Friday, November 16, 2007

Middle School Pageant Pictures
(Please be forewarned: This is a LONG photo post!!! So if you don't want to hear me gush about my pretty girl and see pictures of lipstick and hair rollers and big smiles, come back tomorrow! lol)


Delaney's middle school pageant was last night and she was SO beautiful. It was unbelievable to see her all "grown up" and confident and poised. She did GREAT!!! But...before you ask...she did not make one of the finalists' positions. (Gary seems to think that the judges were on drugs or something, but there were so many pretty girls. I don't know how they managed to pick the winner!)

So, this is how she looked during the pageant...

But wait, I'm getting ahead of myself. And since it's 1:34 AM and I'm waiting for a load of clothes for McKenna to have tomorrow for the big Football Playoff Day at school to wash and dry, I don't really have anything better to do than load up a TON of pictures for you all to look at! (And besides, tomorrow is going to be SO busy that I need to get these out here now while I can!)

Okay, so...before Delaney could get pretty like she was in that first photo...I had to have an emergency rescue by Super Seamstress Adrienne, my awesome next-door neighbor! Delaney had about had a nervous breakdown the night before the pageant when she snagged the back of the dress and tore it a bit. Well, I DO NOT do any sort of sewing but I knew who could rescue me! I traveled to Walmart in a blinding rainstorm to buy purple thread Wednesday night, and then yesterday morning Adrienne came to my rescue. She stitched it up like new (and, yes, Adrienne laughed because she knew I had to take a picture for the blog)...

With the dress all repaired, the next thing was to pick Delaney up from school and head to the local beauty salon. THIS had to be the best part of the day for Delaney and all the other girls. She got to be treated like a princess and really pampered (we NEVER do stuff like this---my children are deprived! lol--so this was a real treat and Delaney loved it!). First, the hair went up in rollers to bring out the body...

And then the makeup was applied. There was foundation and eye shadow and blush and eye liner and then mascara. When her eyes were done, boy did they pop! So pretty...

Then, of course, there had to be lipstick. Wendy did such a great job at making Delaney look glamorous but also age-appropriate...

Sydney waited not so patiently to watch Delaney get her makeover (she repeated several times, "I do not want to go to a pageant" and played incessantly with the combs and the hair dryers. She also rolled around on the ground and covered herself in hair. What she REALLY needed was a nap, which she got on the way to the pageant later on!) ...

After Delaney was all gussied-up (which just happens to be one of my favorite Southern phrases!), she looked gorgeous....

At one point, when she looked at herself in the mirror, she said to me, "I really am pretty." It was just so sweetly said, as if she really couldn't believe that was herself looking back at her. (Don't you think that all of girls deserve to feel that way every once in a while? Oh yeah... I SO need a spa day!) ...

She had to call and talk to her friend, Kayla. I overheard her side of the conversation; they were both exclaiming over how pretty they both were and how they couldn't wait to see each other's hair....

One more pretty picture before we head out the pageant...

When they get there, the girls had to get signed in and taken care of by backstage attendants. Then, at some point, they get to go up to the balcony and wave out to all of their friends and family members. We sat there and waved at different girls we knew and just kinda astoundingly said things like, "I wouldn't have known that was her unless you told me" or "It's amazing to see them all dressed up instead of on a softball field." They all just looked so pretty, and it was fun to see them getting excited! Here were Delaney and her friend Annie smiling down at us...

And then the "official" fun began (as if we hadn't had enough already!!). The sixth graders were first, so we got to see Delaney quickly. Here she is being walked out by her escorts (another thing that my boy-likin' daughter seemed to enjoy! lol)...

They only have a minute or two to really strut their stuff! Walk to the end, do a couple of turns, walk back, stop so everyone can admire your hair and dress, walk back to your line. And, of course, smile at the judges all the time. It's just a short time, but Delaney took advantage of it all. She even worked the turn...

And then smiled prettily for the judges all the while...

We were just so proud of her and really felt like she might be one of the finalists. But, her name wasn't called out. It's all in fun, and there are so many pretty girls, but part of me was disappointed for a teensy weensy second. I guess I just wanted to see her face when her name was called. But the second passed, and I was fine (although I told you already that Gary was bad-mouthing those judges as soon as Delaney didn't make it. HA!!)

