Dining and Dancing with Daddy (well, sort of)

For nearly a month we've been talking ALL ABOUT this special event. She'd tried on her dancing dress at least five times....her shoes had gotten plenty of practice dancing....and her and her dad even practiced handing me their tickets to the dance and pretended to eat dinner at the coffee table. We'd been through it all....SHE. WAS. READY. Kinda.

This tricycle had quite a bit to do with her less than desirable attitude the evening of the dance. Ya see, she had picked herself up a shiny new pink helmet during our shopping trip that morning. It quickly grew became attached to her head. So instead of getting primped and pretty for the dance, she had a date with her tricycle and she wasn't backing down.....

It didn't help that she's stubborn like her momma and she had an abundance of rest after a nearly four hour snooze that afternoon. I tried my darndest to sell the whole getting ready process but she was clearly in tomboy mode. It's a wonder she let me splash some shimmer on her pretty cheeks and her fancy shoes on her feet. While I curled her hair she took some classic shots with the big camera. Trust me, they were quality shots.....

Speaking of quality shots.....I die over this one.....

The red curls....the shiny lips....those blue eyes....um, those CHEEKS!!! She received plenty of kisses from her adoring momma before she left for the dance. Might I add that there was PLENTY of time for kisses seeing as how dancing queen's daddy was stuck in the closet acting like a female with nothing to wear. Except that he has a closet full of dress clothes and plenty to choose from. So while he changed shirts and ties ten times we went out in the front yard for a photo shoot. We had an unexpected item make its way into the picture. In true Hallie fashion she had a hankerin' for some crackers and took it upon herself to go grab two packs: one for daddy and one for her. She told me "I wait til da dance to eat dese." Mkay.....

Try as I might, she would not part with her snack while she posed. But pose she did.....

Just a side note here: where did she learn to do the whole foot crossing thing??? Who has been giving my daughter diva lessons????

Once I was pleased with the pictures I had captured of my princess (and her crackers) we went inside thinking that surely her prince would be ready. Ummmmm......no. Still searching for the perfect tie, bless his heart. I couldn't tell if it was a good stalling technique since he was exhausted and had just walked in the door from work or if he really didn't know what to wear. I gave him some fashion advice (scary) while Hal kicked back and watched some Mickey Mouse.....

"Hey dad!!! Hurry it up a lil!..."

Once we saw Riley emerge from his staging area it was time to make some final preparations. Purse with strap tied up to accommodate a height deficit, tickets in purse, crackers in purse....all that was left was the pinning of the boutineer and the donning of the wrist corsage....

She'd been keeping an eye on these puppies for a whole month now

"Wait dad, let me make sure I got the crackers...."

One would imagine that I was tearing up while watching these two prepare to leave. And one would be right.....

Hallie became the youngest person to ever pin a boutineer on her own. Ok, I lie. She had quite a bit of assistance with it. Because of the height deficit...remember. She loved her pretty wrist corsage with a fresh white rose and a bracelet of pearls.....

Hal was being squirmy and crazy and honestly looked like she'd just drank a gallon of coffee. But just when I thought I wasn't going to get a decent picture of the two together because she was ready to put the camera away and go boogie....THIS. HAPPENED.......

Yeah....that happened. I haven't decided if I want a giant wall mural of it yet or if a lifesize print for each room will suffice. ;) So what happened after that magic moment? This happened. 

Ya see, we were balancing on the curbing stones (naturally) and scratched our leg. Tears and sad faces happened....

This sassy moment could have so many captions I just won't even attempt......

Finally after some coercing, we got her into the car after explaining all of the reasons that I couldn't go with them. I'd been looking forward to a night alone since the day I heard about the event. But that wasn't the reason I gave her. I repeated back to her something she'd told me a couple weeks prior: "mommy, you can't go, you not a daddy or a daughter."

The daddy and the daughter ;)

During my alone time I spent approximately one minute relaxing, five minutes changing into my running clothes, ten minute contemplating going for a run, fifteen minutes of stuffing my face with the spaghetti I made after I decided that running was stupid, and seventy-eight minutes staring at the photo of Riley kissing Hallie. I can't really say much about what happened on their special date except that it went nothing like I'd imagined. They didn't even enter the dance for quite some time because she had some important balancing to do on the concrete wall outside. When I opened the video of her sitting on the table in the entry way at the convention center I immediately knew that she was bound to act like a caged wild animal. I think Riley would agree that that's a fair assessment.....

Reorganizing the backdrop for the professional pictures

Standing outside of the dance...thinking about actually going in

Hal ran into her bestie, Marleigh

Waiting outside....wanting to play instead of eat

Agreed to eat....as long as Papa Bill was holding her

I know, I know, I know....you don't even have to say it....."why would you think a two-year-old would do well at a daddy/daughter dance?" Well, you live and you learn. And we learned that this was a silly idea. But it sure was fun dressing her up, curling her hair and teaching her how she's supposed to be treated on a date.

The carriage pulled in the driveway around 8:30, the princess had lost her slippers, the prince had lost his patience....BUT they lived happily ever after....