers had the doors open? Was it from the warehouse? Did it come in with a plant we left outside over night? Well, this morning in the shower God changed my heart about this situation. Like I said I have been scared to death since this happened and wondered how I am going to get over this. Well, God taught me a little lesson. Through reading some of Paul's letters to Timothy this morning I realized how inhospitable I can be. I literally wanted the snake to die. I wanted it out of my house and never to come back. How many times am I like that with people? Not that I have ever wanted them to die, but just not let them in. I literally have not had people over before because it is too much work or my house is not just right. That is not what we are called to do. I have also not let people into my life or held them at arm's width because I did not want them 'in my house'. How many times have I tried to enter God's house and he not let me in? I have been tangled up in some sticky mess I have gotten myself into (like the snake) and he is always there with open arms. Now I am not saying I am going to invite a snake literally into my house but I realize I need to let some people in. Into my house and into my life. I need to use the gifts and things God has given me to let people in. Both literally into my heart and into my house. God has given us this wonderful home and great boys and I have a husband who is a wonderful cook. I need to be more open to let people in. It doesn't matter if it is clean or decorated perfectly yet, I need to be hospitable. The Bible study we are doing and the theme at our new church is about becoming more Christ like. I know Christ would let 'snakes' into his house. He let me in. I need to be more open to people and not wonder where they are coming from, I just need to let Christ shine through. Does this make sense? I feel like I am rambling and I have not had time to process yet but I feel the Lord has put this on my heart. Like I said I was going to rant about how I was going to IN to get away from the snake (Andrew looked up the snake and they are in northern IN too) but I can't get away from what God was teaching my through this situation. Well, the boys are awaking up from a nap, so I better get them out of bed. Thanks for reading and I hope it was clear as mud (as my dad says).