Father Daughter Dinner and Dance

After many long weeks of waiting...and waiting...and waiting...Alexia and Daddy's big night FINALLY arrived -- THE FATHER-DAUGHTER Dinner & Dance!!!
Alexia was so excited (I think Daddy was pretty excited, too...although he would probably never admit it...)...lol!  He even went out and bought a sports jacket so he could take his little girl to her first dance in style :)  Doesn't he look handsome?

What To Wear???
Alexia wanted to wear the dress she wore for Christmas and we bought her a new pair of shoes for the big event!  She wasn't sure what to do with her hair or what jewelry to wear, so Mommy came up with the perfect idea ~ she could wear the hair clips and necklace that Mommy wore when she and Daddy got married!  Alexia was thrilled!  We had taken her to get her hair cut and nails done the day before, so she was all ready for her very special night with Daddy!

The perfect father-daughter pair!!

SO PRECIOUS!!!

Do you think they are excited...????

 Alexia was also very excited about all of the friends who were planning on going...Leann, Ava, Allison, Reese, Hannah...these girls had been talking and dreaming about this night for weeks!

Here is a picture of Alexia and Leann, one of Alexia's closest friends in her class at school :)
All of the Daddy's received a red rose to give to their little princesses!

After getting checked in...the night began with dinner...

And, lets not forget about dessert...check out all those cupcakes!!!!!

Alexia has developed such great friends at school.  Here she is with Leann and Ava.  Scott said that these three girls were INSEPARABLE all night long. 

Think they are having a good time???

And then...LET THE DANCING BEGIN!!!!!!
I'm not exactly sure how much dancing the Daddy's did, but, from what I'm told...the girls sure "tore up the dance floor!"

These girls danced together all night long...oh, how I wish I could have been there to see it in person (but Daddy did a good job of getting some pics for Mommy)

Complete JOY!!!

 Alexia did ensure me that Daddy danced with her..."slow and fast dancing"...not sure how long the fast dancing lasted as Daddy told me that Alexia laughed at his dance moves (poor guy...oh well, he gets an "A" for effort in my mind)!  Actually, the fact that he took his little girl to this dance gave him the "Daddy of the Year" Award in my mind!

The night was filled with dance contests, the limbo, the chicken dance...and many other great moments!  Talk about a night filled with wonderful memories!
Alexia came home with a rose, a keepsake box, a balloon and a little stuffed animal (would have had a picture, but the batteries in the camera died...oops!). 
But, more than any of those things...Alexia and Daddy came home with an even greater bond as Daddy and Daughter than they had before they left.  These are the kinds of experiences that help shape the kind of girl Alexia will grow up to be!  I'm really thankful that the school district the girls attend offers events and exeriences like these that support the ideals and values that we work hard to carry out in our family!

To my wonderful husband...and the Daddy of my beautiful girls...THANK YOU FOR MAKING THE TIME to take Alexia to her very FIRST Dance!  She is already counting the days until next year's dance (really, she is!)  :)

THE DEEPER MEANING of these experiences...
As I thought about Alexia and Daddy at this event, it reminded me of what I've been reading in a book, called Bringing up Girls by James Dobson.  It talks about the important role that father's have in shaping a little girls's self-worth.
Here's an excerpt from one of the chapters:
"I believe there are many approaches to instilling healthy self-worth in girls, but it begins within the security of a loving family (Thanks Mom & Dad for providing this for me during my childhood...what a difference it made in my life!!!!!)  Specifically, it depends on a caring and affirming father.  Moms are vital in countless ways too but self-worth for girls hangs precariously on their relationship with their dads."  (This, too, was very true in my life)!!!
"I have watched daughters talk to their fathers.  When Daddy's come into the room they change.  Everything about them changes:  their eyes, their mouths, their gestures, their body language.  Daughters are never lukewarm in the presence of their fathers.  They light up--or they cry.  They watch you intensely.  They hang on your words.  They hope for your attention, and they wait for it in frustration--or in desair.  They need a gesture of approval, a nod of encouragement, or even simply eye contact to let them know you care and are willing to help."
"When she's in your company, your daughter tries harder to excel.  When you teach her, she learns more rapidly.  When you guide her, she gains confidence.  If you fully understand just how profoundly you can influence your daughter's life, you would be terrified, overwhelmed, or both.  Boyfriends, brothers, and even husbands can't shape her character the way you do.  You will influence her entire life because she gives you an authority she gives no other man."
"You will make the difference in your daughter's life.  You have to--because, unfortunately, we have a popular culture that's not healthy for girls and young women, and there is only one thing that stands between it and your daughter...YOU!"
"Fathers inevitably change the course of their daughter's lives--and can even save them.  From the moment you set eyes on her wet-from-the-womb body until she leaves your home, the clock starts ticking.  It's the clock that times your hours with her, your opportunities to influence her, to shape her character, and to help her find herself--and to enjoy living!"

