Tuesday, January 31, 2017

January recap

We hope that everyone had a wonderful first month of 2017!
This month marked a lot of fun things for the Bates family

* Gil and Michaella celebrated their birthdays
* Bringing Up Bates returned on January 5th
* Gil, Kelly, and Carlin headed to New Zealand and Australia for a speaking engagement.
* Bobby and Tori enjoyed a few dates in Florida.
* John and Alyssa welcome their daughter, Lexi Mae, on January 26, 2017

Preview: Surprise! Kelly Jo's Big 5-0!

Kelly Jo's 50th birthday party is planned; Gil takes Kelly Jo on a romantic getaway to Chattanooga, TN, or so she thinks.

Monday, January 30, 2017

New Blog cover

We were going to wait to post this in February 2017 but changed our minds at the last minute. We hope that you liked it.
 

Sunday, January 29, 2017

Celebrating Mama Jane

On Friday, The Bates celebrated Mama Jane's birthday which also happened to be Lexi's due date. She celebrates her birthday on January 27th.
 

Saturday, January 28, 2017

All about Lexi: Introduction

We are so excited to share that baby Lexi is here. Here are a few new photos! 



 

February Birthday cover

We are so sorry about the major delay on posting these covers but because Alyssa was due with baby Lexi towards the end of January, we had to wait to see if she would come before the start of February.

Here is the cover:

Friday, January 27, 2017

Adjusting to big sister role

John and Alyssa sat down with UP TV to talk about Allie adjusting to a new baby sister. 
 

Introducing Ms. Lexi Mae

We just shared our birth announcement blog of Lexi Mae just a few minutes ago. We also have a few photos to share with you from the network


 

Meet Lexi Webster

We are so excited to announce the birth of Lexi Mae Webster. Lexi was born on January 26, 2017. The Baby weight 6lbs and 2oz and was 20inches long. She was born at 7:20pm.

She joins big sister, Allie Jane, who is turning two this April. She is the second child of John and Alyssa Webster. She marks the 12th grandchild on the Webster family. She also marks the 6th grandchild for the Bates family.

We have asked if Lexi's birth will air on the show and got word that they are planning to air Lexi's birth (which we will have more information soon). Later this week, we will have her All about Lexi.

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Recap: Doggy Dilemmas

Warden brings Judson and Jeb over to Chad and Erin's house to work with the puppy, Max. Max needs work on fetching but does great on the sitting command.
Lawson heads to the hospital to meet his friend, Emily, to sing to some of the patients. Gil is proud of each of the kids as they go through.  Emily says that it was amazing to meet everyone of the kids and is looking forward to going.
Kelly's plan to use the shed's concrete slab was voted by her husband. He wants to make sure that the basketball is on the side yard. Lawson shows up when the concrete gets here causing Nathan to think that his brother is there to watch because of his outfit. It took Lawson a little bit before convincing him to change. The truck doesn't arrive and Gil calls another place and has it drop off the next morning.
The boys end up running out of concrete right before the end of project and ends up having to get more. The product looks good and the kids add their hand-prints and names on the court.
Brandon and Michaella give an update on their family plans. Erin had contacted Brandon about doing a surprise for Kelly for her 50th birthday. Brandon starts working on it. Michaella is still working on sewing dresses, scrap-booking and nanny. Kelly knows that they think that they will have a big family since she loves children. Kelly also thinks that her daughter is hoping to get pregnant and join the others pregnant.
Brandon and Michaella noticed around six months of marriage, that there might be something going on. They also are considering visiting a specialist after their first year of marriage.
Michaella is excited about starting a family and knows that it will take some times. Brandon is leaving it in God's hands and it's his plans.

Brand New Episode!

Tonight on Bringing Up Bates, Both Michaella and Erin check in and give updates on their families. Back at the family home, they work the basketball area.
 

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

February episode preview

It's time for February episode previews. Now the titles are subject to change so you want to check out our weekly Preview Tuesday.

Surprise! Kelly Jo's Big 5-0!
February 2, 2017
Kelly Jo's 50th birthday party is planned; Gil takes Kelly Jo on a romantic getaway to Chattanooga, TN, or so she thinks.

