Who's That Girl?

Delaney attended her first dance last night. Jeff and Tobias had no idea what she was going to be wearing ahead of time, so they got to stare, open-mouthed when she appeared in the the living room all dolled-up.

Tobias commented, "She looks beautiful, but I don't like it. She doesn't look like my little sister."

You can see his confusion/wonder/discomfort here:

Close-up:



(By the way, Tobias was not dressed this way to complement his sister's attire; this is actually what he wore at school all day. In fact, he wears outfits similar to this every Friday, complete with walking stick. No, he's not normal, but that's the way we like him.)

The dance was actually a cotillion which her school put on for the promoting eighth graders. They put a lot of work into it, wanting to keep it classy and fun. The girls had to wear floor length (or close to it) gowns. They were taught some official dances over the preceding weeks and given etiquette lessons on how to eat properly, etc. It really was a wonderful thing that the teachers did. (Although by the sound of the etiquette standards, my family and I are a bunch of uncouth beasts.)

When we first got there, the kids milled around, oohing and aahing over each others' transformation from middle school teen to princess/rico suave. Here's Delaney with one of her best buddies, Ashlynn:



Soon, the kids had to line up to be presented on the "red carpet". Their names were announced person by person and everyone clapped.



There were more girls in her class than boys so many of the guys accompanied two girls. The dance partners were assigned, ensuring that each student had someone with whom to practice and perform.

As is usual with students this age, most of the girls were taller than their male counterparts. In fact, the following pics make me giggle:





I'm sure he'll hit a growth spurt soon. :)

Here's a better view of Fred and Ginger:


You've got to love his braces and her freckles. So sweet.

Once the choreographed dances were finished, the parents were all shooed away while the students filed into a nicely decorated hall for dinner, a talent show of sorts, a keynote speaker and some non-choreographed dancing.

Delaney, who isn't much of a girly girl (she declined to wear any cosmetics last night), had a wonderful time at her first "ball". Great job, Mrs. P. and crew! Thanks for all you did to make this a special and memorable time for your students.

Meanwhile, while Delaney was nibbling cheese cubes and sipping Martinelli's, Jeff, Tobias and I drove off to attend the graduation ceremony of Tobias' oldest friend, Christopher.

Here they are, looking all grown up and stuff:



This is them (and Delaney) years ago:



People used to always think they were twins. Some lady at the beach accused them of lying to her when they denied being brothers, let alone twins. They were the same height, but if you look at their features they look quite different despite the similar hairstyle and glasses.

Where does the time go?

I'm so thankful for the love of God, family and friends. What else is there? Truly?