"I'M A PRINCESS?"

"I'm a princess?" that's what Natalie said when we got back home after the pageant when we were putting her crown back on her while getting out of the car. I loved it. We keep telling her that she was now officially a princess. She loved her crown and she loved running around wearing it. YES, NATALIE WON THE PAGEANT!

This image was before the pageant when she was running around before the pageant...when her Mimi was very nervous...wanting Natalie to calm down and sit down and wait her turn.

She did sit down for a little while.

The performance begins.

Pucker those lips and throw some kisses to those judges!
And don't forget to smile at them too.
"work those judges baby"
the line up of all the girls
one last chance for them to perform
a closer view of the girls charming the judges
And as you can see, she charmed them!
A proud Natalie and a proud Mimi
thumbs up for Daddy

I love this one. It looks like she is reading and is very proud of her new title.

Natalie and her proud parents
again
Nonna was proud too and needed a quick photo to go show off her little beauty queen.
But as usual Natalie didn't want to be still for a photo.

To those of you who don't know this, Cari (my daughter, Natalie's aunt) competed in pageants for years (8 mos -- 6 1/2 years). I didn't expect this pageant to be of the caliber that we competed in, but I did prepare somewhat like it would be. I bought a decent pageant dress, worked up a photogenic photo from files that I already had (I didn't do a new photogenic photo), and practiced walking on the X's and looking at the judges (minimum practicing) and at the last minute two nights before and the next morning before I practiced hair and make-up. The first competition was the night before (3-11 age group). I wanted to see if I could get an insight of this new pageant system. I quickly realized that this wasn't the typical kind of pageant that we did and that our pageant hair and dress were not that big of a deal for this one. So that night I decided that I wouldn't worry about finishing the alterations on the pageant dress and that all my efforts worry about hair was all in vain. I did do a little make up (that was probably worn off before we left the house). She wore the yellow Strasburg dress as you can see and I just washed and blow dried her hair and put in a simple white bow. It wasn't a pageant that really went on clothing or hair...personality was what they were looking for (at least in the younger age groups this seemed to be the case). And as you all know Natalie has tons of personality...not always the best personality, but lots to go around. She loved the stage and wanted to "do pageant" again after she had her turn.

When I was stressing out over which hair style to do, I quickly remembered why I was glad to finally quit doing pageants with Cari. So have no fear...I won't be picking that habit back up. Winning was fun. Watching Natalie have fun was fun, but all the stress beforehand was not fun at all.

I know she is beautiful, but what I desire for is her to be is beautiful through and through. And always be the loving child that she has become. I still often see her as our little baby, but as I look at these images, I realize that she isn't a baby or even a toddler any longer, but our sweet little girl (well she's sweet when she wants to be or when she is "rewarded" enough...I mean encouraged enough). In all fairness, she really is sweetest and most loving child I know.

~~Natalie's Mimi~~