I Donut Know What I'd Do Without You!
February 9, 2017
Tori and Bobby's one year anniversary; Tori and the entire Bates family are headed to Florida to visit Bobby.

Shakeups, Steaks, and Showtime!
February 16, 2017
Lawson releases a CD of original songs and gears up for his first big tour; Zach and Whitney finally get a much deserved date night.

Sweet Home Spartanburg
February 23, 2017
Kelly Jo takes the whole family back to her hometown, Spartanburg SC, to continue her milestone birthday celebration; Kelly Jo shows the kids the house she grew up in, her high school alma mater and introduces them to her childhood friends.

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Preview: Doggy Dilemmas

Erin and Chad have their hands full; puppy training; checking on on the newlyweds and their life in Chicago.

Monday, January 23, 2017

Michaella turns 27!

Michaella is celebrating her 27th birthday! 
Happy Birthday Michaella! 
We hope that you have a blessed birthday with your husband.
 

Sunday, January 22, 2017

Baby Watch #2

We are still waiting patiently for the arrival of Lexi Mae. There has been no word of her arrival yet. Alyssa is currently 39 weeks and 2 days pregnant.
If she is born on Monday, then she will shared her birthday with her aunt Michaella just like her big sister sharing her birthday with her other aunt Carlin.

Saturday, January 21, 2017

He can make everything

Erin posted on her Instagram this sweet message about Chad. We would love to share it with you all so here it is.
Somehow he always seems to make my dreams come true. 😊 For three years, I've kinda hated (well, maybe disliked with a passion😩) my green countertops! Now it's hard to sleep, because all I can think about is how gorgeous this is! 😍 #hemadethisoutofscrapwood 😀 #hecanmakeanything

Erin and Brooklyn

On Sunday, Erin posted a new photo of her and Brooklyn Elise. Brooklyn is almost six months old.
 

Friday, January 20, 2017

All about Kaci: Seven months old part 2

Our little princess is 7 months old today! 👑💟🎀 She's sitting up, eating solid foods, babbling up a storm, and getting so close to crawling. 😮 A picture doesn't even begin to portray how much this little girl loves her Daddy and how he loves her. Zach already tears up at the thought of her growing up and getting married. 🙈😂 Lol! Like they say, nothing like a baby girl and their Daddy!! ❤️ #KaciLynn

39 weeks pregnant and Full Term

Alyssa is now 39 weeks pregnant with baby #2 which means that she is due in seven days. Today we announced the birth announcement blog which is Meet Lexi Mae! Her first official photo blog will be title Introducing Ms. Lexi Mae! We are so excited for her to arrive. The baby is consider to be full term this week and we are just one week from her due date.  

The baby is currently weighting in a bit over seven pounds. She is also about 20 inches long. She is the size of a mini-watermelon.

Do you think that we will make it to 40 weeks pregnant? 

Fun fact: When Alyssa was pregnant with Allie Jane, she was born on 40 weeks and one day pregnant.

Birth announcement blog results

We had announced that we have picked a birth blog announcement title and we are sure that you will all love this one. I went back and look at Bradley, Allie, Carson, Kaci and Brooklyn's birth announcement blogs and ruled out any of the ones that I did not care for. Thank you all who vote on our birth announcement ideas blog

1. Grandbaby #6 is here- We decided to do that for our grandchildren blog


2. Grandbaby #6: Birth announcement- It felt a little close to the first one so it got cross off.


3. Introducing Lexi Mae- I might do this one for the picture 


4. Lexi Mae is here- again felt like #1 all over again.


5. Paging Webster family, party of four (Birth announcement)- decided to do that for the Webster family blog


6. Meet Lexi Mae Webster- This is the one that we chose for the blog. 


We fell in love with #6 and prayed about it and it just seem like the right choice for the blog. We will have "Introducing Lexi Mae" with her photo as soon as it is released to the media.


Now we just have to wait for Lexi to make her big debut! 

All about Kaci: Seven months old

Kaci Lynn is now seven months old. In the past month, Kaci started to eat baby foods. She celebrated her first Christmas and New Years with her family. She is about to get a new cousin that is due any day now.

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Recap: A Birthday and a birdie

Gil and Kelly are planning to give each of their daughters a purity ring for their 16th birthday and now it's Katie's turn. The older girls help pick an outfit for her to wear during the date with her parents. Katie is not used to wear fancy outfits but they insist it.

