Our little smiler!

Once he starts smiling...you can't stop him!

Noah at 6 weeks

Video of Noah during his "wiggly" time today...my favorite time with him!

Comrades

Comrades is known as the worlds "Ultimate Marathon" at 90 kilometers, almost the entire marathon being on a hill....run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban (the downrun...which was this year) or from PMB to Durbs (the uprun....crazy crazy hills!) which was last year. Its run RIGHT outside our house...and our church. The government decided to switch the date of the Marathon to always be on a Sunday, so our church can't meet because the road is closed. So this year we had our Sunday morning service on Saturday night...kinda weird! But our church meets on the road outside our church every year to cheer on the runners (hense the name of the marathon...comrades...where everyone helps and cheers on the runners!)

Check it out! http://www.southafrica.info/ess_info/sa_glance/sports/comrades.htm

The runners....this shot is looking up the road from our church (and home)

Cheering on the runners
Noah's first Comrades! Maybe he'll run it someday?

Since the roads are closed a bunch of the girls spent the night at our house so they could watch the Marathon

Mark and Sam cheering on the runners Happy 1st Father's Day!

Smile!

So we think Noah started smiling today....Clint caught one on his phone....I need your comments...do you think its a real smile or not? :) He did it when we were both saying "Come on...smile for us!"

Elders retreat

Clint at the elders retreat this last week up the north coast of SA. They did so much work that it shouldn't have been called a retreat...but just working on the beach :)
We are so priveledged to have such awesome elders at HBC

Prepping sermons overlooking the ocean
The view!

Cornerstone

Some shots of cornerstone at our house last night. They were great company while Clint was away on an elders retreat. Lyle's our new intern at HBC, but Clint likes to call him his "lacky".... and he taught an awesome lesson on humility last night
Kerry, Lyle and Warren stayed till past midnight teaching me the tricks of the trade on Facebook. Man that thing is addictive. But its a cool way to see how people are doing back in the States. I found this photo on Ruthie's Facebook of me and Marietjie shooting Sara's wedding.... It was such a fun day, I loved shooting it with Marietjie, and I miss her a ton!

One month

One month old today!

A poem written by Clint's friend James:

"You were named after this guy

Who when rain fell from the sky

Put the animals inside the boat

So they'd not sink, but float!

Everything else unfortunately died,

But they were safe, the ones inside

And when they finally loaded them off

Noah pointed, choked, and said with a cough:

"We put to Archers inside, didn't we?

But oh my goodness, now there's three!"

It's pretty cheesy, but it made me laugh outloud :)

Clint studying his Bible, and Noah as the bookstand.

Hey, its never to early to read to your kids!

Joburg

This week we flew to Johannesburg to attend the Shepherd's Conference. The two guest speakers from the states were Jack Hughes and Scott Ardivanus. Jack Hughes is the pastor at Calvary Bible Church and we listen to his sermons weekly online (get em at www.calvarybiblechurch.org defiantly worth downloading!) So it was awesome to hear him in South Africa. Scott was the college pastor when I was in Jr. High, and he often did our camps...so it was also awesome to hear him preach.

Clint with Scott and Jack

Jack preaching on what it means to "labor" in the ministry. He quoted all the verbs that Paul uses to describe the ministry "labor" "endure" "strive"...it made us tired just listening to him, but an awesome sermon. Clint was ready to preach after hearing this one!
Duncan Ebedes is a member of our church and came with to the Shepherd's Conference. Jack Hughes is his hero...so this is Clint and him soaking up the great preaching!

Scott preaching on trials. James 1, a very awesome sermon as you can tell by his hand motions here!

I took one of the days off from the conference to rest. This is me and Noah at Clint's sisters (Brownyn's) creche (nursery school). Can you guess from the picture what the theme is at her school? There are more Pooh Bear's there than I've ever seen in my life! It's called "Piglet's Playpen"

Clint's best friend growing up Ryan and his wife Catherine got to meet Noah for the first time, and so did Antie Brownyn and Grandpa Alan! More photos of that to come...

Would you like fries with that? Noah's first fries with Clint and Grandma :)

Multi-tasking

Clint multi-tasking in his office today: Sermon, Bible, Cell Phone, Coffee, Tobi (the cat) & Noah

African-American

Being the church secretary, I used to have to go to the post office quite alot. Every week I would wait in a massively long line and finally get to the counter...only to be asked the same question...."can I have your ID number please?" Well....as an American, I don't have an ID number. Its kinda like a drivers license number, but even more important than that! I can't have an ID number, or a bank account number or anything that even remotely marks me as a South African until Clint and I are married for 5 years (coming up in October.) And so I always respond "I'm American....I don't have an ID number, can I give you my husbands?" Which is always met with this stare of disbelief...followed by a few seconds of humming, then finally "yeah, I guess so." Its like I'm the only person who's ever immigrated to this country from America?????

