Harvest Party 2009

We had one Pastor Steve (our youth pastor), one Obi-Wan Kenobi, one Too Old to Dress Up Luke, and one really cute ladybug. Lilli enjoyed her first sucker and had fun walking around. Luke and Eli gathered lots of loot as usual, and Jacob was old enough to help with the games this year. A good time was had by all!

Lilli's Blossoming Vocabulary

One year today . . .

. . . since my dad left this earth. I have missed him more this month than I have in the past year, I think. Mostly because I know how much he loved his grandchildren, and I feel so sad that he never got to meet Lilli. He would have adored her, and she would have loved her Pa. He knew we were adopting and was happy for us, but we didn't see any pictures of Lilli until March, so he never even got to see a picture of her. I pray someday they'll get to meet face to face!

I wish he could have seen our new home, the one that he was so instrumental in us having. When we started the renovation, we decided to keep the foundation to the original home. It saved a little money, but it had a more symbolic meaning to me: my dad laid that foundation, and it is on that foundation that our new home rests. It is a comfort to know that at least some of the work he did to give us a home will remain as long as the house is standing.

But with the sadness I feel for myself and my family, I also feel great joy for him. He is free from the pain and suffering he endured his last few years, and can rest in the promise fulfilled. I would never call him back to this earth and take him from his new life with Christ. As the Bible says, we do not grieve as those who have no hope.

Wordless Wednesday

One month ago . . .

. . . we were getting to know a very quiet, very somber little girl who could barely stand and who didn't know how to play with toys. We fed her everything she wanted and loved on her all we could. It was the end of one long journey, and the beginning of another great adventure!

. . . and today!

Lilli learned to crawl up the steps all by herself! She was proud of herself, can you tell?


It has taken a whole month, but finally Lilli seems to have accepted that the cats mean her no harm.
Would you like a bite?
She is mastering the stacking ring!
Having fun outside while waiting for Daddy and the bubbas to get home from school

Last Post From China

The boys enjoyed their last day of shopping on Shamian Island in Guangzhou. This picture was taken at the famous White Swan Hotel.



Happy siblings . . . well, Lilli is hungry, so you can see her look of displeasure :)


This is the aftermath of The Escalator Incident. You can read about it in the post below.



Daddy and his little princess have been enjoying more time together!



We never get tired of sleeping Lilli pictures. :)


Well, we're leaving Guangzhou tomorrow after a lovely few days with our travel buddies. Some of our group left today, and it was sad to see them go, but we're so happy that they are on their way home. We have an amazing group of families from all walks of life, taking these sweet children home to a new world in America.

Lilli's TB test came back negative, which I was not expecting, and we praised the Lord that she didn't have to have the x-ray. There were two children in our group that had to have the x-ray, but thankfully those came back negative. One more hoop successfully jumped through.

We have spent the last couple of days relaxing, shopping, and just getting to know Lilli better. At least for right now, she is very easygoing and loves to play little games with us, like pretending to give us something then yanking it back. She is letting the boys pick her up and hold her for a few seconds, and they are thrilled. Eric is able to hold her now too, although she thinks his kisses are still too prickly!

I told some of you jokingly that if you heard of an incident in China involving a red-headed American boy, it was probably the Istres! But we actually did come close yesterday. The group went to an upscale mall to a Thai restaurant, and the mall had about six levels. As we were leaving and going down the many escalators, Eric and Eli were in front of us. Suddenly I heard a "POP" and saw Eli fall. Eric grabbed Eli and swung him away from the bottom of the escalator, which had grabbed and eaten Eli's left shoe! So scary. And he wasn't even goofing off, it just got caught. The escalator was turned off and a bunch of guys in uniforms were standing around pointing and talking gruffly in Chinese. Our guide said they were going to have to call an engineer to come and fish the Croc remains out of the escalator. So, we left. Nothing more to see. Our guide took us to a Chinese store like Walmart called the Trust Mart. We found Eli some new sandals and all was well.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon we have our swearing-in ceremony at the U.S. Consulate at 3:00, then we'll board a bus to Hong Kong, where we will spend the night. Then, Thursday morning we'll begin our long trek back to the good ole U.S. of A., stopping in San Fransisco and Denver before making it to Nashville about 11 p.m. We expect our total travel time to be about 26 hours. I'm tired just thinking about it, but we're ready to head home. Several of our travel buddies are also on the long flight to San Fransisco, so I hope the time will pass quickly.

Thanks to all of you who have followed along our journey and who have lifted us up in prayer; never have we felt the Lord at work more than during this experience. We have so much more to tell, but fatigue and a tight schedule kept us from doing more right now. I'm sure y'all will be sick of hearing about our trip before we'll be tired of talking about it. It has been a wondrous and awesome experience, and I can't wait for y'all to meet Lilli Grace Yingjiao Istre. She is a dream come true, and a living testament to the work of the Lord.

Tennessee, here we come!

P.S. Eric's trip is complete. He finally got to play ping pong with some native Chinese guys.