So, Sydney decided to hand Delaney her flowers after the pageant was over with....


And then we had to take a TON of photos of Delaney with her friends. (These are just a few of them!) With her friend Jenna...

And her friend Shelby, who came in third place. (Shelby is also a teammate on her softball team. And let me tell you, it was really cool to see the athletes all dressed up! It didn't even look like them!)

And with her friend Savanna, who was the winner for the sixth grade group...

We had to get a picture of the girls with their favorite escort, John Wesley. JW is a friend from church and just the sweetest guy. (The escorts are all eighth grade boys and are just the cutest! The best part of the pageant is when they introduce the guys and let them walk out for the audience.) ...

After the pageant was over with, all of the girls were EXHAUSTED!! They hadn't had anything to eat beforehand and were pretty much famished. So where do you go in your formal pageant wear when you're starving? Well, Burger King of course (especially when it's th eonly thing opened at 11 pm). Here are Delaney and her friend Kayla eating french fries in formal gowns...

and perhaps my most FAVORITE picture of the night! Yes, I made the give me Burger King crowns so they could both be crowned queens for a little while. And look how sweet that they actually complied and let me take the picture (actually, they ended up wearing them the rest of the night! lol)...

And then Delaney got to the point where she finally snapped. By the end of the night, she was tired and a tad bit cranky. And it was time to head home. (But she's still so cute even when she's cranky)...

It was a FUN, FUN night, but now I need like three days to recover. But...wait! There's no rest for the weary! I have a ton of errands tomorrow (paying bills, taking the dress back to the shop, etc.) We have our BIG football playoff game tomorrow night against Hoover HS and then Saturday we are up-and-at-em early for a math tournament. Thank goodness for the Thanksgiving week coming up. We're gonna need to rest from all the fun...

Thanks SO much for indulging my photo overload this morning!!!!

Have a fantabulous weekend and I will see you all again soon!!!

36 comments:

Adrienne said...

She looked GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!! So glad she had a good time!!!!!!!!

Adrienne said...

I can't believe that is D! She is gorgeous ANYWAY, but she is just SO dolled up! LOL

Adrienne said...

Did I say she is just beautiful? LOL, ok, I'm done commenting! LOL

Theresa Tyree said...

I'm with Gary- what were those judges smoking? OMGosh, how could she not win! She's ridiculously beautiful! I think those dumb beauty pageants are rigged anyway.

Please give her a hug and tell her to keep trying. Her day is coming.

~Telah said...

She was beautiful! Thanks for sharing all the pics.

Katrin said...

I love the the burger king photo. Looked so American! Beauty Queens at Burger King. LOL

Unknown said...

Yeah, those judges were on crack.....

How dare you stay up till 1:30am to beat me to the post with these pictures!!! I spend all night taking most of them and YOU post them first... that's just not right. :)

Oh, well.. I guess you did all the work to get her to that point, sheepishly I guess you deserve to post them first...

CyndiAKADisneyqueen said...

I would want Adrienne in my circle too. And she looks like a winner to me anyway. Beautiful!

Anonymous said...

Just beautiful!!!!

Monogram Queen said...

Oh Cheryl she is breathtakingly beautiful!
Honestly I hate the pageant scene because sadly it is mostly political and has nothing to do with the actual contestants themselves. I am glad she enjoyed the experience!

camport said...

love that you{or Gary, apparently} caught that spin shot. She's so pretty.

:)

She-Ra said...

Beautiful. Though a school pageant? must be a southern thing.

Also, I've eaten at Taco Bell before, all dressed up, for basically the same reason - nothing else is open! :)

Anonymous said...

she looks so beautiful! I can't wait until my baby girl is this age...actually I can it goes so fast! Major scrapbooking or mini album coming on huh momma?

Mz.Elle said...

Aww that looked like FUN!
She looked so lovely.
Thatgirl has got a killer smile:)

~grey said...

Beautiful photos!!!

I love the purple dress! She looked so grown up and beautiful!

Loved the photos of scout too! She is such a cutie too.

you must be one proud mom!

Mandy said...

I am lovin' the BK crown picture. That is classic! Delaney really looked beautiful and I love that dress.

Cheryl Wray said...

