Baptism

Baptism was a special time marked by a religious ceremony and family for my first two children. Looking back on each of their Baptism's I seemed to have coasted through each, not fully realizing the significant meaning of this act of faith. Being a very young mother probably had something to do with my perspective then. As I have grown up and matured, I have also grown and matured in my Faith and in my relationship with the Lord. Having said all of that, it was significantly different Baptizing my third child - Madelyn Qiu Ying Portie. I fully understood this monumental moment in Maddie's life (although she may not right now) and am so happy that she has been baptized and is now a part of God's Faith Filled family of believers. The gift of Faith is probably one of the greatest gifts, we as a family can offer to Madelyn.

We had such a wonderful celebration at church and afterwards a reception at our home with close family and friends. We are so thankful for all those that took time out of their busy weekend to not only attend the festivities but offered their assistance with getting my house ready, cooking, making a beautiful and special cake and setting up for lunch. I am very blessed to have such great friends and family - and Maddie is certainly blessed to have so many people that love her so dearly.

Maddie was definitely a handful during the ceremony, as she had been quiet and still for the 1st hour during mass. I guess asking her to be still for another hour was a little much. She wiggled and talked (quite loudly) during the ceremony. She eventually grew weary of wearing her pretty white dress shoes and took both her shoes and socks off. If you look closely at the picture of me holding her by the Baptismal - she is barefooted. We had a good giggle at the Deacon's many attempts to pronounce Madelyn's middle name - I repeated it 4 times before he kinda gotta right. I don't think he was prepared for such a different middle name.

Maddie has been enjoying the summer and school. WOW has she been talking up a storm. She is talking in complete sentences 4-5 words long. She talks in more complete sentences than Christopher does - lol (That's a 16 year old boy for you). Lizzy just returned from Camp Champions after 3 weeks and immediately noticed the difference in how much and how clear Maddie is talking. What a difference 3 weeks can make.

As I just mentioned, Lizzy got home from Camp after being gone for 3 weeks. Maddie was so excited to see her and so was I. She hesitated as if she didn't think it was really her and then they embraced. She stuck to Lizzy's side all day and night. It was sweet to see the love that these 2 sisters have for each other.

We will be taking a quick trip to the Woodlands Resort for a long 4th of July weekend. I am looking forward to spending quality time with all 3 of the kids and having some fun in the sun.

Father's Day

Today was a low key day. We hung out and this afternoon cooked for my dad and uncle. We are minus one child - Lizzy - every year at this time, as she is at Camp Champions. She will be home this weekend but it is still hard to be without her for this special day. This is also the first Father's Day that Keith is without his Dad. Although they were never close and had not spent much time together in the last 3 years of his life, it is still a loss that leaves you with a void - a longing for what could have been and what can never be again.

There were some sweet moments between Keith and Maddie this afternoon. She had made him a special Father's day gift that she presented to him with pride in her eyes that she had done something good.

As I reflect on Father's Day I am thankful that I have such a wonderful Father who is still as important in my life as he was when I was growing up. Thankful that he is a wonderful grandfather and mentor to my children. I also am very thankful that GOD has blessed me with a wonderful husband and father to my children. I am thankful that he is supportive of me and a good provider for our family.

I hope everyone had a great day. Happy Father's Day.

Conquered Fear....

It has been along time coming but with Summer officially here we finally took Maddie to the Waterpark and tested her Courage with the water. Upon arriving she was very apprehensive and wanted to make sure that I held her. Little by little she become more comfortable in the water and started having a blast! By the end of our visit she was putting her head into the water. Needless to say she has conquered her fear of the water and will certainly enjoy water activities this summer. Yeah Maddie!

Summertime Activities have begun

Summer time has officially began at the Portie household. We are juggling many activities with all 3 children.

Christopher finished the 10th grade and managed to obtain his driver's license. He has started driving his truck that he got as a Christmas present. This has definitely added to my stress and worry level but has relieved both my dad and I from many trips to Lake Charles for basketball practice. Summer League basketball has` started off with a bang - we have 8 games this week. He

will be playing basketball and attending team basketball camps for the entire month of June and even in to July.

Lizzy finished the 7th grade and is looking forward to her 8th Grade year. School rounded out with a final dance for all the middle school to enjoy. Lizzy just finished SCA Cheer Camp and has won All American Cheerleader. This award entitles her to cheer at the Orange Bowl for News Year Eve. Many hours of practice went into perfecting the team cheer and dance for Cheer Camp. So much practice that Maddie QUICKLY learned the dance with Lizzy and does it on command. It is hysterical! I will include a video of Maddie's performance for your viewing pleasure on my next post. Lizzy now is packed and ready to go to Camp Champions for the next three weeks. She leaves on Sunday and will not return until the end of June. Although she loves to go to camp and I want her to go - I sure miss her when she is gone.

Maddie has been busy as well. She finished PK2 (although she will repeat it next year because of her age) and has started the summer program at EDS. She is really enjoying her time at school and has improved both her social skills and communication skills. When she first arrived home she was hesitant to allow anyone (adult or child) close to her and definitely did not want to share or play with anyone outside of us. She is now socializing with the neighborhood children and thoroughly enjoys playing with them and actively shares her toys.

We have scheduled Maddie's baptism for June 27th at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Church. We had her baptism dress made while we were in China. I recently had it cleaned and pressed for the big event. Godparents have been chosen and we are ready for this big milestone in her life. We look forward to a wonderfully blessed day shared with family and friends.

Maddie had her first cold this week and required a trip to the Doctor's office. She has been very healthy since arriving home so I wasn't too concerned about her runny nose. During our visit with the Doctor we learned Maddie has grown more than 1 inch and gained more than 1.5 pounds since her well check up in February. Before this confirmation Keith and I had both noticed a change in height. She is growing and thriving!!! She was prescribed an antibiotic and after a couple of days she is much better.

We are beginning to notice Maddie's skills and abilities. She has a memory like no other child I have ever seen. She remembers the specific way we went home, the roads we take and where we need to turn to get home and other familiar places. She recognizes cars and people and does not forget her connection with that person. She also exhibits unbelievable BALANCE. She climbs on many things around the house and balances herself. The other day she was riding a bike that had a very skinny banana seat. She climbed onto the seat and balanced herself for several minutes (until I took her down). She mimicks everything Lizzy does, especially when it comes to cheerleading and dance. She learned that dance so quickly and remembers it. She jumps and flips and is extremely flexible and limber. We have all decided that Gymnastics will be a good activity to start her in this Fall. She has a BIG personality and is infectious. All the kids that go to school with Lizzy and Christopher LOVE her and all want to hold her and have a few minutes with her. She is a ROCK STAR and knows it. LOL

I am looking forward to a great summer with all of my kids!