Swimming, Tennis and Beach...oh MY!

It's been a busy summer here at Irby Road!

It all started with an exciting trip to Neum, a city about 4 hours away from Sarajevo right on the coast. Our landlady from Svaki Student center owns a beautiful pension very close to the water. We had 17 students join our summer project and staff for a few days on the beach. My MOM was able to join in the fun too! She flew in for the beach trip. We also spent a few days on another coastal town (Orebic) for some time with just our team:

Since then, we have been to Jahorina (Olympic mountain) with our church, taking 10 students with us. A highlight for us was hiking and blueberry picking. It was wonderful to escape the Sarajevo HEAT.

Israel and Elijah have had an adventurous summer. They had a very sweet reunion with some of their very best friends in all the world, Mani and Pippa. These sweet children are from England. They all attended preschool together until January when they had to move back to England. One of the hardest parts of being a "third culture kid" is the good byes. There are so many. Saying goodbye to Mani and Pippa was the hardest thing our children have encountered since moving here. Needless to say they were totally blessed to have them in Sarajevo the entire month of August! They had two sleepovers:

And two weeks of swimming lessons. The kids went from not being able to swim without lots of assistance to swimming free style! Their coach was wonderful. We are considering more lessons in the future. Josh also taught a tennis camp for children. We gathered 11 children plus Israel and Elijah. There were children from Bosnia, America, Turkey, England and Denmark. Here's a picture of the 9 am group:

and 10 am group:

We took a family vacation to Neum and stayed in the same apartment. The kids loved practicing their new swimming skills!

On the way back we stopped at an old Dervish house and I got to enter the Dervish prayer house with proper covering.

Adeline loved the water too. She turned 10 months old! Time is really flying with this sweet, precious baby. She has a great sense of humor and keeps us busy.

One student, Sanel, invited us to visit his family's home in a village nearby. We enjoyed being with his family for a cookout and spending time in nature, hiking through the forest and running in the fields!

In addition, the kids have started to learn to ride their bikes without training wheels. As I type, Israel and Josh are at the first annual Sarajevo Chamber Music Festival. The Manhattan String Quartet is playing for the entire week. I attended last night with Israel. She really wanted to go again tonight. Although Josh and I are very tired from a busy day, how can we pass up taking our six year old to hear classical music?! Tonight they will hear Beethoven, Dvorak and Arensky!

It has been a busy summer indeed. I can't believe that in one week, Elijah will begin vrtic (preschool). It will be a different year for him, being without Israel. I'm excited for him to branch out and make some new friends not connected with Israel. If you think of him, please say a quick prayer that he will be brave going all on his own! And in two weeks, my little Izzy will begin FIRST GRADE! It's a big deal! She will go to a big school. We have chosen the Catholic Center in Sarajevo. It has a wonderful reputation and we know many people who have sent their children there. The school is beautiful and we look forward to seeing Israel branch out and meet new friends. Like Elijah, it may be hard to be without her little brother, but we are believing that she will make many new friends! Josh and I are both working on making new fitness goals. Josh has been riding his bike and running. I have been swimming (during the kids' lessons...50 laps!) and riding my birthday bike. :) I'm also wanting to write on here more, so look for more blog posts soon! Would love to hear from all of you and about your lives. Facebook only reveals so much!

Thank you for praying...

Hello all. Thank you all for the prayers over the past few days. First off, Elijah is fine! I mean, he still has bronchitis but it didn't turn to pneumonia so we are so thankful! Second, I'm feeling better everyday, just not back to normal. Still rejoicing in God's goodness. It's good training and it's a good reminder that this is what it's all about!

God's Precious Goodness...Pt. 2

Lots going on in the Irby household. This time, with this little guy: Sweet Elijah William has not had the easiest month. While in Budapest he broke his collar bone while walking a dog. The dog ran after another dog and took Elijah with him. He was very brave during the whole thing (he said he wants to be a knight!) but no doubt, it was very painful for him. His collar bone is all healed and aside from a small scar from where the doctor accidentally cut him while removing his bandage, you would never know he had an injury. On Friday he woke with a fever and a bad cough. I have been battling bronchitis this past week so it alarmed us. After taking him to the doctor, he was diagnosed with bronchitis. All weekend we have been treating him appropriately. Antibiotics, a syrup to ease his cough, nose drops and spray, Advil for fever, probiotic for belly ache and breathing treatments every 2 hours. I went with him this morning to the doctor for a follow up visit and there is more fluid in his little body than before. She prescribed him another syrup to get the fluid out. She said that if it's not out by Tuesday then he needs an x-ray. Josh and I had planned to go to Albania tomorrow through Wednesday to attend a conference with our fellow Albanian co workers. I'm not going for obvious reasons. The sweetest thing was the ride home from the doctor's office. "Uncle Seff"'s and the CSU worship team's CD was playing in the car. Elijah was singing as loud as he could through that stuffy nose "Ooohhh, the goodness of God, is flooding my heart with peeeeeace! Oooohhh the goodness of God, is bringing me to my kneeeees!" Sweet boy, during a breathing treatment. We would appreciate all prayers during this! I was thinking while driving to the doctor who now I know so well (it's true, with 3 kids you are at the doc a lot!) This is not what I was THINKING I was signing up for when becoming a Mommy...but it is the REALITY of what I signed up for when becoming a Mommy! This is the WORK of a mom. I love my sweet children. It is sweet to hold my little boy and we have our special time together reading Magic Tree House while he receives breathing treatments. I. Take. Joy.

