Bates Family Blog - The Man Of My Dreams Asked Me To Marry Him!

Hi everyone!

I hope this blogs finds you all well! I was asked to be the family blogger tonight because in tonight’s extra special episode, Brandon asked me to marry him! Brandon and I are officially engaged and we couldn’t be more excited!

All along, I thought I was the one with the surprise by planning a visit to DC…. little did I know, a master plan had already been put into place. Isn’t that just like life? Isn’t that just like God?!

Brandon put so much time, thought and love into our engagement. It still overwhelms me! My favorite part was when he explained the significance of the ring’s design. He designed my engagement ring with each of our initials (representing me and him) and each initial has three blue diamonds in it totaling six gems. Six is an incomplete number and in order to make everything whole, we need a center diamond representing God because God is love.
When he asked tears of joy poured down my cheeks! This was the love of my life, my crush, my dream, my “too good to be true” beau — the boy I had prayed for! This was the man I wanted to spend forever with and he was asking me to be his wife! What an inexpressible, indescribable, unfathomable privilege! God has truly given me the desire of my heart!

As most of you know, the show airs a little bit behind real life so since our engagement, we’ve been planning our wedding and counting down the days until we say “I do” to forever together! Current clock is 36 days, 13 hours, eight minutes and five seconds!

On behalf of my family, thank you all so much for watching and for your continued support!

Love,

Michaella (The Future Mrs. Keilen)

Bates Family Blog – A Perfect Baby Shower

Before a pregnant girl reaches the point of “Dear God, just get this baby out of me,” one of the things she most looks forward to is her baby shower! In tonight’s episode of Bringing Up Bates, everyone got an inside look into mine!

Anyone who knows me knows that I love anything girly and even though I knew I was having a baby boy, I still wanted frills! Thanks to my Mom and my best friend Kelsey, that’s exactly what I got! The room was perfectly dressed with shabby chic mason jars filled with hydrangeas for centerpieces, bouquets of balloons and beautiful food I can only assume was in-part inspired by Pinterest! Side note: Where would a girl be without Pinterest?!

My mom and Kelsey did such a great job. I think when you grow up with sisters, it’s rare to find a best friend outside of the family but Kelsey and I met freshman year of college and have been best friends ever since! Her friendship is such a gift!

We all know that pregnancy sends emotions into overdrive and of course, I was no exception! It’s fair to say that I was extra sentimental and I think it’s because I knew we were celebrating this tender moment only because of God’s goodness and the prayers of so many. I was so overwhelmed by all the love that was shown to me through the gifts, words of encouragement, heart-felt cards and yes, even the chocolate! It’s amazing how quickly a pregnant girl goes from teary-eyed to totally excited as soon as she gets some chocolate! 

I hope you all have a happy 4th of July and pray that you’re all spending it with the ones you love. God bless America!

Love,

Erin

Erin's blog: Fearful Times Turn Into Overwhelming Joy

Hi everyone! It’s been entirely too long since my last blog post but things have been pretty busy round’ here!
For those of you who have followed our story, you know our journey to becoming parents has been filled with heartbreak. Having already been through three heartbreaking miscarriages, I can honestly say, I never knew suffering like I know it now.
In tonight’s show, I was in the last trimester of my pregnancy and Dr. Vick talked to Chad and I about the risk of stillbirth due to a genetic blood-clotting condition I have. Needless to say, hearing the word “stillbirth” sent a cold chill down my spine.
In times like these, you can’t help but feel fearful and helpless because everything is out of your control and you don’t know the answers to your questions and you don’t know how things are going to turnout. It was just all too much for us to handle! The only thing we knew to do was to pray and trust God that He might grant us the incredible honor of being parents to the miracle that was growing inside me.
After months of injections, lost appetite, complete nausea and a myriad of other insufferable symptoms… Charles Stephen IV was born on May 14. We finally met our baby boy and to know that he’s here and he’s healthy is everything. To say that we are in-love with Carson would be a complete understatement! We are wholeheartedly overjoyed!
God has taught us so much throughout this journey and through it, we were able to draw closer to Him and closer to each other. We may never know the answers to all of life’s questions but we can rest knowing that God does.
“We prayed for this child and the Lord has granted us what we asked of Him.” – 1 Samuel 1:27

Bates Family Blog - Family (Re)Union

Hi everyone! Welcome to another season of Bringing Up Bates! We’re so excited to be back and hope each show is an encouragement to you.
Life has certainly been busy for us Bates. Remember last season when Brandon came to visit us? Well.. in tonight’s episode, it was our turn! Gil, Michael and I traveled to Chicago to meet with Brandon’s parents.
While we always love getting together with Brandon’s parents, this particular visit was more exciting than normal because it was an opportunity for us to spend time together as couples before Brandon and Michael take the next step in their relationship which of course means engagement!
Having close family ties is important to both Brandon and Michael and we saw our visit as an opportunity to just laugh together and celebrate Brandon and Michael and their future together… And maybe poke a little innocent fun at them about their future secret plans. Obviously, there was a lot of family rooting for an engagement in the near future and we love sharing in the whole excitement of the moment!
It was wonderful to just spend some relaxed time with our future son-in-law and his parents and to talk about a wedding and relationships and love! We believe in making memories and this trip gave us lots of them!
I hope wherever you are today, you’re working on making loving memories of your own! What are your favorite ways to make memories with the ones you love?

