Bradley Bates Turns 11 Months Old

Bradley Gilvin Bates, the firstborn child of Zach and Whitney Bates and the first grandchild of Gil and Kelly Bates, turns 11 months old today.

On last year's Thanksgiving episode, when Bradley was just one month old, the Bates family was discussing how different life could be the following year. "There might be a couple more wives, or girlfriends," suggested Nathan. But Lawson quickly confirmed that he would not be getting married before Thanksgiving 2015.

"Bradley might have a girl in his life...a sister," Zach commented. Becoming pregnant so soon after her son's birth was clearly not on Whitney's radar. "Zach, be serious!" the new mom responded playfully.

Bradley bangs on the piano keys at Whitney's parents' house

Photo courtesy of the Bates family

'Bringing Up Bates' Reruns

 The Bates family attends a University of Tennessee men's basketball game

New episodes of Bringing Up Bates are scheduled to return to UP in January. (Click here for details.) Until then, the first season of the show is available on gMovies.

UP has scheduled a marathon of Bringing Up Bates reruns, to begin at 7pm ET on Sunday, October 11th. Keep checking our Showtimes page for updated listings.

Sunday, October 11th
7pm: All Together Again
8pm: High Risk, High Hopes
8:30pm: Blessings...And New Beginnings?
9pm: Brandon Pops the Question
10pm: Doctor's Orders
10:30pm: The Wedding To-Do List
11pm: Erin's Little Miracle

Monday, October 12th
12am: Hello Dollywood!


Photo courtesy of UP

'It Really Does Make a Difference'

In the following video clip, Tori Bates, 19, shares how touched she was to receive a letter from a young girl who prays for her daily and is uplifted by the family's television show. "It's so worth knowing that people are encouraged and challenged to look to God for their strength," says Carlin Bates, age 17.

Video courtesy of UP

A Future in Furniture?

Chad Paine currently works eight hours a day at a local metal recycling company to support Erin and their four-month-old son, Carson. On the side, Chad enjoys building and refinishing furniture, and he hopes to turn his hobby into a full-time job someday.

If the Lord leads Chad and Erin to open a furniture shop, what do you think they should name it?

 A dresser that Chad restored for Carson's bedroom

Ladder shelf made by Chad to organize small items in Carson's room

Photos courtesy of the Bates family

Bradley Loves Cake

Yesterday, Whitney Bates turned 22, and it was her first time celebrating a birthday as a mom. We just love this picture of Bradly enjoying a bite of cake. Can you believe that Gil and Kelly Bates' oldest grandchild is fixing to turn one year old next month? 

Bradley Bates

Photo courtesy of the Bates family

Bates Daughter-In-Law Turns 22

Wishing Whitney Bates a blessed 22nd birthday!

 Zach Bates and Whitney Perkins on the day of their engagement
September 12, 2013

Carlin Bates, Whitney Bates, and Josie Bates

Photo courtesy of the Bates family

'Bringing Up Bates' Season 3?

How many of you are eager for new episodes of Bringing Up Bates to return to UP TV? Come on now, don't be shy! We know how much you enjoy catching up with Gil and Kelly Bates and their 19 children every Thursday evening.

Season one of Bringing Up Bates, which includes thirteen episodes, premiered on New Year's Day 2015 and ran through March. Season two, which consists of fourteen episodes, picked up on June 4th and ended on September 3rd.

When does season three begin? The show will return in January, although the network has not yet nailed down a date.


Photo courtesy of UP

Throwback Video: You've Got Homeschooling

Back in 2012--when Jeb Bates was just an infant and the Bates family was still staring in United Bates of America on TLC--Gil and Kelly and their 19 children were interview by AOL. The topic was homeschooling (video below).

Spreading Joy Through Music

Lawson Bates, 23, recently visited East Tennessee Children's Hospital in Knoxville to spread joy to young patients through music. In the following video, Lawson sings "Rocky Top" and "Amazing Grace" with a couple youngsters. Do you recognize the guy on the right who accompanied Lawson on his visit to the hospital? (Hint: His initials are JD.)

"Rocky Top"


"Amazing Grace"



Videos courtesy of the Bates family

2 Bates Birthdays

With the addition of granddaughter Allie Jane Webster and son-in-law Brandon Keilen, the Bates clan now has four "double birthdays," and today is one of them.

Wishing Brandon Keilen a blessed 26th birthday and Judson Bates a blessed 5th birthday!

 Michaela (Bates) Keilen and Brandon Keilen

Judson Bates

Photos courtesy of UP, Bates Family Blog

More Pics of Carson

Erin and Chad Paine shared these photos of baby Carson in honor of his four month-milestone. They also revealed that they have a special announcement to make soon, so stay tuned.

