The Vella Kids

Christmas 2013 

 Nate 12

 Kayla 11

Sophia 22 months 

Jonathan 3 months 

Jonathan 2 months old

Daddy says you're the happiest baby ever. You smile all the time.  You only cry when it's time to eat.   :)  We all love you more and more everyday.  You have officially completed our family.

Black Friday

Today we wanted to do something fun and avoid all the shopping crowds. So we took you to the Leesburg indoor pool.  When we left it was dinner time we found a local brick oven pizza restaurant it was yummy!!!  Then we went Christmas tree shopping and ended the night with got chocolates. 

Thanksgiving Day 2013

We had a nice lunch with our Grandparents, the Johnsons and the Gorham's. Everyone loved Sophia and Jonathan. Sophia and cousin Johnathan (JT) had a lot of fun together.  Grandpa gave Nate a small guitar and a harmonica to Kayla. A good gift and great memory!  Aunt Cindy passed out gifts that were a hit!  Sticker paper and makers for Nate, lots of looms for Kayla, and blocks for So So.  Later in the afternoon we went to have desert with Steve and Charity.... and ended up with a full course meal that was delicious!  Charity is a great cook.  We had a nice time hanging out.   Then Charity and Steve offered to watch the two little kids while we took the two big kids to the movies. We saw Hunger Games Chasing Fire. Never thought I'd be excited to go on a date with Roy, Nate, and Kayla :) it was nice.   They need time with us and no little ones every once in a while. Overall we had a great day.   I am so very thankful for my family. God had been so good to us!!!

Sophia's way of making Jonathan laugh

When we tell Sophia to make Jonathan laugh this is what she does. It is so funny!!!!!

Pre-Thanksgiving 2013

Here is Jonathan with Aunt Charity and Uncle Steve at our Thanksgiving lunch. We celebrated early and had a nice lunch at Mom-momand pops house.  Charity is 20 weeks pregnant with your little cousin. We can't wait to meet him or her :)  You are such a good baby Charity asked "does he ever cry?"

Jonathan slept 8 hours

Thank you little Jon boy for a full nights rest.   You are a sweet bundle of joy. 

2 months old

Memories

I woke up this morning and realized Facebook knows many cool events and facts happening in my life, but soon they will be gone, and all will forget. I really need to start blogging our memories again so I will have them saved like a scrapbook.  I want to try to cherish every moment with my 4 sweet kids.  But my brain isn't big enough to remember everything so here I will try to start recording some of the events again.

Spur of the moment picture with Santa

One afternoon on Thanksgiving break, after having lunch with Aunt Charity we decided we would take a quick walk in the mall. We didn't even have the stroller in the car so we knew it had to be quick, and I was alone...Roy was home at work.  So the big kids promised they'd help with the little kids and they did.  While there we braved sitting with Santa.... since there was no line. I thought Sophia was at that age of fear but she wasn't scared at all. He was a very sweet Santa and we just say and talked to him for about 5 min. We also managed to shoot this cute picture.  Little Jonathan (less than 2 weeks old) had his eyes opened. It was so cute...I couldn't resist buying it. I really wished Nate was in it but he was too busy in his favorite store Zumies and asking stores for free stickers. We walked buy the loom stand and I bought Kayla a small pack of looms since she is always the best helper to me.

Happy Anniversary Babe! I Love You!

Our Wedding Day

June 4, 1999

Our 1st Year

2000

We lived at 51 Citrus Lane, Davie FL in a mobile home.

We went on a cruise to the Bahama's.

Our 2nd Year 

2001

We still lived at 51 Citrus Lane, Davie FL in a mobile home.

Nathaniel was only a few months old and Roy had just had nose surgery for a deviated septum...so we put our anniversary on hold until later that month.  We took a trip to Central Florida.  We stayed at Gram and Pop's condo in New Smyrna Beach, FL.  We had a great time alone for the 1st time since Nathaniel had been born.  

Our 3rd Year

2002

We celebrated with friends at Benihana Steak House.

(Monique, Craig, Jenn, and Mike)

We still lived at 51 Citrus Lane, Davie FL in a mobile home.

I was 8 months pregnant with Kayla Grace in this picture and then she was born on July 13, 2002.

Our 4th Year 

2003

We lived in "Our First Home" 8390 NW 24th Street Sunrise, FL

For our anniversary I woke up to 4 dozen red roses for our 4 year anniversary.  Roy planned a night out for us and even borrowed his bosses 2003 Red Convertable Corvertte.  It was super fun!  We have no picture from that night and our hands were full with two little ones at home.

At some point that year we went to Disney and took this pic :)

Our 5th Year

June 2004
We still lived at 8390 NW 24th Street Sunrise, FL.
For our anniversary we stayed at a Bed & Breakfast in St. Augustine FL.
We had a great trip, together, alone, with no kids, and no work.  One night Roy surprised me with a beautiful ring.  It was an eternity band of diamonds!