GIl knows that it's been hard to see each of his daughters growing up. One of the producers ask why don't the boys get the same rings and Zach kids that the boys don't get a lot of free things.
Lawson wants a new saddle or a new truck instead of the ring. The little boys would love a steak instead of the ring.

Gil and Kelly talk to Katie about the importance of the ring. Katie got a gold heart ring which is shows the promise that she has with her parents. The ring will stay there until her wedding day.
Katie says the dinner date was really nice to spend time with her mother and father.

Gil and Kelly are working on finding a permanent meeting place for the church that they started three years ago. They decided to add a steeple since the building doesn't have one.

Papa Bill and Mama Jane came up from South Carolina. Lawson joins his father and grandfather to golf. Gil asked his son if he needs to have a "large talk" which the family knows it's code for are you taking interested to any girls. Lawson is married to his music.

Papa Bill says: Just remember, whatever decision you make today will determine what decisions are available to you tomorrow.

The family sits down at dinner and Gil and Kelly talk about Katie. Kelly reveals that her daughter doesn't like attention. The family shares birthday praises but Gil's word brings his daughter to tears.

New Episode tonight

Happy Thursday everyone! 

Tonight is a brand new episode of Bringing Up Bates. The Bates will celebrating Katie's birthday. Mama Jane and Papa Bill are in town. Gil, Lawson and Papa Bill head to go golfing. 

Be sure to check out our blog for our recap after the show.

 

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Our Belated June cover update

I am so sorry that we forgot to update our June Birthday cover for 2016 when Zach and Whitney welcomed their daughter, Kaci Lynn into the world. 
 

Words from Carlin


This past year, God has been teaching me about the people and influences I have brought into my life. These people (or things) affect who I am. I didn't realize how important having the right heroes is. I've often heard: "Show me your friends, and I'll show you your future." The people you look up to and admire become your role models and shape your future, even if they may not be close friends. The people you see in movies, or read about in books, or listen to on the radio affect your thoughts and beliefs, without you even knowing it. How are your heroes influencing you? Would you describe the people you admire as committed Christians, or as people who say they love God, but live differently? You will become a reflection of those people whom you surround yourself with. They become the main source influencing your goals and standards. My challenge to each of us this next year is to find people who are totally sold out for Jesus, who are wise in their words and actions, who are humble and loving in their demeanor- the kind of people that will give their all for Christ, no matter the cost! Let's ask ourselves, "What kind of person do I want to become? What kind of person does God want me to be? Have I surrounded myself with people to help me achieve this goal? Or are my influences hindering my Christian growth?" PEOPLE WILL CHANGE YOU, so find people who will change you for the better!

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Preview: A Birthday and a birdie

The family comes together to celebrate Katie's turning 16, it's time for her to finally join in on the Bates girls' tradition of receiving a purity ring.

Monday, January 16, 2017

Update on Whit!

Whitney Bates gave birth to Kaci Lynn almost seven months ago and we have gotten a lot of questions about what Whitney did to lost the weight.

"I just try different things until I find what works for me & pray God will help me reach my goal." Whitney says

She adds: 
I try to drink 6-8 bottles of water a day. Yes, that's a lot, but so worth it. I stay hydrated, it gives me energy, & helps me feel fuller so I don't eat as much junk. 2.🍴I try not to eat past 6 PM. This doesn't happen often lol(especially when we have parties, holidays, etc.) 3. 🍎I try to cut out a lot of carbs, lay off the sweets, & start each day with a good breakfast.🍳Yes, I totally have cheat days & sometimes weeks🙈haha! 4. ⛹🏼‍♀️ In the summer, I ran & did intense workouts! 🏊🏼‍♀️ As it started getting cold, I found ways to exercise inside & let Bradley be involved to make it fun as well.👏🏼(Jumping jacks, crunches, burpees, etc.) Doesn't happen every day but if I can pull it off 3x/week, that's great! 🙌🏼 It may be during nap time or between laundry, but I'll take what I can get! 😉💃🏽


Set goals that are smaller and more achievable (week by week) so it's not overwhelming & discouraging. Be confident in who God made you, but always willing to challenge yourself to be more. Every day is a new chance to do things just a little bit better. 

