Home in Port Perry

Here are the two Barnhoorn boys. The get along great. No fighting at all. Hopefully that lasts.
Stephen is quite persistent. He is always able to convince someone to play with him. Here he is with Oma Great.
Opa reads a story to Stephen while Samuel sleeps in his seat.
Stephen is always excited to see snow because he gets to shovel it. If only he could actually move the snow off the driveway.
What a difference a year makes. Stephen hated snow a year ago. Now he loves to go out in it.

Trip

Finally, I am getting around to posting some more pictures. I know that our cross-country trip is little more than a memory by now, but better late than never, right? Here are a couple of sample pictures. The big wooden box is the trailer that we pulled back. The people in the pictures are fellow travellers Rod, Rebecca and Daniel. Daniel and I were travel buddies. Dan kept me awake while I drove. Rebecca kept Rod awake while he drove. Dave and Evelyn left Langley with us and we drove as far as Banff together. Of course, there were tonnes of pictures of mountains, but these pictures best portray the feeling of the trip. Sleepy looks and lots of fillups. We ate cereal in the car for breakfast and didn't stop except for dinner and gas stops. All in all, a one of a kind trip.

The crew.
Filling up in Regina. -22 was pretty tough to take after living in BC for two years.
Rebecca getting breakfast ready.
In Hearst, Rod finally figured out what was wrong with the washer fluid. "Someone" had put water in the resevoir.
Dan waking up.
It's someone else's turn to drive.
Here we are safely back home in Port Perry after three days on the road.

Picture

Us again.

Where have the Barnhoorns gone?

Well, it's definitely been a long time since we updated this site. Mainly it is because the only internet connections we have are dial-up. Being ex-highspeed internet users, we find dial-up to be quite frustrating. So we have been avoiding the internet as much as possible. We have also been doing a bit of visiting friends and family. We were at Palmerston CRC last Sunday where we gave a quick update about what we have been up to.
We recently found a "wireless hotspot" at the local library here in Port Perry. That's where we are today. We hope you enjoy the pictures.These pictures are in the wrong order, but right now it doesn't matter. Here are a couple pictures of the us packing up and cleaning the house.

Here is a lovely picture of the Barnhoorn family on Christmas day. (Man, is it ever tough to get good pictures of toddlers!)
Uncle Dave thinks everyone should learn to play the guitar and Stephen agrees with him.
Here is a picture taken on Christmas day. We had a great time with the whole family. I don't think our house would've been cleaned and packed up in time if it weren't for the help of these great people. Thanks Barnhoorn gang. You guys are great! Thanks to Rod for taking these picutres, too.
Christmas 2006 is likely the last time in a long time that we will all be together. Praise God that we all got along. There were barely enough rooms for everyone. Rod and Rebecca had to sleep in the kitchen, and Dave and Evelyn were in the living room. Daniel had to sleep with Stephen. It was definitely a week to remember.

Trip

For the third time in less than three years, I drove most of the way across the greatest country in the world. On December 28, I set out from Langley, BC with Rod, Rebecca and Dan. Dave and Ev drove with us until we reached Banff. We stopped at a hotel in Golden, BC the first night. (The website almost makes it look nice.)
After that we decided to drive straight through. Of course, we were pulling a box trailer that dropped our gas mileage to about 18 litres/100 km (or 11 MPG for you imperialists) so we made a fair number of stops at gas stations throughout the country. After driving out of BC, through Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba and into Ontario within 24 hours, we finally arrived in Port Perry at about 1:00 pm on New Years Eve. The halfway point of the trip was actually just outside of the Ontario border.
After eating supper and playing some Boggle, Rebecca, Rod and I were all sleeping by 10:00, but Daniel went out with some friends and partied until about 5:00 am. (Now that's hardcore!)
The trip itself was relatively uneventful. The biggest excitement was when Rod managed to fix the windshield washer fluid sprayer! Actually we didn't even need it until we reached northern Ontario. This is not to say that the trip was boring, but that the trip went incredibly smoothly. We had good weather, no car troubles and no interpersonal conflicts. (In fact, the biggest issue was when Daniel beat me at Cribbage.)
Praise God for safe travels for over 4300 km of winter roads! We saw only one moose and very little snow.
Now hopefully these pictures will work. Rod and Dan took some real winners. I can't seem to upload them on this slow dial-up connection.

