It was one of those things you want to record and play over and over again!  There were moments where I felt tears in my eyes.  Memories of this night will be forever etched in my mind.

I got home a few minutes ago from my first Daddy Daughter Dance.   I picked up Andrew from my in-laws, and by the time we hit the expressway, both kids were snoozing. I brought them in and put each of them to bed. Ella went back to sleep immediately, while Andrew is still dozing off and on.  He wakes up every so often to be sure I’m still in the room.  I figured while he did this, I would write about my special night with my daughter.

When Ella woke up today, she said, “It’s a Daddy-Ella Dance Day!  She was very excited.  At naptime, I laid Andrew down and gave Ella a bath. The hardest part for her was waiting.

Sam woke up earlier to help so Ella’s hair.  Normally, she wants braids and such, but today, she just wanted a bow in it.  Nice and easy. Sam put her dress on as I was getting dressed.  As I caught site of her in the dress, I got emotional.  She looked so beautiful.  Today was a day I’ve been waiting for all my life.

I put my shirt and tie on and Ella said, “You look amazing, Daddy!” Talk about feeling loved!  Wow, I didn’t expect that from her.  It really made feel special.

After we were dressed, Sam wanted to get some pictures.  First, both of us standing

Next, one of me holding her.

Can you tell we were both excited?

I had stopped at a florist shop and got her the corsage on her wrist.  Too bad the band was so big!  The nice thing is that it is silk.  It will never fade.  I hope she keeps this in a special keep sake box or somewhere to always remember our first “date.”

We dropped Andrew off at Nana and Papa’s house, and we headed to the dance.  Once we got there, we checked in and got to play, “How well do you know your daddy?”  We sat back to back and they had questions with answer cards.  Her question was “What is your dad’s favorite sport?”  I know she has seen me watch baseball and football, so I guessed she said baseball.  She did!  She won a golden egg with a toy in it.

Since we were early, I decided to go upstairs and get the professional photos taken.  They had me sit in a chair and had Ella stand in front of me.  They snapped a couple and will send them to the house when they are finished.

We walked back downstairs where they made a little necklace with sand and glitter in it, the also had her pick a small key, which they glued to  heart that says, “You hold the key to my heart!” The next craft was a head band with flowers in it. All very cool.

We then walked to the gym.  Not many people were there yet, but the music was playing.  Whatever the song that was playing when we walked in faded and the DJ played “Let It Go” from Frozen.  This was our first “official’ dance.  Appropriate song choice really – she loves Frozen.

Anyone who has ever taken a 3 year old to a dance or party knows that there is no stopping them.  After our first dance, all she did was run around the dancefloor.  She would occasionally join a group of girls who were holing hands and dancing in a circle. She was sliding on the floor, jumping, laying on the floor, and bumping into people countless times. This went on until I asked if she was hungry.

Standing in line for the buffet, Ella kept saying, “But I want food NOW daddy!” Patience is not something she has mastered yet. We grabbed chicken strips, meatballs, chips, cookies, and cheese cubes.  Half way through dinner, we called Sam to let her know how much fun we were having.  As she sipped on pink lemonade, she quipped, “You know, Watermelon juice is my favorite!” which had us both laughing out loud.

At dinner, Miss Davison and one of her court members came over.  “Daddy! Real life princesses!  They were so sweet and nice to her.  When they were leaving the room, she yelled, “Bye Princesses!:

Back to the gym where the music is and the running around continued.  It was fun to see her interacting with other kids. “Hi!  I’m Ella!  Want to dance?”  I chased her around while “What Does the Fox Say,” “Cupid Shuffle,” and “Baby” from Justin Beiber played. 

For the last song of the night, the DJ played “Ready, Set, Don’t Go” from Billy Ray Cyrus.  I picked her up and told her it was the last song.  She put her head on my shoulders ad we just swayed.  It was the perfect final dance and the perfect final dance partner. The emotions were overflowing at this point, and I enjoyed every second!

When the dance was over, we walked back to the car and buckled up.  As we left the parking lot, she simply asked, “Daddy?  Can we do another dance tomorrow or really soon?”

Absolutely, my sweet princess!  Absolutely!

Thank you for making daddy feel so special!  Thank you for an amazing memory I will never forget!