Goodbye 2016

On Saturday, we were preparing our 1st week in January planning. (Yikes; if you want to see how we plan, Check out our Duggars and Bates blog for details.) We also decided to do a 2016 recap that will be posted right after our December recap.

Here's what happen
* All the family celebrated their birthdays
* The family announced three pregnancies in (January, February and September)
* Two new granddaughters were born (Kaci and Brooklyn)
* Bringing Up Bates was renewed for season 4 & 5
* All the married couples celebrated their anniversaries  

December recap!

The Bates have celebrated two birthdays and two anniversaries for this month.

We got one month closer to Lexi's arrival. 

We released our new January Birthday cover. 

We also released the first four episode previews into the new season.

Kaci and Brooklyn celebrate their first Christmas.

Erin reflects on 2016!

"When I reflect on this past year... all these emotions flood my heart. This has been one of the most special and memorable years of my life. I wish I could share 1,000 pictures from this year, but these 6 pictures bring back so many memories! In May, we took a vacation to Florida - with Carson and little Brooklyn (in the oven)! 😍 It was such a relaxing and refreshing time with each other. I'll never forget it! In July, we added Max to our family. 🐾🐶 He just fits right in, and shares most of our adventures! 🙂 In August, our family welcomed sweet, baby Brooklyn Elise! 😍 From day one, she has brought so much joy and happiness to our hearts. She is such a precious girl, and I can hardly wait to see what the Lord has in store for her life! 💕Carson has changed so much in one year, and the picture on the bottom left just reminds me of how much. He loves to call Nana on any phone, or spend hours just talking to his little sister, or give hugs to complete strangers, 🙈and he lights up whenever he sees Granny! He is such an easy-going, calm, and happy little boy...we love being parents! 😘 This year, my love and admiration for Chad has only grown - he is so gentle and kind with the children and me, and his love for Jesus shows in everything he does and says! We are best friends and I know this year will only get better! God is so faithful, and I only see His goodness to our family when I look back at the last 12 months. He is such a wonderful Heavenly Father!❤️️ #reflectionson2016 #myfamily" Erin Paine

 

Favorite Bates moment

What has been your favorite Bates moment? 

36 weeks pregnant

Next week, we will start the weekly blogs until Lexi is born!

This week the baby is gaining some more weight. She is now almost 6 pounds and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. The baby is a size of a head of romaine lettuce. She is shedding the most downy covering of hair as she is preparing for her bath.

At the end of this week, the baby will be consider as early term since they changed it from 37 weeks to 39 weeks. If the baby is born before 37 weeks, it is considered preterm. Most likely the baby is head down.

Our baby watch will start by the end of next week.

We will see you next week for 37 weeks pregnant. We will be starting baby watch at the end of 37 weeks!

Zach turns 28!

Happy 28th Birthday Zach! 

 

Lexi's new outfit

John and Alyssa are due a little over four weeks with Baby Lexi. Alyssa shared a new photo on her instagram of her daughter's new outfit and it's so cute.

 

Alyssa turns 36 weeks pregnant tomorrow so be sure to check out her weekly pregnancy blogs

 

Specials air tonight!

Bringing Up Bates is back tonight with two brand new episodes or should we say specials. 

Due to the nature of these episodes, we will not be doing recaps.

January preview episodes

With Season 5 about to start within the next few days, we have the first four episode previews of the new season. Now these are titled to change so make sure that you stay tune for our preview Tuesdays each week. :)

January 5, 2017
Summer lovin', Guitar strummin' and a Surprise a comin'!
The family travels to North Carolina to pick up Warden, Jackson, and Isaiah from sleepaway camp but not without getting a VIP tour from camp counselor and Tori's boyfriend, Bobby.

January 12, 2017
Plans, Blands and mashed potatoes!
Kelly Jo is about to turn the big 5-0; the Bates boys try to figure out if they can install a real court in their yard; Lawson invites his band over for a practice in the living room.

January 19, 2017
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.

January 26, 2017
Doggy Dilemmas
Erin and Chad have their hands full; puppy training; checking on on the newlyweds and their life in Chicago.

Family Pictures

Over Christmas weekend, three out of the four married couples posted new family photos. 

 

Why does Whitney wear pants?

Many of you have been asking why does Whitney wear pants all the sudden?

We asked her and she said that she and Zach prayed about their family's standards and convictions. Whitney wears pants some of the time but when she is with the Bates family she will wear skirts for filming and around them to respect the choices.

She has said that Gil and Kelly love her no matter what she wears.


Updated: We have chosen to disable the comments on this blog post. Thank you  you all for your support! :)

Journey to parenthood: Last Update!

John and Alyssa are just one month away from their due date with their daughter, Lexi Mae. The couple has not released any maternity photos with their daughter yet. 

It's hard to believe that next month we will be starting weekly pregnancy updates until Alyssa gives birth to baby Lexi.
We will be working on birth announcement IDEAS and posting them on our fan page so make sure that you vote on that.

We will also be starting our Baby watch when Alyssa turns 38 weeks pregnant.


We also have Lexi's first cover photo. 

Girls first Christmas

Yesterday was Brooklyn and Kaci's first Christmas and both Erin and Whitney took pictures of their girls. 

 Photo credit: Zach and Whitney Bates, Chad and Erin Paine

Merry Christmas

We want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! 

Christmas Eve

Today's the day where John and Alyssa will open their presents and celebrate with their daughter, Allie Jane. It's hard to believe that they will be welcoming their second daughter, Lexi Mae, into the world by the end of next month.

 

Baby Watch coming soon

John and Alyssa are currently 35 weeks pregnant with their daughter, Lexi Mae. Alyssa is due on January 27th but the baby could come at any time. We decided to start baby watch at the end of 38 weeks pregnant. 
 