Our 6th Year 

2005

We still lived at 8390 NW 24th Street Sunrise, FL.

I have nothing special written down for our anniversary...I guess our hands were full with the two little ones.  This was us at our church picnic.  Grace Church in Hollywood, FL.

Roy's shirt sums it all up!!

Our 7th Year 

2006

We still lived at 8390 NW 24th Street Sunrise, FL.

For our anniversary we took at 5 day vacation to Gram and Pop's condo in New Smyrna Beach.  We explored the town and ate at alot of unique restaurants.  This happened to be our most relaxing vacation for us so far.  Not even time mattered to us!  Either it was more relaxing or more NEEDED.  This year we  had just completed our first successful year at GraceLand Christian Academy (that I helped open and run for our church)...it wiped us out but we made it!

 We collected shells on the beach and made this lasting memory.  I still have in it my room. 

Our 8th Year

2007

Only with the Lord's help we survived another tough year.  In November 2006 Nathaniel was in a bad accident.  Our new motto "What didn't destroy us only made us stronger"

I blogged all this journey for our family click here if you would like to read more: "Miracle Boy"

After this happened and for other reasons we sold our home in Sunrise, FL and moved to Tennessee.

This picture was taken right before Nate's Accident 

Nate in P.I.C.U. 

Christmas 2006 "God is so good" 

Our 9th Year 

2008

We lived at 101 Windrock View Lane Oliver Springs, TN.

As you can tell from the pictures we loved living in Tennessee such a beautiful place!

Our 10th Year 

2009

We still lived at 101 Windrock View Lane Oliver Springs, TN.

For this anniversary we took a big trip to Las Vegas and The Grand Canyon.

 Our Hotel 

 

Nothing more grand than this...

Our 11th Year 

2010
We still lived at 101 Windrock View Lane Oliver Springs, TN.
The week of our anniversary everyone had pink eye.  So instead of getting a sitter and going out we went to dinner with the kids!  Then that weekend we had our family pictures taken for the first time since Fall 2006.  It was our "Family Anniversary"
Below are 3 pictures of us this year...all in beautiful Tennessee!

Our 12th Year 
2011
We lived at 59 Amber Ridge Place Kearneysville, WV
This year we announced to the kids that we were gonna have another baby.

Our 13th Year
2012
We lived at 47 Shire Ct. Charles Town, WV
This year we became a family of 5.
We spent our actual anniversary at Massanutten Resort with the family.
 

Our 14th Year

2013

We still live at 47 Shire Ct. Charles Town, WV

Last night we celebrated by taking our kids to the carnival.  Isn't it funny how life changes.  We also have plans to go to dinner Friday night without the kids in downtown Harpers Ferry at the Canal House.  I am also 22 weeks pregnant with our 4th child.  The new baby is due in October 2013.

 Later that month we also took a family trip to New Smyrna Beach, FL.

Our 15th Year

2014

We still live at 47 Shire Ct. Charles Town, WV

We are now a family of 6!  Over the past year we were blessed to complete our family with the birth of  Jonathan Roy, a complete joy!!!  The night of our anniversary we went to dinner and movies (all in one place) at the Alamo theater in Winchester.  I don't think we even took a picture.  It was a unique experience and a fun night out!   But in July, we made a trip to Florida for work and for Grandpa John's funeral.  While we were there we took a 3 day trip to The Keys.  We had never been there before so it was very exciting. The coolest part was actually visiting the Southermost Point of the USA.  One night we were there we went to a fancy dinner to officially celebrate our 15 year anniversary.  We had dinner right on the beach.  It was like something off of a movie, our tables were in the sand, seafood, candlelight, hammocks and all.  So romantic!


Family Photo

 Only 90 miles to Cuba...so yes...we ate at a Cuban sandwich shop!!!!

Pictures of our "Dinner on the Beach"

 

We love having BIG kids that can babysit!!!!
One day during naptime for the kids, we were able to go snorkeling right off the deck of the hotel...
it was alot of fun!! (Snorkel gear is not flattering at all :)

One day while we were snorkeling with the kids we found this...

Our 16th Year

2015

We still live at 47 Shire Ct. Charles Town, WV
But now we are actually proud home owners!!!!
We were able to close on our house on Good Friday!!!  God is so Good!!!

Today we celebrate our 16 year anniversary, I dare not take a picture yet. It's just an average day here... Roy is home working, I am still in my PJ's with no make-up on, hanging out with the kiddo's on this rainy day...Pot Roast is in the crock-pot (yummy) ~ Life with 4 kids!  I am sure we will celebrate somehow and when we do I will blog all about it :) But I just wanted to say how thankful I am for God giving me such a wonderful husband!

Here is a picture we took about a month ago on our last date night out.
April 2015
The Garlic ~ New Smyrna Beach ~ Florida

My Aunt Patty and Uncle Dana gave me a Wedding Anniversary book at our wedding, with out it I never would of recorded all these memories.  Thank you!