A couple weeks ago Max attended his first ever high school dance.
Are they cute or what?? It just so happened that Max had a volleyball tournament all day on the big day so we all stepped up a little to help that kid get ready. Dave took him out of school for lunch one day to find a suit because he was in desperate need anyway and they couldn’t find any other time. We helped he and his friend figure out how to order corsages and his trusty friend picked them up for him. We tried to find the right tie to go with the suit while he was playing his heart out on the court. 
In the end his friend had to even pick up his date because the tournament went so darn long! (He did give the mom a cute note of apology with some flowers for that though, so in the end I think it wasn’t the worst faux pas in the whole world.) Somehow in the weeks before the dance I became in charge of taking the pictures. I guess they don’t do pictures at the dances like they did when I was in high school…or maybe some time or other mothers started getting sick of those ones you have to order and realized they could do a better job themselves. For whatever reason, I was in charge. Apparently Max told his friends I would be “really sad” if they didn’t let me take them. Ha! But I guess he was right, because I did love having a way to be involved. So I had the kids come a little later than I would have otherwise and got started with the couples pics. to begin with. We just kept our fingers crossed that Max could get there before dark. This is how the place we were taking pictures looked like when we got there:
If you’re saying something along the lines of “Yowzas!!’” in your head you got what I was thinking. There were a lot of people there with the same idea. We found our own little spot and got going.
Finally when the darkness was just creeping to more and more dim, Max appeared rushing down the hill. Oh I love that kid. I made them do a serious one first.
But this one’s better 🙂
The boys:
The girls:
Keep in mind that it was pretty darn dark by this point. I think my camera was at a 6400 ISO. But you get the idea, right? Elle was there to shoot some of her own pictures and wanted one with Max before they took off. Love them.
There were two boys even later from volleyball so I took a couple pics of them at the dinner:
One of Max’s friend’s parents hosted the dinner in their back yard and made it all up like this. 
Isn’t that beautifully magical? Unfortunately, Max wouldn’t take the bait to take my camera with him and make everyone pose to remember everything they did all night (I kid), but all accounts say they had an awesome time all together. All in all, what a great way to start out the dance phase of teenager-hood. This is going to be a fun ride!
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Oh, they look so cute!! I think it's great that all the friends can do this together!
Is it just me, or do the boys look so much younger than the girls…??! LOL!
Oh it takes me back to such fun memories of great dances in high school! So much fun.
I love all their dresses! I wish back in my day it would have been cool to just go pick up a nice simple dress from Anthropologie for dances rather than some obnoxious poofy monstrosity!
This makes me miss high school. My high school was not this cool though! Looks amazing
oh my gosh, why so they all look like they are 12!!!!!!!! ahhahah, a sign I must be getting old 🙂
How fun, and I love that Max & Elle are soo close, do they ever argue?
Yes, I second that… " I love that Max & Elle are zoo close, do they ever argue?" I have an 11 year old son and 9 year old daughter and it seems like all they ever do is argue! 🙁
You did a beautiful job taking photos! I remember my homecoming photos and they were not this good! Everyone looks beautiful! Can't believe how fast the kiddos grow up!
xo
Rachel
I love seeing those cute girls in modest dresses!!
I have to second Cassie's comment…the ladies chose such beautifully simple dresses that they look stunning in!
how cute! he is so handsome in the ones posed with the jacket over the shoulder. i almost want to cry, thinking of my own son at his first dance…he's only 4, but I'm pregnant at the moment so my emotions aren't normal 😉 what a fun time in their lives! you seem like the coolest mom!
I LOVE the girls' beautiful, modest dresses! They all looked great and nobody was showing too much skin! As a mom of a boy, this makes me happy!
I would just like to say, "Way-to-Go, Max!!" for choosing a beautiful TALL girl to go to the dance with!!!! They looked great!!!
Those pictures are so much better than any mass photo taking operation could have done. Totally unique, creative and personal. Bravo. And it's so nice the girls aren't all dressed like street-walkers!!
Love these pictures and all the girls' beautiful modest dresses.
Love seeing the finished product. Perfect!
I am just impressed that all those girls found modest dresses! That is quite the feat these days!
What an attractive, healthy, joyous group of teens. Max's date is darling;she reminds me of the cover girl models I remember from my youth. Seems like they all had a great time. Your photos are wonderful. Max is handsome and a gentleman. Congratulations, Shawni!!!!
How cute are all these girls and their dates?! I love the dresses too – and such fun pics of the couples together 🙂
Max's date looks like YOU! (look at the 1st photo, esp. her smile) Isn't that interesting?!?
Haha! I was waiting for someone to say it! Yes, his date does resemble you Shawni!
Such a great idea to take pictures before the dance, instead of at the dance! Back in my day (14 yrs ago) we'd wait in line for pictures and then the dance would almost be over. Such a joke! And your pictures are so much cuter and more personal and natural looking.
I live in Queen Creek and I am wondering where the park is you took the pictures at?