Season five coming soon!

We are so excited to share that we only have two weeks until Bringing Up Bates is back for a brand new season.

We are so excited to see what the new season has in store.
 

All about Kaci: Six months old Photo

Yesterday, Kaci Lynn turned six months old so her mom and dad shared a new photo of their baby girl. 

All about Kaci: Six months old

Kaci Lynn is now 6 months old! She celebrated her first Thanksgiving. Zach and Whitney said that they love the bond that Kaci has with her brother, Bradley.

Tori turns 21

Happy 21st Birthday Tori!

Gil and Kelly celebrate 29 years

Happy anniversary to Gil and Kelly! 

It's hard to believe that they are just one year away from celebrating their 30th Wedding anniversary.

Kelly Jo celebrated her 50th birthday while Gil turned 51! 

This past year, they welcomed two granddaughters, Kaci Lynn and Brooklyn Elise, into the world. They also learned that Alyssa is expecting her second daughter in later next month.

John opens johnnyonthespotcleaning

We are so excited to share that John and Alyssa have opened a new business.
http://jonnyonthespotcleaning.com/#home

Check out their Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/jonnyonthespotcleaning/

January Birthday cover

Due to it being the holiday season, we decided to post our January birthday cover photo about a week before we normally would. 

We hope that you enjoy it.

 

Extra! Extra!

We are so excited to share one more video of the upcoming season of Bringing Up Bates that premieres on January 5th!

Zach and Whit: Anniversary Photos

Zach surprised Whitney on a special trip to celebrate their third year of marriage. Zach took his wife to Kissimmee, Florida. We have a ton of photos of their anniversary trip. 

 

34 weeks pregnant

In just two weeks, we will be starting our weekly blogs until the baby is born.  In Case that you have missed it, John and Alyssa announced their daughter's name on December 7th.

This week, the baby is 4 3/4 and is the size of a cantaloupe. The baby is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers are filling her out and making her round. Her skin is smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing. Her lungs are still maturing right now.

If Alyssa goes into pre-term labor, the baby will have no other health problems. She might need a short stay in neonatal nursery if she have short-term health issues.

We will see you again in two weeks!

Favorite blog series

What has been your favorite blog series that we have done this year?

* Pregnancy updates
* All about Grandbabies
* Birthday Covers
* Episode monthly previews
* Monthly previews
* Monthly recaps 
* Journey to parenthood

3 weeks to go!

The Network is gearing up for their 5th season of Bringing Up Bates. We are sure that you are waiting for the new episodes to air. 

The week before the new season, we will be posting our January episode preview for you all to see the first four episodes are all about. 

Now there are parts of this video that are still the same as our last super tease video but this one explains more about Brandon and Michaella's journey to starting a family. 

 
BUB Season 5 SuperTease CUT 3 Vimeo from UP Creative Services on Vimeo.

All about Carson: 19 months old

Carson is now 19 months old!
It's hard to believe that he just celebrated his second Thanksgiving with his family.

Zach & Whit celebrate three years!

Happy third wedding anniversary to Zach and Whitney Bates! 

 We can't believe that it's been three years since we announced their wedding on our blog. We also blogged their first and second wedding anniversary. 

This past year, Zach and Whitney announced their second pregnancy and welcome their daughter, Kaci Lynn, in June. They also celebrated their son's second birthday in October.

What do you think will happen during their third year of marriage?

Facts about John

On John's birthday, Gil and Kelly posted this special message about their son-in-law and here it is:  

To say that I've been overly blessed in the in-law department is an understatement!!! John's personality reminds me of a giant teddy bear! He's thoughtful, tender hearted, playful. Even so, he's no push over - he can beat anyone I know at any sport... and, of course, my boys would love to show off muscles that big! John's humble; he's even tempered. He's diligent and smart. He loves the Lord and loves people! He's just your all around good guy! Couldn't imagine not having you in our family, John! Thank you for loving us, being patient and forgiving, goofing around with us, and always taking time to fit us in the schedule!

New pictures of Bradley and Kaci Lynn!

Now that Bradley is two years old and Kaci Lynn about to turn seven months old, we love to share photos of their special bond.

 

Season 5 super Tease!

As we are waiting for the new season to start, we have a sneak peak into the season.

BUB Season 5 SuperTease CUT 2 VIMEO W MIX from UP Creative Services on Vimeo.

All about Allie: 20 months old

Allie Jane is now 20 months old. It's hard to believe by the end of next month, she will be a big sister to Lexi.

John and Alyssa recently shared that their daughter is being transition into a toddler bed and will be sharing a room with her sister.

Duggar family update

It has been about three months since our last Duggar family update and we are so excited to share a new update:

* Spurgeon turned one

* Ben and Jessa celebrated their second wedding anniversary

* Ben and Jessa announced that they are due on February 2nd which is almost a week after John and Alyssa.

* Josh and Anna celebrated their eight wedding anniversary

* Jeremy and Jinger got married

* Joy enter a courtship with Austin

If you want to see more updates on the Duggar family, go check out our blog on them by clicking here.

Season 5 press release!

This morning, The network revealed what the season will hold for the family. As many of us know that, John and Alyssa will reveal their pregnancy to the family during this season. Zach and Whitney are adjusting to life with two children. Chad and Erin are also adjusting to two children and a new puppy. Lawson works on his concert tour. Tori and Bobby grow in their relationship. Carlin and Josie head to college. Trace works on his dream of working at the Dixie Stampede. Gil and Kelly work on building their church. 



 

Favorite Birthday cover in 2016

We love all of our birthday covers that we have posted in 2016. We decided to share our favorite. Now we had a hard time figuring them out but we have picked two of them. 

It's between our October and December Birthday covers

Favorite November snapshots

We are excited to share our favorite November snapshots of the family.