Daddy Daughter Dance, Year 2

Every year Daybreak hosts a daddy-daughter dance. Last year I took Madeline, even though she was a little young, and we had such a great time that signing up again this year felt like a given.

The dance was this past weekend, but earlier in the day I wasn’t sure we were going to make it. Madeline wasn’t feeling her best. It is that time of year where she always seems to be fighting off something, and there were definitely moments where you could tell she didn’t feel great. I didn’t want to drag a sick kid to a dance just for the sake of going.

At the same time, I didn’t want to call it too early, so we let the day play out. We took a long walk around Daybreak Lake and she got a couple of good naps in. She kept going back and forth between being low energy and her normal happy self, but as the day went on, she seemed to turn a corner.

Then in the mid afternoon she sealed it. Out of nowhere she asked if we were going to go dancing and followed it up with a little shimmy shake. It was completely heart melting. There was no way I was saying no after that.

We got all decked out for the night. I had picked out a sparkly blue dress for her to match the Enchantment Under the Sea theme. She loved it and looked absolutely darling.

Right before the dance we stopped by our neighbors’ house. Matt was turning 40 and his wife had planned a surprise party. Madeline and I popped in for the big reveal, then Alison stayed at the party while Mads and I headed off to the dance.

The Daybreak daddy-daughter dance is a big event. They have to rent out a venue outside the community to fit everyone, and it still sells out every year. This time it was at the Viridian Event Center in West Jordan, and they went all in on the Enchantment Under the Sea theme.

Madeline loved it right away. The nautical balloons were an instant hit. We skipped the craft table since it involved digging through sand and looked pretty messy, but I have no doubt that will be a highlight for her in a year or two.

We stopped for a picture and entered a raffle for a fish tank, which we did not win, much to Madeline’s disappointment. Ironically, one of her favorite parts of the whole night was just standing in front of the fish tank they already had set up. She was completely mesmerized.

Dinner was next. They had sliders, chicken fingers, mac and cheese, and fruit. Madeline had a little mac and cheese, but mostly just went to town on a plate of melon. While we were eating, she kept pointing at a fish balloon nearby and saying “fish” over and over.

After dinner we made our way to the dance floor. Madeline is a dancer and loves music, although she was a little disappointed they didn’t play Baby Shark more often.

We took a quick break to check out the photo booth. She still doesn’t totally understand what’s going on in there, but she was very into the props this year, especially a blow up orca that she kept hugging and calling “orca.”

Then it was back to dancing. They had a few character meet and greets, so we got in line. She was curious about Ariel, but when it was our turn she decided she wasn’t interested after all. We also went to see Moana. She excitedly yelled “Moana!” when she saw her, but the moment Moana said hello, she burst into tears. She is definitely in a shy phase right now.

Luckily I had a perfect fix for that. We grabbed a cookie for dessert, which immediately turned things around. We found a place to sit, and right as we did, the DJ played Baby Shark. So naturally, we were back on the dance floor, cookies in hand, dancing together. It doesn’t get much better than that.

After a couple more songs, Madeline told me she was all done. By then it was right around 7:30, which is bedtime, so we called it a night. On the way out we said goodbye to the fish one last time, then headed home to see Mom and wind down.

It was a magical evening. I loved seeing how much joy she got out of the decorations, the music, and just being there together. I especially loved dancing with her in my arms.

She is growing up so fast, and I am trying my best to soak in moments like this with my sweet little girl. I love her so much, and I can’t wait to keep this tradition going for years to come.