Adrienne--HA!!!! You are too funny!! She really was beautiful.I had SO many people come up to me and say, "I couldn't believe that was Delaney!"

Theresa--She really was gorgeous and I thought she did great!!! And she had fun!!

Telah--You knew I'd have to share pics!!

Katrin--It definitely is a Southern American thing. Young beauty pageant contestants at BK!! :-)

Gary--Ha ha!! I HAD to get them out here first!

Cheryl Wray said...

Disney--Oh yeah! It's good to have Adrienne next door.

Gin--Thanks!

Patti--You just never know what the judges will decide. But I think she really enjoyed herself.I hope she does it again. I think it's good for self-confidence!

Camport--I loved that particular picture!

She-ra--You're right. It is definitely a Southern thing. You have noticed, haven't you, that the Miss America finalists are always from Georgia, Ala, Miss., Texas, Tennessee. It's some sort of cultural thing. It's all in fun!

Tannis--You know it!! Mini album coming soon to a blog near you!

Ms. L--She does know how to smile! :-)

Grey--I am always proud of my girls. I have three really good ones!! And I LOVED the purple too. It was great with her hair, I thought!

Mandy--That BK picture was fun, huh? I definitely think it needs to be on a scrapbook page soon!

Greta Adams said...

glad it was so much fun!! i am with Gary...she should have won!! lol

Unknown said...

Delaney is stunning! And your pictures are gorgeous! I bet that is a night she will never forget!

I think she should have placed!

Hope you are rested up some. Have a wonderful weekend!

Cheryl said...

Oh my goodness she is so pretty. I got to organize a beauty pageant here for our school one year. If I would have been a judge I would have surely gave her good scores. She has such a real smile. Sometimes girls look so fake. Her dress was gorgeous. You have a winner!!!

Edleen said...

you have a beautiful daughter!!! she looks gorgeous, love her gown and her beautiful smile :)

great photos Cheryl!

Happy Weekend :)

Dettao said...

Beautiful photos of a beautiful girl Love the burger king shot and I am definitely feeling southern now. LOL Hey Cheryl, come see my blog. I have a small project going and I would love for you to play with me.

Corey said...

Cheryl, Delaney looked so beautiful! Sounds like it was a really fun day. She truely has a wonderful smile. I love the burger king crowns, too cute!

Anonymous said...

Aww...what a beautiful girl and so sweet (you can tell by the photos...everyone smiling and so many friends)! No wonder you're proud! I just love the stories about your family. Your children are (clearly) all so important to you and wonderful people, too!

Tip Junkie said...

She's beautiful!! You have an award waiting for you over on my site. Thank you for inspiring me. Congrats!

Dawn Bibbs said...

Oh my goodness, Cheryl...Delaney looked BEAUTIFUL!!! And that purple dress...you KNOW I'm SO feeling that :-). I mean, her hair, her makeup, her SMILE...just beautiful!

I'm sorry she didn't win...but be sure to tell her that we ALL thought she was a winner before she even got to the event!

Thank you so much for sharing.

.tawnya. said...

ok she looks stunning! she should have taken 1st place easily!!! :)

this looks like fun!

Bare said...

How beautiful! I can't believe that she didn't place-- Gary is right, they must've been on something! I'm glad she had a good time-- looks like a fun night for sure! *Hugs*

Lynilu said...

Oh, goodness, she is beautiful! I've never noticed before how much she looks like you. But then All the "girls" in your family are beautiful, so what else should I expect?? :)

Jolene George said...

She looks so pretty. I can see why you were so proud of her. She did a wonderful job and it looks like she had fun too. I have a niece who does pagents and loves them.

Jacquie said...

Beautiful! Beautiful! Beautiful!

Wendy said...

She is beautiful... She looks so grown up!!! Thanks for sharing!

Andy said...

she is beautiful. love the pics. thanks for sharing

Anonymous said...

OMG....She looked STUNNING! Sooooo beautiful!

How in the world did I miss such an important post!?!

I love, love, love her dress and how adorable she looked in it. And I'm totally with Gary. She's simply STUNNING!

She definetely should keep trying. She is gorgeous, kind, generous and SMART! She has it all! And a wonderful family as well!

Anonymous said...

OMG, she was beautiful! I think she was cuter than the winner! Just my humble opinion.

You should be very proud mom!

Jacquie