Photos courtesy of the Paine family

Carson Turns 4 Months Old

Carson Paine turns four months old today. Did you know that his full name is Charles Stephen Paine IV? Chad, who is Charles Stephen Paine III, and Erin chose Carson as a nickname for their son before he was born. Which of his parents do you think Carson most resembles?

Carson Paine

Courtesy of the Bates family

Throwback Video...Singing Bates

Enjoy this throwback video of the Bates family performing "The Lord Has Blessed Me In So Many Ways" more than four years ago. The kids sure have changed since then, and the family has grown in leaps and bounds.

Allie Jane is 5 Months Old

This little girl turns five months old today! Allie Jane Webster is the second of three grandchildren of Gil and Kelly Bates and the couple's only granddaughter.

 Alyssa (Bates) Webster and Allie Jane Webster, September 2015

John Webster and Allie Jane Webster, August 2015

Alyssa (Bates) Webster and newborn Allie Jane Webster, April 2015

Photos courtesy of UP/the Bates family

Watch 'Bringing Up Bates' Online

UP TV has created a way for fans to watch previously aired episodes of Bringing Up Bates online. gMovies.com, a family-centered and faith-friendly alternative to Netflix, features more than 300 uplifting films, television series, and documentaries, including the entire first season of Bringing Up Bates.

This service costs $4.99 per month--the price of renting one or two movies on other websites--and allows subscribers to stream videos on their computer or mobile device. gMovies is also available to DISH customers. (Call DISH at 800-333-3474 for more information.)

Have you heard of gMovies? Would you consider signing up?


Photo courtesy of UP

Zach Bates Celebrates Graduation

Back in July, we announced that Zach Bates had been given the opportunity to attend a police academy. Last Friday, Zach, who turns 27 in December, completed the program and celebrated his graduation with the rest of the Bates family. Police academy programs vary in length, but most are between three and six months.

Whitney Bates, Zach Bates, and Bradley Bates

Photo courtesy of the Bates family

Season Finale Snapshots

Check out these snapshots from the Bates' trip to Dollywood.

During their vacation, the super-sized family enjoyed dinner and a show at the Dixie Stampede.

Several of the family members were given the privilege of participating in the show.

Ellie Bates joins a trick rider on the turf

The Bates also enjoyed the rides at the Dollywood theme park.

FireChaser Express

 Tori Bates, Bradley Bates, Whitney Bates, Alyssa Bates Webster, 

Carlin Bates, Josie Bates, and John Webster

 Gil Bates

 Kelly Bates, Judson Bates, and Gil Bates ride the Ferris wheel

Addellee Bates, Katie Bates, Tori Bates, Bradley Bates, and Whitney Bates

The highlight of the trip was performing at the park's bluegrass festival.

Lawson was the featured musician, but the rest of the family joined in.

Erin Bates Paine, Carlin Bates, Tori Bates, and Lawson Bates

Visiting Dollywood sure is hard work!

Jeb Bates

Photos courtesy of UP

Bates Get Royal Treatment

On the season two finale of Bringing Up Bates, which aired this week, the entire Bates clan headed to Dollywood to perform during the park's bluegrass festival and enjoy a family vacation.

When Lawson booked the gig, he was told that his family would be staying in a "cabin up in the mountains," but the accommodations turned out to be much more extravagant than the Bates family had imagined.

“It was not a cabin up in the mountains, it was a palace up in the mountains,” Lawson commented on the show.

The "cabin" that the family stayed in is appropriately named “It’s Got It All." It is four stories tall, sleeps up to 26 people, and even has a movie theater with surround sound. Take a look at the list of amenities, and decide for yourself if this cabin does in fact have it all. (Nathan initially thought the cabin didn't have a fireplace, but it actually has three.)

6 Bedrooms
3 Dining room tables
Mountain view
Washer/dryer
Elevator
      *According to Kelly, the Bates broke the elevator, but Gil prefers to say that "it just quit working while we were there."
Wraparound porch on all four levels
Deck rockers and swing
6 TVs
48-inch video arcade
Air hockey table
Pool table
Foosball Table
Board games

If you're planning to bring a big group to Dollywood or Gatlinburg, you can book "It's Got It All" for upwards of $799 per night. 

Photos courtesy of UP/Dollywood

The Bates Couples Get Personal

What does the future hold for the married Bates couples and their families?

Bradley Bates turns one on October 29th, but Zach and Whitney Bates are having a difficult time accepting that. Meanwhile, Erin and Chad Paine both agree that they need to recuperate before they can handle another child.