Praise the Lord

We are thankful to tell the world that Samuel (and Janice) are home from the hospital!!! We will be able to spend Christmas at home as a family which is an answer to prayer! The Lord has been good to us. Thank you to all who have been praying for us this past week. The Lord has heard our pleas. We also want to thank our doctors and nurses for all their help, guidance, and skills. We truly are blessed to be surrounded by family and friends during this time. As our doctor said, "Having people praying all over does make a difference. The Lord must have a great plan for Samuel." Interestingly enough, that's what people told Janice about Jono last Christmas!

Better News

Samuel has been off supplemental oxygen since this morning and is now able to maintain the oxygen levels in his body. If all goes well he may be released from the hospital as early as tomorrow or Monday.
Apparently he didn't have RSV, which is good, but it looks like the effects of the cold may be with him for a while. The doctor thinks that if he gets a cold again in the next couple years it may result in a similar situation.
Thank you all so much for your prayers. It was very comforting to know that there were so many people all over praying for us. God is faithful.
The influx of Barnhoorns has started here. My parents have been here for a couple days already. They have been such a blessing, packing and cleaning and cooking and taking care of Stephen while I have been going to and from the hospital. David and Evelyn are arriving this evening from Edmonton. Daniel will be coming home with us after we have dinner with the Fama's tomorrow. Becky and Rod also come tomorrow, but just before midnight. We are looking forward to a great time as a family this Christmas.
We hope you are doing well and are able to spend good times with family this Christmas. May you truly have a joyful Christmas as you remember how the Almighty God became man to show his love for us.

Samuel's Box

If you read the previous post you know that Samuel is in the hospital right now and it looks like he'll be there for about a week. We are praying that he will be released earlier. Here are a few pictures from the hospital. It should give you a better idea of what's going on. He is basically on oxygen because he can't maintain the oxygen levels in his body due to the amount of congestion he has. Every couple hours they put some medicine through the oxygen mask to help loosen it all up. He seems to be breathing better tonight. Thank you for all your prayers. God is good. Please continue to pray for our family.



Here are a couple pictures of the past couple days before Beppe left. This was before Samuel went to the hospital. As you can see, Stephen just loves reading books. It's great to have grandparents around to read him stories that Mommy and Daddy are tired of reading!

Christmas time at Langley Memorial Hospital

I just wanted to let all our blog viewers know that Samuel was readmitted to the hospital last night. He had caught Stephen's cold and was quite congested. Added to that a friend who's child was later diagnosed with RSV came over for a visit. Samuel was having an increasingly difficult time breathing and a couple of times stopped altogether. That was when we decided to go to the emergency room. He is not able to keep his oxygen levels up, and is on supplemental oxygen. He is encased in a big plastic box. I'll try to post a picture when I get one.
He is likely going to be there for a week and because he needs his mom so much, Janice will be sharing the room with him. We are asking for prayer for several things now...
1. Strength for Janice as she spends the next week in the hospital. It is especially hard because she can't really hold him. Also, a couple days ago she mentioned that she didn't want to spend another Christmas in the hospital.
2. That Samuel will be able to come out before the week is up. Janice and the boys are supposed to fly home with Mom and Dad Barnhoorn on the 28th but if Samuel is not out by then arrangements will have to be made for something else.
3. That all the packing and cleaning will get done despite the boss's (Janice) absence. We do have a lot of help coming.
Thanks for lifting us up in this time.

More!

Stephen and Beppe made cookies today. Stephen really enjoyed it. Almost as much as Beppe. I think he ate too many, though, because it's 9:30 now and he's showing no signs of being tired.