June 2015

All about ...
* Carson: third week update (June 4th)
* Carson: Fourth week update (June 11th)
* Allie: Second month update (June 11th) 
* Carson: One month update (June 15th)
* Bradley: eight month update (June 29th)

Anniversary:
* Zach and Whitney's 1 1/2 year update (June 14th)

Father's day:
* Gil's father day
* Zach's first father day
* Chad's first father day
* John's first father day

Bringing up Bates:
* Family blog
* Preview
* recap

Countdown to wedding:
* Update #2
* Update #3

Alyssa's blog: A Bates style bash

Every Bates kid has special talents and strengths, and when you put them all together, they can throw one super party.  We were brought up knowing the importance of teamwork and just watching everyone come together to make my dad’s celebration come to life was really special.  They make it look easy because they have so much fun in the process. I used to get to be in charge of some of the party prep work that I see younger siblings doing now, and it’s really neat to see them growing up and enjoying those moments. I was so sad to miss out on this special celebration, because parties are a huge part of my family’s lives! This party was obviously extra special since it was celebrating my dad’s 50th birthday; I really hope you know how much I love you, dad! I still love calling you and talking over things with you, because you’ve always had such wise, comforting words that leave me feeling happy to say I’m you’re little girl! Thank you for being there for me through my growing years; I miss you!

Lawson's blog: Not enough time to make it rhyme

I really wanted to do something special for dad, so I thought about putting some of his old sayings and qualities into a song. It’s really hard to get words to fit into a song based on things he has said and done, especially on short notice! I loved the tune, but wasn’t real comfortable with the song, so I was gonna scrap the whole idea…but my siblings reminded me that the thought that was put into it would really touch dad’s heart! So, there you go…I pulled an all nighter! It definitely isn’t something I’d put on an album as undeveloped as it is because of the mad rush to get it done in time  lol, but it really made all of us stop and think about the things that make dad special. If I could pick who I’d hope to be like, It’d be you, Dad! And that’s the name and message of the whole song: “It’d Be You, Dad!”

Zach's blog: One big, happy family

Being able to share a letter with my dad was really important to me.  Now being a father myself, I repeatedly think of things my dad has taught me and things I want to teach Bradley.  I have quite a role model in my dad and I hope to be half the man he is as a father. Seeing how much dad has influenced and impacted other people’s lives from his childhood days was an inspiration to us. Dad has always taught us that investing in the lives of others is one of the greatest ways we can spend our time. So, it was extra special for us and all of his old friends to get to play a p

Kelly's blog: One busy year

From wedding bells, to babies, this has been quite a year.  Memories that we’ve made will last a lifetime and I’m so grateful for all of them. The kids did such an amazing job putting together the surprise party for Gil.  It made us both feel very special when we learned the sacrifices and hard work that went into the preparation and planning. It also made me proud that they pulled it off all by themselves, without me overseeing the project. It really was a gift from their heart to their Dad that he will never forget! There wasn’t a dry eye in the place, and it was so special to share that day with old friends that have meant so much to us throughout the years. I couldn’t think of a better way to end the season. We thank each of you for inviting our family into your homes each week through UP TV.

Family blog: You Asked and We Answered!

So much happens behind the scenes, that it was a treat to share some of the footage this week. We LOVE getting questions from viewers and to have the opportunity to answer some of them.

Kelly's blog: Bringing Up MORE Bates?!

It was a surprise to find that so many are be curious if we would like to have more children! I’m sure you can tell by now, but we would love to add to our family, if that is what God has planned for us. Each child has been a blessing and I believe the children share our excitement and love for children! It looks like that love is going to be spread to grandbabies, at present, and we are grateful God is growing our family in this way!

We so enjoyed answering questions as a family.  Although we don’t always agree on the answers, I think it’s safe to say that we had fun debating them.

And how about that baby game? I think the baby pictures brought so many memories and joy for us all, but I think we were all a little baffled trying to match names and faces!