God's Precious Goodness

It has been a very long time since I last wrote on Irby Road. There has been a lot going on, I just haven't felt the need to write it on here. But I felt a need last night to communicate what happened. To communicate God's faithfulness and goodness in the midst of uncertainty is what this post is about.

This is our precious Adeline Faith. Last night after a walk in town I arrived at home with all three children. I put Adeline in her crib and gave Israel and Elijah a bath. While blow drying Israel's hair I heard a loud slam followed by a scream and then a cry. Israel and I both rushed into the nursery to find Adeline on her back screaming on the hardwood floor. "no God, please God, no God, please God..." I have no idea how it happened. She's only 7 months old but found her way up over the crib. "Do I pick her up? Is it okay?" went through my head. I decided to pick her up but was terrified of injuring her. She was very lethargic at this point and I tried to nurse her. She wouldn't nurse. Then she threw up and tried to fall asleep. Josh was at a meeting and I called him. No answer. Called again. busy. "Please God please God please God..." As I was crying and basically freaking out, I realized the effect it was having on my children, mostly Israel (age 6) who was sobbing. After finally getting in touch with Josh (who ran home) and Jill (who came with her husband Larry to stay with our kids so we could go to the hospital) I sat down with Israel and Elijah. I told them we needed to pray. Israel told me she was already praying. We then decided to pray together. That prayer time was incredible. We lifted our voices to Jesus to ask for healing and protection for little Addie. We prayed that He would give us peace. I heard from God in that moment that I needed to choose to trust in His goodness and trust His plan for Adeline's life...whatever that may hold. I was able to calm down after the choice to trust. The difficult choice was to accept God's good and perfect will for Adeline's life. After Josh and Jill and Larry arrived, Josh and I took Adeline to the hospital. Our friend Karmen met us there to help us translate. The whole way to the hospital while trying to keep Adeline awake Josh and I prayed specific prayers: That Adeline would be able to share her story one day of God's protection, that we would be seen by doctors who care and that we could trust. Adeline was seen almost right away. As soon as we put her on the examination table, she laughed! She woke from her drowsiness and was very happy...what a good sign! The doctors said everything looks "potpuno ok" (absolutely fine) and sent us to a neurologist to be sure. After being told to come home and monitor her all night, we arrived home, exhausted. But very happy and very thankful and trusting God's goodness. We continue to believe in the goodness of God even when our lives scream otherwise. God answered all our prayers this time in the way we wished. We had wonderful doctors who truly cared and were very good. We even got a parking spot right by the door! (If you know Kosevo hospital in Sarajevo, that is huge in itself) I'm looking right now at a happy, cheerful Adeline. My heart rejoices. And yes, for those wondering...we lowered the crib two notches :) THank you for all who prayed last night (for those who knew) We are very grateful.

Life is FULL!

Wow. Guys I'm seriously behind on blogging. So much has happened!
We are praising God for providing our newest blessing, Adeline Faith, born October 14, 2 days after Elijah's fourth birthday :)



We had a wonderful time in Budapest, staying with our dear friends the Sanders. We spent almost a month in the Sanders' home and taking in their wonderful hospitality. It was truly a blessed time. The labor and delivery were very fast and we had a wonderful experience! Adeline is simply beautiful and such a calm baby.We are so thankful for her. We had a very time leaving their home as their family became like our own. We miss them daily!

Since leaving, the Sanders' oldest son Luke (20 years old and studying in the US) was seriously injured falling from a high rope swing, and remains in ICU with bleeding in his brain. Please pray for Luke. You can follow his journey here

As for our family, we are gearing up for Christmas. The kids and I are doing an advent experience using Amanda White of Impress Your Kids "Truth in the Tinsel". It has gone great so far! As I type, the kids are playing with their nativity set. Let me just put it this way: I'm glad we have a wooden set! :)

Josh's book was released in September....check it out!

That's all for now...must go and play with the kiddos!

New Life...

For those of you who do not know already, the Irbys are expecting a little Irby to join soon! Baby number 3 (or should I say 4 since God took Little One to be with Him?) should arrive around October 19 in Budapest, Hungary. We have found a hospital there who takes our insurance, which is a huge relief. We are so excited to welcome this newbie to the Irby family! Israel and Elijah are excited...they can tell you themselves:



So cute! We are to thankful to have all of you who have prayed and supported us these past few months. And for those of you going through pregnancy loss, I can honestly say that God is faithful to redeem the pain and loss you are experiencing. When you are going through it it feels like you will never see the light at the end, but even the dark is not dark to God and He is with you. I never felt Him leave.

Josh's mom will come for a visit on Tuesday May 3 and will be with us for 2 weeks. We are grateful when family and friends come see where we live and we can spend time with them. This is Dea's first time in Sarajevo...so exciting!

Will update more later...

In Need of Grace

On a beautiful spring day, full of life and love, I am in need of grace. I have done it again. Messed up and lost patience with my children. Acted crabby, blamed it on chronic pain...difficult to live through but isn't God's grace greater? Scared my children will stumble in darkness because of my flaws in parenting.

But oh the glorious riches of grace! Of a God who can erase bad memories, empower for better living, "present us holy in His sight, without blemish..." (Col. 1) I'm so thankful for this promise. Once, I was alienated from God and made an enemy in my mind because of my evil behavior but now He has reconciled me by Christ's physical body to present ME (! EVEN ME!) holy in His sight, without blemish and FREE FROM ALL ACCUSATION!!!" (Col. 1) I'm so thankful for that. I am free from all accusation. Not only free from the enemy's accusations but free from my own accusations of myself!

So now I can enter this beautiful spring day. Full of sunlight, full of truth, full of confidence in the God who loved me while I was still a sinner....