My niece's Pagent

So this past weekend was a bit busy. On Thurs night my sister arrived into town with my niece Tara and her baby sister Samantha (Sami). They were staying at the hotel where the pagent was for the weekend. I saw them on Thurs and dropped off the photos so they could submit them the next morning at check-in.

Friday I went over to the hotel around dinner when Tara was done some swimming. I brought some McD's for dinner and it was STORMING out. It stormed crazy last year when they were up for the pagent too!

Tara did get a special "portfolio" award for submitting 4 photos into the photogenic contest. And a ribbon so that was pretty cool and she was happy about that.

A little while later it was time for Tara to get ready for the formal wear thing that night. Then I stayed with the girls while my sister when down to get the flowers and we met her down when it was time to line up. The one thing I will say was insane was the elevators in this hotel. They had 15 floors and only 4 elevators and all in one spot. It was insane taking the girls downstairs with the stroller, trying to get into an elevator we could all fit into!
Here is Sami when I first got there. Check out those eye lashes!!!

And check her out with my cell phone-she didn't want to give that back!

Tara ready for the event

Sisters

With her Portfolio Award

Ready to go downstairs (still with the cell phone) and I can still not get over those eye lashes!


The Friday evening event is free (Thankfully!) so I was able to go in and watch and keep an eye on Sami when my sister had to go help her get changed and stuff. Basically all the formal wear night is is she walks in with an escort in her fancy dress and they introduce her. Then she comes back on stage after all that is done and gets to come out in a different outfit and actually talk into the mic and say who she is, where she is from and what she wants to be when she grows up and anything else she might want to say. Of course I was limited with my point and shoot camera and I was really annoyed b/c the focus just wouldn't focus because of the lights and I got crap for pics.

With her escort on stage

When she was on stage waiting to talk on the mic

The Girls after the show


Always smiling!

Those eyes!


After the show I went home for the night and we set up to get together for lunch the next day during their big break between check-out and when Tara had to be dressed and ready. We met in the afternoon at the mall near my house for lunch and while we were walking around we passed Libby Lu and decided to get Tara's hair done for the show that night. And then after we could go back to my house for some lite snack/dinner and curl the rest of her hair and get her dressed for the main event that night.
Here are pics from Libby Lu:




After my sister curled it a bit at my house


Dinner! Chicken nuggets and water-no ketchup(we weren't taking any chances!)
Sami!

The Girls


And we were on our way. Once we got back to the hotel, I stayed with Sami in line to get into the ballroom (I will do a separate post on the pagent and the hotel).Once we got in and she ended up waking up I was entertaining her (or she was probably really entertaining me!).Her thing is she can grab her feet and put her toes to her mouth! Talk about the next gymnast! Here are a few cute pics of her playing.


It may look like she is moving to her foot but no, she is actually laying down, its just the angle.


Once the show started I wasn't able to really get many good pics. I couldn't get any good ones of their opening number but I got a couple when she walked out on stage with her finalist trophy (they all get one)

And then one of her on stage at the end when they all came out

After the show. She didn't "win" anything but we had the tiara from libby lu so we let her put it on for photos. She was upset after it not getting to be up on stage at the end with those who were finalist or something like that but she got over it. She kept saying the whole weekend that it was about having fun and making friends. I think its just the whole long weekend and disappointment gets the best of many girls at the ened.




She loves being the big sister.



My little gymnast doing her split!



That about covers the pagent. After that they drove home. We were suppossed to have Sami's baptism on sunday but it turned out Luke was really sick when my sister got home. She ended up taking him to the hospital b/c it was a sunday and he threw up and had spiked a fever. They admitted him for being dehydrated and it turned out he was dehydrated because he had strep throat and wasn't drinking b/c it hurt and of course being 2 he couldn't exactly verbalize it. He had been playing so it didn't seem he was as sick until sunday. He is all better now and home so I am sure the baptism will be rescheduled soon.

I will try to do another update and my comments on the actual pagent from an outside point of view later this week.

ta ta for now!