Zach's blog: The Dating Game

My favorite moment from tonight’s episode was Michaella’s answer about getting engaged. She definitely has the right frame of mind to know that it doesn’t matter HOW you get engaged, just that it happens.  She and Brandon have a loving and blessed future ahead of them, and I couldn’t be happier for my sister.

Erin's blog: Questions!

When you grow up in a family as large and as adventurous as my own, people are naturally going to have questions, so this show focuses on some of the main questions that we are asked! It is hilarious to see how each child usually has a different answer, even though we grew up in the same home. =) This also reveals an up-close look at the different personalities in the family, and I have to say we were all surprised when Lawson said he likes to clean! ;)

Lawson's blog: Bates Debate

The toughest question we had to answer? I’d say it was “who is the most outgoing,” because ALL the Bates are outgoing in their own ways. Whether it’s Carlin and Tori with their enthusiasm, or Nate’s sense of humor….the answer is still being debated!

Lawson's blog: Bates Brothers Security

Well, Nathan and I have gotten the reputation of being the ones that make it hard on the guys! We have to keep up that reputation, ’cause we aren’t gonna let our sisters just be handed out to any old guy! He’s got to meet our approval, cause in our opinion, they deserve the best! So, yeah, I guess we do kind of put guys through the grill! Brandon passed, but we’re still trying to use our brotherly persuasion to talk him into moving to Tennessee! He didn’t seem to stressed by our high pressure routine, his laid back personality earned him some brownie points with all of us! We had a great time just hanging with the guys, although we might not lighten up on him too much, we can certainly say he’s acing with flying colors!

Erin's blog: Courting

This is such a sweet show, because for me it brings back so many memories from my own courting days. Brandon’s visit to Tennessee was a great opportunity for all of us to get to know him on a more personal level. He is full of jokes and surprises, and he already feels like part of the family. It is such a joy to watch my sister’s dreams come true. As we’ve watched their relationship blossom, we anticipate the day that Brandon will pop the question!

Zach's blog: Michaella Goes a Courtin’

I was so glad that Brandon was able to spend a few weeks with the family.  I know how important it is to establish strong relationships with family members and that takes time and involvement. It was a little easier for me and Whitney, because she lived close by and we were able to get together with family members often. On Brandon’s case, living far away doesn’t allow as many opportunities to bond, and often on visits the focus is naturally to spend time with Michael. So I think it was wise for my parents to an a trip just for the purpose of giving time for him to spend time with the rest of the family. Once he gets married, they are likely to move, so this time together will be treasured memories.

Kelly's blog: House Rules

We encourage our children to bring friends to our house, because we like to be involved in their lives. We think fellowship that happens in family settings gives young people a safe haven to get to know each other and to enjoy each other’s company. We especially enjoy spending time with someone that is involved in a courtship with one of our children, because it offers some bonding time with the rest of the family that will establish long lasting relationships once married.

We do set up some rules, as we shared in the show. One is that boys and girls are not allowed in a room together alone. This just establishes some wise boundaries, plus allows some space for a visitor who might not be used to 20 sets of eyeballs staring at them 24/7!

With Brandon, we wanted him to see all areas of our life from work to play to long talks and walks. We wanted him to have bonding time with each age group, because we want him to feel like family and to be treated like family. I think it was fun for all, in spite of some of the sibling’s self-appointed duty to act as security guards and inspection agents!! Wouldn’t have it any other way and can’t wait to welcome Brandon in as an official member of our family.

Family blog: Someone New

As I hope you could tell in tonight’s episode, our family is so very happy for Michaella and Brandon. When a courting partner comes to visit, we want to make sure they feel special and like they’re already part of our family. The best way we know how to ensure a successful visit is to set some clear parameters from the start. After all, when everyone knows what’s expected, things run smoother! The first rule (and perhaps the most obvious) is that the courting couple cannot be in a room alone together. Of course, in this household, good luck to anyone trying to be alone in our house! We do realize though how overwhelming this experience can be so we try to give them some personal space and some one on one time with smaller sized groups and with each other. It’s important to us to have bonding time, but it’s also important to us that the boyfriend/ girlfriend feels comfortable enough with us that they can share their thoughts, goals, concerns and opinions. Our goal is for them to feel like family because they probably will be soon!

Family blog: Making Traditions

Setting traditions is an important part of keeping any size family together, but it is especially important for a super-sized one! Whether it’s getting together for Sunday dinner, having a movie night, or hosting an arts and crafts gathering, family time is quality time.



The Bates strive to focus on family time – meals out, park adventures, playtime, nursing home ministry, family singing opportunities, and family Bible study. But with children flying the coop, they have to work even harder to plan activities that will unite them and keep them close at heart – getting the families together for supper, games, and Bible study are just a few new family traditions with the new married couples.  What kinds of traditions do you have in your family to encourage spending time together?