Whitney (very serious): "I might cry when I say it, but Bradley's going to be turning one...soon."
Zach (refusing to believe it): "That's a long ways away. It's not in the near future."
Whitney (still very serious): "We'd rather not discuss that yet. That's quite sad."
Zach (smiling at his wife): "I'm Daddy in denial over here."

 
Erin (smiling): "Every time I see Carson, I'm like, 'He needs a brother.'"
Chad (jokingly, while cuddling his son): "You know you've gotta picture him in a little room, all by himself, sitting there with blocks and just looking at the blocks."
Erin (playfully): "Oh honey, stop."
Chad (laughing): Nobody to fight with, nobody to steal his blocks. You know, he's gotta have somebody.
Erin (very serious): "He's so cute, but, before we have any other baby, we've gotta sleep, just a little bit. We've gotta learn how to be parents. It's a little harder than I thought."

Recap: "Hello Dollywood!" (Season Finale)

Tonight on the Bringing Up Bates season two finale, "Hello Dollywood"...

• Lawson and the rest of the Bates family are invited to perform at Dollywood's bluegrass festival.
• Brandon flies in from Chicago, and Alyssa and John fly in from Florida for this unique opportunity…and a short vacation. Chad’s mom, Tammy, and two of his siblings, Abby and Johnny, also come along.
• “I’m just hoping that the family takes it as serious as I do,” says Lawson. “And in normal Bates style, we practiced about twice.”
• By the time the family gets on the road and completes the hour drive to Pigeon Forge, Nathan is already there with Alyssa and John, and everyone is eager to hold Allie Jane.
• “We’ve got grandbabies at every stage,” says Gil. “It’s like the good old days again.”
• The clan is shocked when they see their accommodations: a beautiful, four-story, Bates-sized “cabin.”
• “It was not a cabin up in the mountains, it was a palace up in the mountains,” says Lawson. The cabin, called “It’s Got It All,” definitely lives up to it’s name…and then some.   
• Kelly calls a family meeting to lay down some ground rules. The mom of 19 is very cautious when it comes to heights, but she comes by it honestly. When Isaiah was a toddler, he was leaning against a railing, which gave way and sent him falling several stories. “It was a very traumatic, scary event,” shares Nathan.  
• The kids especially enjoy the elevator, which, according to Kelly, the family broke after just a few hours. “We didn’t break it,” corrects Gil. “It just quit working while we were there.”
• On the first night, the Bates watch the Dixie Stampede, which is one of the family’s favorite live shows. After it’s over, the clan heads backstage to meet a trick rider, who promises to come out to the house and teach Trace a few skills.
• The following day, the Bates head to the Dollywood theme park. During their first ride, the FireChaser Express, poor Callie completely freaks out and even tries to climb out of her seat while it’s moving.   
• Kelly, who is afraid of heights, has not been on a rollercoaster in years, but Gil convinces her to join him on the Wild Eagle. Her reaction is similar to Callie’s, although she doesn’t try to escape while the ride is in motion.
• When it comes time for the performance and Lawson sees the size of the crowd, he organizes a last minute practice. A rainstorm passes through just before the Bates are scheduled to go on stage, but the crowd returns, and the show turns out well. 
• To introduce Lawson's Pork Rinds song, Carlin says: "My brother Lawson is going to sing a song for you called Pork Rinds, and this is kind of why he doesn't have a girl. So, let's hear it Lawson!"
• “That had to have been probably one of the [most fun] trips that we’ve ever taken,” says Kelly.

'Bringing Up Bates' Season Finale

It's time for the season two finale and 27th episode of Bringing Up Bates (see preview below).  The family is headed to Dollywood! Tune in to UP tonight at 9pm ET/8pm CT for an hour-long episode.

7pm ET: A Birthday to Remember
8pm ET: Nashville Son
8:30pm ET: Organized Chaos
9pm ET: Hello Dollywood! (Season Finale)
Lawson gets the opportunity of a lifetime as he performs at the world famous Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. While he does his sound check on stage, the rest of the family enjoys the theme park while keeping an eye out for Dolly!
10pm ET: Hello Dollywood! (Season Finale)
10:30pm ET: The Quest for the Dress

Photo courtesy of UP

Parenting Advice for the Bates Couples?

Now that four of Gil and Kelly Bates' 19 children are married and three have children of their own, it's time to discuss parenting.

Do you have any parenting advice to share with Zach & Whitney Bates, Michaela & Brandon Keilen, Erin & Chad Paine, Alyssa & John Webster, and other young couples who either have children or are hoping to start a family soon?

 Zach, Whitney, and Bradley Bates

 Erin, Chad, and Carson Paine

 Alyssa, John, and Allie Jane Webster

Michaela and Brandon Keilen

Photos courtesy of the Bates family