I wanted to document some of the special things we enjoy with the girls that may not be event-specific: On-going rituals and experiences that we love as a family.  Just a couple of my favorite rituals that come to mind:

Spa Bath Time

Bath time with Mom? Warm water in a bath tub.  Wash hair, rinse.  Wash baby, rinse.  Splash in the bath tub, towel off baby, lotion, diaper, and put on pajamas.

Bath time with Dad?  Akin to a fancy spa experience.

First, Frank plugs his iPhone into speakers in the girls’ room and sets the Pandora App to “new age” spa-type music.  He dims the lights ever so slightly and gets one bowl of soapy water and one bowl of warm fresh water.  If I am home, I sit in the rocker with one baby and Frank begins the sweetest and most tender ritual of giving the twins sponge baths.  He dedicates one wash cloth to the bowl with soapy water and one wash cloth to rinsing.  He washes their faces and necks, and then rinses.  The girls LOVE it.  Then hands, tummy, legs and feet.  He liberally applies lotion all over their tummies and legs, combs their hair and dresses them.  Watching him give them their baths is one of the sweetest and most tender acts of love that I have ever seen.

Good Morning!

Every morning Frank and I listen to the girls gabbing in their cribs.  We try to sneak in a few more minutes of sleep before we have to get going with the day, but as they get louder, we know that we are on borrowed time.

Frank usually runs downstairs and gets breakfast prepped.  I start getting ready for work if it is a work day.  When breakfast is ready, Frank comes back upstairs and together, we stand outside the girls’ door.

“OK, ready?” one of us usually says.

We push open the door and Frank flips on the light switch.

Every morning we are met with squeals of delight.  Carrie usually lifts her head up high in the air, flashing a big smile and scrunching her nose.  Ellie kicks her feet excitedly and sporting her own wide gummy grin. Frank and I each pick up a girl and we stand in the middle of the room, all four of us squealing and laughing.

It has to be the absolute best way to start a day!