I hope you dance

I had ordered a beautiful dress for SK to wear to the father daughter dance...but it got stalled in Illinois from the winter storms and so I kept checking the tracking...and checking the tracking...the status never changed. The dress was just stuck...somewhere...and so on Thursday night with a dance the next day I made plans to head out as soon as Jeremy got home from basketball with Rollins.  I called mom just to share my disappointment with her ......and because she is the most amazing mother in the world she said to pick her up because she was going with me. And so at 7:00 pm on a cold, winter night mom and I headed off to Von Maur in hopes that we could find something to replace the lost dress.   It felt like a great battle...not much to choose from.....any shoes we liked did not come in her size....the dress we found  wasn't the one...wasn't special enough...cream from head to toe ...but we took it anyway...and stopped at the only shoe store that was open on the way home....Payless. We found a pair of cheap, but fairly cute shoes that would work. I came home at 9:00 with a dress I didn't love...and shoes I didn't love but to a little girl who I love more than life.

The next day we went to Michaels and found hot pink rose petals to add to the bottom of the dress and I bought a big pink rose and with my glue gun and a hair clip...added it to the cream sash.

 SK and I added a  little love and as we hung it up to see how it looked we happily realized that we now had the dress.

SK gathered some books and read to me as I curled her hair. She sat on the sink in my bath room...lost in her books. When she looked up and her hair was all curled she said Moma I love it!

 In the midst of getting ready a beautiful pink bouquet of pink carnations came for SK.  She wanted to put them in her room...which was a great idea since they certainly fit right in in amongst all her pink!

Since she can read she was able to read the card all by herself. They were from Gran-Gran and the card read I hope you dance.

I put her little cream tights on...her cream shoes..and put the dress on over her head and tied the sash...she was beautiful.... and absolutely stunning when I placed the flowers on her head amongst her curls. She felt special and seemed to sparkle from the inside...just liked I hoped she would.

Dressed and ready...the UPS man rang the door bells with the lost dress..

But I didn't even think about opening the box...I couldn't imagine in that moment a more perfect dress or a more precious little girl.

She ran upstairs to watch Jeremy get ready and was so happy to see he had on a pink shirt!

 And then it was time for the giving of the flowers...a sweet little nose gay for SK and a boutonniere for daddy

 And then they were ready!

Julia and Brad arrived to pick them up...the girls were so happy to see each other...they were in little girl heaven...all dressed up with somewhere special to go!

 Lila never asked to go...which I was surprised by...but she was happy to be part of the excitement! So fitting that she had on her little sister shirt...because she is the little sister and in time will do all these things...just like K-Kate!

 SK is always in white..well cream during the winter months.... and Julia is always in black. It just seems to always be that way...and tonight was no different! Jenna and I laughed about that as we watched our girls get ready to leave for a wonderful night!

 Coats and wraps on.... they headed out the door and they were off...our Cinderellas were going to the ball!

I waited for a bit and then I was off to get a peek and take a few pictures. I didn't tell them I was going to do this...it was just better that way. This was father daughter night and I just wanted to be a fly on the wall and take it in for a moment. On the way there I started to worry...what if not very many people came...what if no one danced. But when I got there I walked into the most beautiful sight ...a crowded room full of dads and their daughters...all in their best...no matter what that might be...and all dancing! It was beyond precious! And then there through the motion of the crowded dance floor I saw them...Jeremy and SK.

 Gran Gran's card had read: I hope you dance....and she did....oh she danced with all her heart.....

After I took these pictures I snuck out and left with tears in my eyes. What a fun night for Jeremy and SK to have together....I hope she always feels the joy in her heart that she felt tonight...and I truly do hope that in her life she will dance...dance with all her heart!