So yesterday this comes in the mail addressed to "Noah Archer" (his birth certificate) and low and behold HE has an ID number BEFORE ME!! So he is a South African Citizen now as well as an American. He even has a social security number and everything. We were actually hoping he'd be born on 05-06-07 (just because thats such a cool birthdate!) but he was born one day early. 05-05-07. I didn't realize what a blessing this will be for him until I was filling out his birth papers, and realized that it won't matter how he fills out paperwork, cause in America you write "Month-Day-Year," and in South Africa you write "Day-Month-Year" which is endlessly confusing. Clint's driver's license had his birthday wrong the whole time we were in America 'cause of this problem...but Noah will never have to go through that cause its 05-05! How cool is that?

Our first outing with the "Baby Bjorn"...we discovered its impossible to drink a cappuccino with these things on... (it should come on the warning label!)

Noah with his first "tie" on for church on Sunday

Hiccups

It's finally Autumn in Durban. My favorite season. The wind is cold, the skies are clear and blue. Ahhh, and now that the smell of coffee doesn't repulse me anymore (I haven't had coffee for 9 months!) ...I just wish I could pop into a Starbucks and get a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Yum. *Sigh* I think I'll try and make some spiced apple cider today...just to celebrate my favorite season!

One of the coolest things that happened in the last months of pregnancy is that Noah would hiccup like 6-7 times a day....and it was so fun to feel the rhythmic little jumps in my tummy....and now outside the womb he hiccups just as much. He always looks at us with bewilderment when he hiccups, like "can't you make it stop already?" This is Clint trying to console him....they usually go away if he lies on his tummy.

And then me playing with him an hour later (yup...they last that long!) Its my favorite time with him cause the hiccups keep him awake....and he's always sssoooo content and happy to stare at you...and of course, grip your finger SUPER tight...just to say hello!

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day! (To all those mothers, or soon to be mothers reading!)

Now how lucky am I that with Noah only 8 days old that its already Mother's Day? :) Noah (and Clint) woke me up with my first mother's day present! Noah was very good in church today, his first time hearing Clint preach. He didn't cry or make a peep, so I got to sit in the back with him and enjoy the whole service. I missed being in church...it was good to be back so soon.


Clint's mom came for a week to visit Noah and help out with stuff around the house while I wasn't able to. My house is spotless and Clint well fed! Thank you, thank you! :) She goes home today....yikes, now I have to clean?! :) It was the first time Clint had to buy 2 mother's day cards!


Big yawn!

Noah in his dungarees

Oh another South Africanism: overalls are dungarees! :)

Baby Africanisms

Daddy's favorite time: Burp time!

Noah learning how to hold his pacifier in his eared hoodie

Noah falling asleep to the music of his favorite Pooh Bear

So of all the "South Africanisms" I think "baby items" have the most differences.
I asked so many times for a diaper in the hospital...and nurses gave me blank stares!

So here is "Baby Africanisms 101"

Diaper=Nappy

Burp=Wind (You wind your baby not burp him!)

Stroller=Pram

Diaper Rash Ointment=Bum Cream

Play Pen=Pack n Play

Pacifier=Dummy

I am recovering well from my c-section, thank you for your prayers! I never even payed attention when people talked about having a c-section cause I thought it would never happen to me! I never realized I can't drive or pick up much of anything for 6 weeks, pretty crazy. But the Lord has been so good. I'm just glad that Noah is here safe and sound! I also never realized how quick it was. After going through so many hours of labor, and then them telling me I needed a c-section, within a half an hour I heard his little cry! He turned a week old today, and we took him on his "first excursion" to Mugg & Bean (a coffee shop) to take Clint's mom out for Mother's Day.....here's the photo of his first car ride out on the town. I don't think he even knew he left home he was so sound asleep!

Awake & Sleepy :)

Noah during his "awake time" today...And sleep time (Clint sleeps just like this with one arm over his head!)

Children of God

Noah is 4 days old now, and I am 4 days old as a mother. I must say, I'm in love with 2 men in my life! :) Noah is just so amazing....I keep staring at him in disbelief that he's actually mine, and I get to take him home! When I put him to sleep I miss him. When he cries I want to cry and laugh at the same time cause of his helpless little cries! Everyday he learns and as he does so do I about God's abundant goodness in our lives, and His love for us as His children. I feel so priviledged to be a mother...and of such a content little guy!


"See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are." I John 3:1

Noah....

Introducing: Noah Knightley Archer
Born on: May 5, 2007
Weight: 3.46kgs or 7lbs 10oz
Length: 55cm

This photo was taken 1 minute after he was born! After my water's breaking, 14 hours of labor, including an epidural and being induced as well, I had an emergency c-section because his little head just didn't want to drop! He was born with some bruises on his head and his eyes were swollen, but other than that....a healthy happy boy!

Proud daddy!

I love this face!


It's been so awesome bonding with this little guy, he's my love!

Pics

Clint writing: So putting pics up was easier than I thought. Read below for my comments.