Cinderella and the Night out with Daddy

Because of his limited time at home, Matt has to be intentional with his time with the kids. One way he has done this is "daddy day." Each child gets a day to have daddy to themselves to do something special. Last night, was a magical night for Madeline. Her daddy took her to see Roger's and Hammerstein's "Cinderella" at a local playhouse. This was a much anticipated night on my part. I saw that this play was coming and knew that it could be turned into a wonderful memory. We did not tell Maddie what she and daddy were going to do only that tonight was going to be "Maddie's night."

After dinner we started to get the princess ready for her big night. At 6pm she got her royal bath including "sweet pea" scented shower gel and lotion and a talk about what it means to be a princess on the inside. By 6:10 Maddie was dressed in a cream satin A-line dress with a black velvet long-sleeved bodice, accented with faux pearls. 6:20 the lady-in-waiting (aka Mom) blew her hair dry, painted her nails, and curled the ends of the princesses hair. By 6:35 she was ready to be greeted by the "king"(aka Dad) who was wearing his black suit (looking very handsome I might add). After being photographed, the princess was warned to be home by mid-night lest her gown turn to rags and the mini van turn back into a pumpkin.

It was great fun to see Maddie living up to her princessly duties and taking hold of her daddy's hand. I tried to focus on the sight of them walking out the door together so that it would be imprinted on my mind forever. Because some where in a mother's mind she is ever aware of the brevity of childhood. Before I know it I will be assisting her into another gown and watching her walk with her daddy down an aisle. Until then may I cherish the moments and work hard to prepare her for her future.