Bowling

This afternoon, my dear friend, Jen and I decided to take our kiddos bowling...it was another eventful afternoon for sure!

They had a great time together and actually did pretty well overall (well, I guess the bumpers helped a bit), but they truly had a lot of fun!

Alexia was first up to bowl...and was very proud of her PINK 8 lb ball because the younger kids had to use an ORANGE 6 lb ball...Here she is showing off her strength as she prepared to bowl her first frame...

Alexia did pretty well on most of her frames, but she kept waiting for that first STRIKE...and once she got it...check out her excitement below...

Megan enjoyed the experience as well...although neither she nor her friend Connor cared too much about how they actually did...they just had fun being there!

Alexia was a great encourager to Megan and Connor for their efforts...She truly is a great BIG SISTER and a VERY DEAR FRIEND to others.  I love watching God develop a sense of care and kindness in her...she makes her Mama proud!!!

Here are Megan and Connor celebrating some of their greatest bowling moments of the day :)



YEA...I DID IT!!!!



WOO-HOO!!!!  A SPARE !!



OH YEA!!! (notice the celebration before the ball even hit any pins)  :)



YES!!!!

After about the 7th frame, Megan and Connor's energy lessened a bit...Jen commented on how Connor was getting great enjoyment in "organizing" the bowling balls and Megan found her entertainment from the hand blower...I love my Megs so much...she sure does know how to keep me laughing and reminds me not to take life so seriously!

After they were done bowling their first game, they, of course were STAAAAARVING....so we took a break for a snack and a few slushy's.  They were so cute sitting up on the stools...

God has truly blessed us in our friendship with this these guys!!!  We love them so much and always have a great time when we hang out together. 

Gymnastics

After about a year of Alexia begging us to do gymnastics again...we finally agreed :)  As we were talking to her about it, Megan asked if she could go, too.  I wasn't so sure this was a good idea, but Alexia thought it was a great idea and said, "Don't worry, Mommy...I'll help Megan if she can't do something."  So, with that promise and an opportunity for them to do an activity together as sisters...(with how different these girls are, I don't imagine we'll have many of those in the years to come) -- we signed them both up! 

Tonight was their first night, and it was entertaining to say the least!
Here they are before the class started...so excited to be there :)

This picture just cracks me up for some reason...

So, the class began with some warm-ups and stretching...although they did manage to get Megan to sit in the circle with them, she was having no part of the warm-ups.

Alexia was enjoying herself from the moment we walked in the door, but little Megs...well, she did a lot of staring at the floor and acting very shy.

Thankfully, however, just as I was about to give up hope that Megan was going to do any of the activities, they divided the large group into 3 smaller groups and then she seemed to come alive a bit.

Here are a few pics of their first class...

As you can see in this last picture, Megan was having a pretty good time by the end of the class!  Hopefully it won't take her quite as much time next week to warm up, but we'll take it one week at a time.

As we were leaving, I asked Alexia if she liked her other gymnastics class better or this one....Without hesitation she said, "I definitely liked this one better.  There was more stuff to do and more kids!!!"  I guess we don't have to wonder where her focus and priorities are in all of this :)