Sunday, January 15, 2017

Baby Watch #1

With Lexi Mae due in just 12 days, we asked for another update on if she is here and she's not here yet.

Saturday, January 14, 2017

All about Carson: 20 months old

Carson is now 20 months old! It's hard to believe that he will celebrating his second birthday in four months. Any day now, he will be getting a new cousin name Lexi Mae!

Friday, January 13, 2017

38 weeks pregnant

We can't believe that Lexi is due in two weeks. We are still working on our birth announcement blog. 

This week the baby is considered to be early term. We just check on, January 12th, if Lexi Mae is here and she's not.

This week, She weighs about 6.8 pounds and is over 19 1/2 inches long. She is about the lenght of leek. She has firm grasp. Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

This week, we will be starting baby watch. We did check up with the network, on Alyssa's 37th week update, if Lexi was here and she's currently not here. We ask if they would let us know when she is here and they said yes.

Thursday, January 12, 2017

Recap: Plans, Bands, and mashed potatoes

Erin heads over to the house to meet with her brothers and sisters to plan the birthday party of their mother. They want to make sure that it's a surprise but need to make sure that the two youngest ones can keep a secret. Erin reveals that they are hoping to get Michaella and Alyssa in for Kelly's birthday.

Lawson is preparing for his tour and invites the band to rehearse their songs. Since the group doesn't know the songs, it's a little rough. Kelly thinks that her son is starting to feel the pressure and is getting a little nervous.

Gil gathers the boys to talk about a basketball court in the yard. They have been playing on gravel for the past ten years and have been working on getting some concrete. Nathan jokes that they have home court advantage with the gravel when people come to play. They talk about where the court should go but then decided to shot for it and Kelly suggest that they should tear down the old junk shed and use the slab from it therefore saving money. She asked for one match and shoots a basket and makes it.

Zach and Kelly are surprised that she makes it. They know that it could be a while since the Bates run on Bates time.

Warden heads over to Erin's house for a cooking lesson since most of the girls are out of the house. Lawson talks about how everyone has to jump with both hands since there are 19 kids. Zach thinks that he is the best since he is the oldest.

New episode of Bringing Up Bates

Tonight is a brand new episode of Bringing Up Bates. Be sure to check out our preview Tuesday to find out what the episode will be about. We will be doing a recap after the episode airs. 



Here's a sneak peak video:


Wednesday, January 11, 2017

All about Allie: 21 months old

It's hard to believe that Allie is going to become a big sister anyday now. She celebrated her second Christmas and New Years with her family and friends.

We are just three months away from Allie Jane's second birthday! 


Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Itunes update

Many of you have been asking if you can get the newest season of Bringing Up Bates and we have some good news. Bringing Up Bates season 5 is available for purchase. There is currently no word if Bringing Up Bates is on Amazon but we will keep you update!

Preview: Plans, Blands and mashed potatoes!

Lots of plans are being made in the Bates household! Kelly Jo is about to turn the big 5-0, so Erin calls a meeting with the siblings to plan for a surprise party. But will the younger kids be able to keep it a secret? The Bates Boys, meanwhile, inspired by their time at basketball camp try to figure out if they can install a real court in their yard. While Lawson, who has big plans for his concert tour, invites his band over for a practice in the living room. Last, as the older girls are moving away and going to college, it’s time for the boys to learn how to cook. Erin invites Warden, the Bates budding Chef, over to her house, to teach him how to cook her favorite recipe.

Monday, January 9, 2017

Sunday, January 8, 2017

The Paine family goals

Chad and Erin shared a new blog post on their website Chad & Erin Paine

There were so many areas in my life I wanted to improve in and so many opportunities that I could have demonstrated more character and been a better father, husband, and friend. - Chad Paine
Be sure to check out Erin's 2017 goals


Saturday, January 7, 2017

Snow for the Bates

The family is enjoying some snow time with the last winner of Bates-cation. There is a new contest right now so go check out this post for more details. 

Here is a photo of Lawson: 
 

Here a few photos of Zach, Whit, and Bradley together:




Friday, January 6, 2017

All about Brooklyn: Five months old

It's hard to believe that Brooklyn is now five months old. She just celebrated her first Christmas with her family. Be sure to check out the blog tomorrow (hopefully) for her 5th month photo.


