We looked at some ideas on-line and then got to work before lunch. Both girls painted their "bonnets" and we sat them aside to dry until after quiet time. After quiet time, I helped the girls put the finishing touches on them. They had a lot of fun with the foam Easter stickers. Love Bug would not take her "bonnet" off once it was completed! Sweet Girl really liked wearing her "bonnet" and even picked out special blue ribbon (just like Ruby did) to tie it on.
I woke up at 9:30 a.m. Fifteen minutes before I actually wanted to leave. I'm not real familiar with Fair Oaks Mall and wanted to allow plenty of time to get there. We all got dressed, grabbed our snack bag and "bonnet" bag and headed out the door.
We made good time getting there and finding out where we needed to be. The girls ate a cereal bar on the way in because again, I didn't know what to expect once we got to the Grand Court of the mall. I was surprised that there were not more people there, especially given that there were three $100 Fair Oaks Mall American Express Gift Cards up for grabs! We registered and then were off to see the judges. The judges included Sharon Vulova (Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman), Andrea S. Khoury (Real Housewives of Northern Virginia founder and blogger) and Jeanne Sanders (Volunteer Fairfax Executive Director). They asked Sweet Girl a couple of questions and I told the judges some details about how the girls made their bonnets. I kind of felt like one of those pageant moms bragging on their children! The girls even spun around to show off their "bonnets" for the judges. Then, we got to have some of the yummy breakfast that was provided from the Corner Bakery Cafe.
There were three categories:
- Best international theme home-made Easter bonnet creation - This was won by a boy who had decorated a sombrero-type hat.
- Most humorous home-made Easter bonnet creation - This was won by a little girl who had a real marshmallow Peep on her bonnet.
And then, came the last category....Most original home-made Easter bonnet creation. When they announced Sweet Girl's number, she jumped up and walked over to the announcer to get her prize. She told me she thought there was going to be a present in the gift bag. I explained to her that there was "money" in there that she could spend. I was so excited for her! I didn't think either one of the girls would win when we first thought about entering, but our odds were pretty good with about a dozen contestants.
**All photos and text are property of Angela Pounders and can not be distributed without permission.
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