Summerfest Baby Contest

After the Freedom Festival baby contest I decided I had enough fun that I wanted to enter Eliana in the Orem Summerfest baby contest, as well. "Everyone has a Story" was year's theme and they encouraged parents to dress their children in costume. Suggestions for costumes were favorite storybook characters or something with family stories. I had a cute flower hat I'd made for Ellie, so she became Thumbelina. I used fabric my friend Carrie gave me last year to make a baby outfit, but that I never got around to sewing. You can't see it in the picture, but I also made some really darling ballerina slippers with ribbon ties.

Once again, I went to the table to have her judged and was asked if I was putting her in the costume category. The literature I saw was very confusing and I didn't realize there was a separate costume table. Oops. After the first table (at which she was more curious than smiley) we took her to get her picture. She cooperated really well until she decided she wanted to stand up and then faceplanted into the hardwood floor. Ouch. There was more bleeding from that than I've ever seen from her. Poor kid. She was not in the best of spirits when we took her to the costume table. At least she wasn't screaming anymore. The experience was not as fun as the Freedom Festival, but I did enjoy making the costume.

Going to the awards was a bit more complicated. That happened five hours after we went in with Ellie. I parked where I thought would be close to the pavilion, only to realize very quickly that I was way off. I was already running late, so I didn't try to re-park. There was no stroller because I didn't figure I would need it and knew I would have to unpack the back of the car to get it in. I walked from State St. to 400 E, crossed the street, and then backtracked to the pavilion that was about halfway from where I started and where I crossed. I wasn't about to jaywalk Center St. with my baby on my hip. Once we arrived at the pavilion there was no one there. One of the volunteers finally told me they had moved the awards to the Senior Friendship Center because of the weather. So we booked it back over to 400 E to hear the awards given and hope to have our name drawn for one of the cool prizes. Neither happened. I had hoped Ellie would be a winner in one of the categories again, but that's okay. I had fun making her costume.

Here is the picture of her, as well as one with Eric as a little boy. I think she looks like her daddy. You may have to click on the picture to get it bigger. She certainly has his hair (the picture of me in the last post has curly hair, but it wasn't naturally that way. My mom permed it. And I let her because she told me it would make me pretty.) and his squishable cheeks. She has my hands and probably my forehead. The eye shape is his, but the color had to come from my side, even though I also have brown eyes. One way or another, she's a doll.