By her next update, she will have a baby cousin, Lexi Mae.

37 weeks pregnant!

Just three more weeks until baby Lexi arrives so that means that our weekly pregnancy updates are back!

This week the baby is maturing  it's brain and lungs to fully before being born. There is a chance that she will have about 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long in hair.

The baby is currently weighing about 6 1/3 pounds and measuring over 19 inches making her about a length of Swiss chard.

Be sure to guess when you think she will be born and how much you think she will weigh and how big she will be. Also be sure to stay tune for our baby watch which will be starting by next week. Also check out our blog ideas that are on the poll questions. You have until her due date to see if your favorite was picked. 

John and Alyssa shared their daughter's name "Alexi Mae Webster" but will go as "Lexi Mae Webster" 
 

Thursday, January 5, 2017

Bates-Cation returns!

We are so excited to share that UP TV has announced the return of Bates-Cation. The contest will run from January 5, 2017 to February 24, 2017. There will be 70 finalists will be selected at random. The winner will be pick on or around April 13th!

Check out http://uptv.com/shows/bringing-up-bates/news/you-deserve-a-bates-cation-win-a-vacation-with-the-bates-family/ to enter the contest! :)

Recap: Summer lovin', Guitar Strummin, and a surprise comin'

As the family is heading to North Carolina to pick up the middle boys (Jackson, Warden and Isaiah) from camp. Tori gets a call from Bobby wondering where the family is.

Tori gives a update on her relationship with Bobby. She says "We've been together for about a year now, like officially, unofficially, like technically but not technically. We're together but we're not together. It's confusing. We're gonna get married."

Gil wants them to wait before they get official but are headed in that direction. Since Bobby lives in Florida and goes to school there while Tori lives in Tennessee and goes to school near home, it makes their time a little limited.

Kelly wants to make sure that her daughter is happy and she is. She is anxious to see where this will lead in the coming months.

Bobby offers to give the family a crash course of the camp and the first stop is the swing. The kids keep quiet knowing that their mother won't do it if she know what really happens on it. Kelly figures out about it when it's too late. Kelly ends up screaming the whole time.

The next time, that kids headed to the lake where they have jumping platforms, a giant blob and zip lines. Gil pushes Bobby into the lake and then Carlin does it to her father!

Lawson stays back to work on his concert tour for his new CD. He heads to the studio with Kelly and Josie. Lawson knows that his mom is his biggest supporter and he is so thankful for her. He has a duet with Emily Ann Roberts. Kelly is a very proud mom.

  The boys and Carlin want to help Trace practice for his Dixie Stampede audition. He is going to have learn how to do showmanship and daning. The family normally doesn't dance so Kelly thinks that Trace might needs to some dancing lessons.

Over at the Little Bates home, Zach and Whitney are enjoying some time together with their kidds on his day off. Zach works 12 hours and it makes it hard to spend time with his family. They head over to the big house to spend a day with everyone expect the Websters and Keilens.

Alyssa had arranged her family's longtime friend, Mrs. Dingus, to surprise the family with some news. She brings in flowers and gifts. The family figures that someone is pregnant. They all ask Erin, Whitney and Kelly if they are expecting. They soon find out that they are about to have a Webster niece and the baby's name is Alexi Mae but will go by Lexi Mae. The family is surprised since Alyssa told her sister, Michael, that she is going to wait until Allie is older. They are surprise to see that John and Alyssa are there.

Allie is not used to the loud noices so she gets upset but calms down really fast. The family sits down and eats dinner.

Gil says    "I don't think there's any...emotional word to capture what you feel like when you find out you're going to have a new granddaughter,"

Tonight starts Season 5!

On Tuesday, we announced our first preview Tuesday of the new season that airs tonight! We will have our recap posted later on tonight on our blog so make sure you tune in.
From what we have been told that they will be revealing Alyssa's second pregnancy tonight on the show! We will also find out the status of the relationship of Bobby and Tori.

Be sure to tune into UPTV tonight for a brand new episode! Here is another sneak peek:

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Meet Bonita Snoozer Bates

Lawson announced the birth of one Bonita Snoozer Bates. The horse was born on January 2, 2017 marking the first birth in 2017.