Happy New Year!

Our New Year's wish to you...may you smile like Cali all year long! heehee This is our dog and yes, she is smiling! This is the only picture I have ever caught her in the act. I think our birthday girl, Lauren, added the hat for pizazz!
Speaking of the birthday girl, here she is! 12 years old, already!? Lauren was pretty excited about the day ((as she should be)) and yet had to wait til dinner time to open her presents. That made for a long day. But sometimes the anticipation is half the fun!!
The box is for her room and is fuzzy electric blue. She got a lime green chair for Christmas and so this will be by that. Then inside the box was a retro green clock, a white clip on light, an alarm clock, some green paper lanterns to hang from her ceiling, and 2 piano books of HSM and Christian artists. ((I can't wait to get my hands on those books! I can even play them!!))

Happy birthday Spanky! You are such a blessing to our family with your silly sayings and fun laugh. May you be blessed as you are a blessing! We love you!
Then, on to the Bleeker annual tradition of fondue on New Year's/Lauren's bday! Not sure when we started but it has been at least 6 years. The kids love it! The clean up is not so fun but it is worth it! Above the girls are cooking in the chicken broth pot. After cooking, they would dip into the cheese pot. Yummm-O!
JC and Reese were lovin' the hats and as you can tell from JC's shirt, lovin' the chocolate fondue too!
Dessert was a chocolate pot and a caramel fondue pot with lots to dip! This was the hit of the night! I think the recipes this year will be keepers. The homemade caramel was the best! Here is our birthday girl, officially 12, and ready to stay up til midnight!
Dayle gettin' her apple dipped in the chocolate. It was her fav and she insisted that we all try. Not bad!
Ah ha! That is why Jaron's shirt has "polka dots" on it! Needless to say, I had to treat that shirt the next day. heehee I think JC lost more food than he ate. We kept fishin' out the missing items for him.
Brooke enjoying a marshmallow dipped in chocolate.
And finally! At midnight this was the scene at our house! The 3 girls and I made it up to welcome in 2010. Cali was in the "kissing" mood so she was our New Year's kiss! I can tell you by 12:03 we were all in bed! It was a fun night with lots of giggling but I was one tired MOM!

Happy New Year to you all! May you have a blessed 2010!