Father/Daughter Dance 2013

Faith was old enough this year for us to go to the annual Father/Daughter dance at the Merc together. We talked about going a few weeks ago and she was so excited ever since. Any excuse to wear a fancy dress and shoes is going to make a big impression on Faith and this event fit the bill. Marisa took her out to pick out a new dress and fancy shoes. She chose one with a huge bow in the back and a layer of tulle underneath the skirt so that it stuck out all around. Her brothers went upstairs to help her get ready: Jake zipped her up, Tanner held the bracelet and necklace. It was very sweet. 

I got ready and we left about 6:30. It was a tropical theme so when we arrived we both got leis. We got pictures taken and then had some dinner. Steak and salad for me, chicken nuggets, tater tots and ranch for her. She had sherbet punch to drink and then the DJ started up. 

Faith was VERY unsure about the whole dancing concept. She was looking around with VERY BIG eyes and seemed a little taken aback by the crowded dance floor and loud music. She spent the first few dances barely moving and just looking at everyone on the dance floor. I took some video and it's a little heart breaking to see how nervous and tentative she was. 

Well what to do? We couldn't hit the bar, so we did the next best thing, drugs for kids....sugar. We hit the dessert table HARD. Faith had more sherbet punch, a couple of mini cupcakes, cookies and a handful of skittles. After that we went outside, where she ran into a bunch of her friends from school. They then proceeded to run around, swing on the stair railings and just generally let the sugar work them into a frenzy. 

I kept asking Faith if she was tired and ready to go home (it was way after bedtime at this point), but she kept saying no that she wanted to stay. She and her friends then decided that they wanted to dance more. This time, she was all good to go. She and her friends all danced together in the corner song after song- YMCA, Moves Like Jagger, Hands Up... all the pre-teen favorites. By this time it had devolved into a dance floor full of girls while the Dad's stood around drinking beer and talking about baseball. 

Once it got dark, we headed home. Faith was very excited to tell her Mom and brothers all about the dance. It took her quite awhile to settle down and get to sleep. I think she had a great time and is already looking forward to next year.