You never do get enough pictures of a new baby, and Samuel is no exception. He is just as loveable as his older brother. Here's a picture of his proud-as-can-be Beppe. I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as we do.
A lot of people have asked how Stephen enjoys his new brother. The picture babove pretty much says it all. He seems to really enjoy having Samuel around and holding him. Last night he wanted to watch Samuel sleep.

Pop!

Samuel David was born today in the city of Langley. He weighed in at a whopping 8 pounds , 0 ounces, which is exactly what his big brother Stephen weighed when he was born. (Actually, we think Samuel looks a lot like his older brother.) After the doctor broke the water, Samuel pretty much popped out. Of course, that's my perspective... I'm sure Janice feels a bit different. I got to cut the ambilical cord, which I didn't get to do for Stephen.
Stephen seemed to be pretty nonchalant about having a baby brother. He spent the afternoon at a babysitter's while we were at the hospital. When he got to see his brother he even let him play with his favourite yellow car. That's a big step because not even Mommy and Daddy are allowed to play with that car!
Anyway, both mother and baby are doing well. Daddy and Stephen are a different story. (The picture of me cutting the cord has been removed because, upon a careful examination of the picture I realized there was some skin showing that shouldn't have been.)

Life

Hi, Just thought we'd let you know that Janice's stomach is still big. It's okay with me because I still have stuff to do. An assignment due tomorrow and then my comprehensive exam on the following Monday. Between that and spending some lost time with Stephen and Janice and having family here, life is still as busy as ever. It's all good, though.
Janice is hoping for the baby to come soon, of course. Other than that, we're just waiting.

One week to go

Stephen likes to give the baby a kiss before he goes for a nap or to bed for the night.
Stephen also likes to hold the baby. He knows that you need to hold the head to keep the baby safe. Hopefully he will continue to be gentle once the baby is "ready".
Here I am with one week to go. My shirts and pants barely fit so the baby needs to come soon! My stomach is also getting "drafts" when we go outside in this cold weather!! We are trying to be patient!!

The big countdown is on. The test of our patience is on. We are attempting to wait patiently for our newest family member to arrive. Is it because we think we are ready that this little one hasn't made its presence known? Or is it because this little one wants to wait for Beppe to be here? Hopefully, s/he isn't waiting for Oma and Opa because that would be way tooo long!!

Saturday Night with the Stelpstras and Smiths

Here is Mrs. Judy reading Stephen's new book to Stephen and Asher before bed.
Stephen opened his present and went back to his toys right away. He loves playing at Uncle Jake and Aunt Donna's house. We will miss them when we move back to Ontario!
Zachary is reading a story to Stephen.
Here is Stephen opening his first Christmas present from the Stelpstras.
The three boys together again. Zachary is reading The Nativity to Asher and Stephen. The boys love playing together and seeing each other at church. What will happen when we move?

We were able to spend Saturday night with some close friends. First we went to the Stelpstras for dinner. Donna and Jake always do a good job of keeping us fed! We have appreciated their hospitality and love over the past 2 1/2 years while we've been in BC. Hopefully they will come and visit us in Nigeria!!
After dinner we went to the Smiths, our former landlords and present friends, so the boys could play together and we could play games. It has been great getting to know Brad and Judy and the boys over the past 2 1/2 years as well. I can't believe how much they have grown since I babysat them!!
When we move to Ontario, who will we spend our Saturday nights with?

A beautiful sunset on snow covered mountains

We took these pictures on the way to Abbotsford Saturday. It was a beautiful sunset and the snow covered mountains were amazing. How can people say there is no God?

More snow pictures from the "big" storm

The view of our backyard from our deck.
The view of our front yard and driveway from the living room window. How do you clear a driveway full of snow without a shovel?
The pond in front of TWU after the storm.
Stephen had a blast with all the snow. Here he is sitting in it. It was a good thing that I went and bought him a toque and mitts the day before the storm hit!