The Life of the Marty Party

Friday, December 31, 2010

A Whole Lotta Christmas Goin' On

Our Christmas Tree 2010

What a special Christmas! With the way our life has been the last couple years...kinda all over the place...I haven't had my own Christmas tree or decorations for three years. They were packed away all that time. How fun it was to dig into them and remember all my special ornaments and things I've collected and received over the years. I really appreciated them all more than ever this Christmas.

Christmas with Q's family~

We are very excited to be settled in Minnesota again near family. It was our first Christmas in our new house, so we had the pleasure of hosting this year. We made Asian food {a Marty family favorite}and lots of Christmasy desserts. Our family tradition: to watch It's a Wonderful Life

Christmas With the Andersons~

We always have a special time to celebrate Christmas with our dear friends Joel and Sue and Josh and Alena. Again, we are so excited to have a Minnesota address that we hosted this one too. We live exactly one mile away from these guys...LOVE THAT!

my special Christmas cut-outs

Sue's AMAZING rum cake...it's tradition

Christmas With Grampa Cook and Great Grandma Besson~

It's been several years since we've been able to celebrate Christmas with Q's dad and grandma and aunts and uncles and cousins on the Cook side of the family. It was so great to reconnect with them this Christmas. Q's dad dressed up as Santa and surprised the kids.

Briar didn't know it was really "Grandpa Cookie" as she likes to call him.

Briar and Great Grandma Besson

Blaser Christmas~

Usually celebrated the day or two after Christmas. We have brunch...open presents...hang out...eat cookies...

There are A LOT of kids involved! I'm preggo with my parents' 12th grandchild.

Christmas with Dawn, Jon, Sophia and Anthony~

We all met up in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. We celebrated "Christmas at Culvers". We exchanged gifts and caught up and ate frozen custard. The kids hadn't seen each other for a whole year. They were excited --to say the least. The next day, we all hung out at the hotel. The kids swam ALL DAY. They only got out of the pool to eat. We adults sat and talked. Dawnie and I have been "bff's" since Jr. High, but the 4 of us became really good friends in college which ended up in two marriages obviously...and a really special lifelong friendship. We love it that now our kids are best friends too.

...our time together was WAY. TOO. SHORT.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Christmas Morning 2010

I can barely begin to tell you how special Christmas morning was this year. We haven't had a Christmas morning in our own house by our own tree just the 5 of us or even the 4 of us (before Briar was born) for 7 years. The last time was in our Minneapolis house on the Christmas of '02. I've already expressed how much more I appreciated everything about this Christmas--for lots of different reasons and on so many levels. It was just so fun to wake up on Christmas morning and be together as a family and to have a special breakfast and read the Christmas story from the Bible together and open presents and stockings. We truly felt so blessed this year over and over and we give God all the praise and glory.We have so much to be thankful for.

I made kringle and frozen strawberry fruit slush for our special family breakfast

...sweet sweet memories

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Macy's

...we went with Auntie Jezzie and cousins Rose and James. We saw Santa and his elves.

The Christmas trees at the North Pole can sing.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Blaser Girls [2nd Annual] Cookie Baking

I was so excited to be able to bake with my mom and my sisters this year. I had to miss out last year when we were living overseas...

There were a lot of shenanigans but we did get a few dozen cookies done. The best part though was spending time together.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Marty Thanksgiving

Monday, November 15, 2010

Un-Expectations

October 4th 2010...a day I will never forget. What a rush of emotions! you name it. I felt it.

and then at 10 weeks we got to see it. the two lines weren't a fluke...it wasn't just a bad tummy ache that wouldn't go away...I'm pregnant for the 4th time, and it is still the greatest miracle.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Lauren

Our sweet friend, Lauren (from Lancaster PA) was in town for the weekend to see some of her college girlfriends. We selfishly offered to pick her up at the airport and take her to her hotel so we could steal a little visit with her as well. It was so fun to see her. She was AT OUR HOUSE!!! I can't even believe it. We took her out to our FAVORITE breakfast place {Original Pancake House} before delivering her to her friends in Eden Prairie. It was such a special treat to see her. We miss our dear friends in Lancaster so much and think of them so often.

all three of our kids were in Lauren's wedding in December 2008 she loves them so much and as you can see the feeling is mutual. Love you, Lauren!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

TRUMAN IS NINE!

I can hardly believe my sweet boy is 9 years old. Where does the time go? Truman is definitely the entertainer of the family. He's just a great kid all around. He makes friends very easily and we are so proud that he is a friend to everyone. He is very sensitive (of course he doesn't like it when I say that but it's true) and personally I think it's one of his best traits. He LOVES sports particularly football but he is really good at basketball and seems to have natural talent in both. We've really enjoyed watching him participate and grow in his sports and Daddy loved being the head coach for his football team AND his basketball team. He also does very well in school. His favorite is Math and he's really improved a lot this year in reading and spelling.

for his birthday, I made Truman's favorite dinner and we had Q's family over to help us celebrate.

I always make his favorite...chocolate with chocolate

cousin Jimmy

sister Briar

He wished for a DS-I for his birthday...and he got one!!!

