Mini Marine Corps Ball

 They put on a pretty awesome event each year.  They do a Mini Marine Corps Ball.  It is just for the kids (ages 5-12) and it pretty much identical to the real Ball.  No parents.  The kids get escorted in by Marines in full Dress Blues.  They sit at tables and have a Pageant and Cake Ceremony.  They get dinner (buffet style for them), cake and dancing.  Delaney and Rylee really wanted to go this year, so I got them tickets and they were excited!

Delaney is her gorgeous Ball gown.

Rylee being silly. 

They wanted matching fancy hair and chose this. 

Rylee chose this dress.

Delaney was SO excited! 

Her fancy hair. 

And the back. 

I could not get good photos- too many people, too dark and too fast. But here is Rylee, getting escorted in, 

And Delaney. 

She went in with her friend Serenity.  It was so fun!

I didn't know I was allowed to go in, so I snaked the rest of the pictures from friends.  The cake ceremony. 

Just like the grown-ups Ball!

And the oldest and youngest KIDS got the first slices of cake.  Such a cool thing.

Sadly, Delaney was upset by several things. It was super-noisy (well, with 400 kids, I guess so!) and she couldn't see or hear any of the ceremony.  I also didn't think to feed her before they left and didn't realize dinner wouldn't be for another 2 hours after the event began.  So she was starving and grumpy about it.  Then she had to wait in the buffet line for-EVER and she was SO hungry.  Plus, apparently she asked a boy to go and he refused to dance with her.  "He DUMPED me!"  So her expectations were not met and she called me in tears to come and get her.  She never even got cake.  The thing I am saddest about is how awesome my kids are at being photo-ninjas.  2 separate professional photographers took and shared about 500 pictures each and not a single one has either of my girls in it!  How does that even happen?!  Hopefully next time will be better.