Q and I have been married for 16 years. We've been through so much together from traveling the world and living overseas to the births of each of our 4 children and everything in between. Our marriage is stronger than ever and for that we are very grateful. We do not take it for granted and we're always working on staying close and improving our relationship. Marriage definitely has it's ups and downs just like every part of life, but we've chosen to relish the good and to learn from the bad and grow through it. In 1996, we started our life together in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where Q was an associate pastor for 5 1/2 years. Our life changed forever in 1999 when we had our first baby...a girl. In 2001 we had a boy.
In 2003, Q began working for HOPE International. We moved our little family of four to Kiev, Ukraine for the first 15 months and then transferred to Lancaster, PA where the HOPE headquarters is located. We lived in Lancaster for 4 years. During that time we happily welcomed our sweet baby #3, another girl.
Then, in January 2009, Q resigned from his position with HOPE and we moved our family overseas to Krakow, Poland to join Q's parents and siblings in a family business. The business was called "More Than A Cookie". We baked and sold gourmet cookies and brownies, ice cream, and specialty coffee drinks. Our passion has always been to further the Kingdom and support ministries close to our hearts so the idea was to give a portion of every purchase to support children's ministry.
In December 2009, we moved back to the states yet again. This time to the home we know and love *Minnesota*. [We have since sold the rights to our family business in Europe]. It has been a great experience to reconnect with family and friends after being gone for 6 1/2 years. I was able to start up my cleaning business again and I still love it. Q is back with HOPE International working as the development representative doing fundraising work here in the twin cities and Chicago as well. We feel so blessed to be part of such a great organization.
In May 2010, We bought a house on a lake...which is so fitting for Minnesota...and we have really enjoyed getting settled into our life here. Have you heard the saying "new house new baby"? Well, we found out baby #4 was on the way only 4 months after we moved in!*SURPRISE*
We evened the score with another boy and our party of five became six last May. We know each one of them is a special gift from God and we are enjoying this incredible journey of parenting together. It's not always easy but we can't imagine our life without any of them. We feel so blessed.

Eden is 12 years old. She is a beautiful, sweet, fun and very creative girl. Eden enjoys sewing, drawing, painting and any kind of art project. She is also very talented in singing. She's played fall soccer for the past 2 seasons and this year her team even won the championship. It has been such a joy to watch her grow into a young lady {preteen}...it could not be more true "the years go by so fast" we have enjoyed every stage so far. What a great big sister and help to Mommy and Daddy she is! She is very responsible and is always watching out for her little brothers and sister.

Truman is 10. He loves sports. His most favorite is football...any version...He plays on a city league team, he plays on the Playstation, he plays with his friends at school and with just himself in the backyard while narrating the play by play (this version is especially fun to watch out my kitchen window) and then of course there's his favorite NFL team, the Vikings, he loves to watch on Sundays...he even collects football cards. He also plays on the traveling basketball team and he is very good. He was on the track team in the spring and he won several blue ribbons in that as well. He's just one of those athletic kinda guys.
He also really loves fishing! His biggest catch was on a guys' weekend with Daddy when he caught a 24 inch Northern.
Although Math is his favorite subject in school, like his sisters, he is also very good in art and he even has his own little creative side.
He has such a great sense of humor. He's always making all of us laugh. He is a total entertainer. But, he is also one of the most thoughtful, sweet and sensitive boys you'll ever meet. We love this about our Truman. Most of all he is so happy to finally have a brother! It's been so fun to watch him with Jude.

Briar is 5. She started Kindergarten this year and so far she loves it. She goes for half days. In the morning she rides to school with Truman and then she comes home on the bus at noon. I love getting her dressed in the morning and doing her hair in fun braids or piggy tails, buns or curly buns. I want to take a picture of her every day because she is so stinkin' cute! Briar also played soccer for the first time this fall. She did a great job. She's not terribly aggressive or anything but it was still really fun to watch her.
She is such a fun little girly girl! She loves to play kitchen, babies, Barbies, Polly Pockets, dress-up, make-up...I guess "girly girl" would suffice! She even has her own little sense of humor. I wish I could video tape every moment right now because she is so adorable and she says the cutest things in her sweet tiny voice.
Briar is my best helper in the kitchen. I love that she doesn't just get bored with it half way through and quit. She always helps until everything is completely done.
She has been loving her new role as "big sister". She is definitely Mommy's little helper. Briar always helps me with bathtime for Jude and she loves to change his diapers and even burp him. I have loved watching her with him. It is truly precious. Every day when she gets off the bus she runs to give Jude a big hug and kiss!

Jude Blaser Marty baby number 4. Arrived on May 21st at 10:27am via C-section.
Weight: 7 lbs 6 oz
Length: 21 inches.
We didn't know we would ever have a 4th baby, yet here we are...completely in love with this little boy. He has completed our family. We are all crazy about him.
Jude is such a perfect "baby of the family". He is so laid back. He is very patient...it's like he knows there are 3 siblings to compete with for our time and he's totally okay with it. He's such a little love nugget speaking of which he already has so many nick names including but not limited to:
Ju.d.ju
juju.b
jude dude
lovey love
the man
the one
total munch
munchabunch
love munch
kicky bubbles
honey love