Visit the Bates at Church

Are you looking for a church near Knoxville, Tennessee? The Bates family attends Bible Baptist Church of East Tennessee, a congregation that meets in the Holiday Inn Express Conference Room at 111 Hillvale Road in Clinton. Service times are 10:00am, 11:00am, and 6:00pm on Sundays and 7:00pm on Wednesdays.

In addition to his job as owner and operator of Bates Tree Service, Gil Bates pastors at Bible Baptist.

Carlin Bates (then age 16) and Gil Bates in California, 2014

Photo courtesy of the Bates family

Bradley Bates Turns One!

Wishing Bradley Bates--the only child of Zach and Whitney Bates and the eldest grandchild of Gil and Kelly Bates--a happy 1st birthday!

Photos courtesy Taryn Yager Photography, UP, the Bates family

Gil: 'They All Push Each Other to the End'

Who do you think is the most competitive member of the Bates family? According to Kelly Bates, all the kids have a competitive spirit. "They get it from their dad," says the mom of 19 (video below).

Celebrating the Bates Matriarch

Gil and Kelly Jo Bates have been married for nearly 28 years and have 19 children and three grandchildren, as well as four miscarried babies waiting for them in heaven.

Wishing Kelly Jo a blessed 49th birthday! She is a godly inspiration to many people throughout the world.

Photos courtesy of the Bates family. Left: Gil and Kelly Jo Bates on a beach vacation in 2006; right: Gil and Kelly Jo Bates in 2014

Bates Updates

What is the Bates family up to? Let's take a look!

Alyssa and John Webster have had an exciting week down in Florida, with visits from Erin and Chad Paine and Gil and Kelly Bates.

 John Webster, Alyssa (Bates) Webster, Kelly Bates, Allie Webster, Gil Bates

 Erin (Bates) Paine and Chad Paine with niece Allie Webster and son Carson Paine

Meanwhile back in Tennessee, these two gals are still cuter than ever!

Addellee Bates (age 9) and Ellie Bates (age 8)

Photos courtesy of the Bates family

Bates Home Makeover

Last season on Bringing Up Bates, Gil and Kelly Bates accompanied Michael, who was not yet engaged, on a trip to Chicago to spend time with Brandon Keilen and his parents. While they were away, Chad and Erin Paine stayed at the house and enlisted the children to help with a special surprise for Mom and Dad.

When Gil and Kelly walked through the door of their bedroom after the trip, they were shocked to see what the kids had been up to: an extreme home makeover.

"...Just the thought that our kids would want to do something like that for us, it was really sweet," shared Kelly, after the initial shock of the surprise had passed. Check out this video:

Nana Paine's Ginger Snaps

We decided to bake a batch of ginger snaps, using a recipe from Erin (Bates) Paine's mother-in-law. They were delicious! 

Nana Paine's Ginger Snaps

Ingredients: 
2-1/4 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg

Directions:

• In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and cloves. 
• In a large mixing bowl, cream sugar, oil, molasses, and egg (beaten).  
• Form balls of dough, and place on cookie sheet. Press balls of dough down with fork.
• Bake at 350 for 7-9 minutes. (We recommend 7.)
• Optional: Combine 6-8 oz cream cheese with 8 oz canned pumpkin pie mix, and serve with cookies

Photo: Lily and Ellie/Bates Family Blog

'Bringing Up Bates' Theme Song

For those who regularly tune in to Bringing Up Bates, you might occasionally find yourself singing along to the catchy theme song. If you have never the show, you are probably wondering what the opener sounds like. It's called "Talkin' About Family," by the band Max & Simon.

The song is not currently available for purchase, but we have embedded a video below, so you can watch and listen to it as many times as your heart desires. (Warning: There is a good chance that it will get stuck in your head.) Season three of Bringing Up Bates premieres in January 2016.

Lots of Surprises Ahead!

Are you looking forward to the Bates' return to TV? New episodes of Bringing Up Bates are scheduled to premiere on UP in January 2016. On the season two finale, we watched the entire family vacation in Dollywood (see video below).

At that point, Carson and Allie were still newborns, Michaela and Brandon were not yet married, and there were no other Bates courtships in the works. The upcoming season of Bringing Up Bates is sure to be filled with lots of surprises and new footage. What are you most looking forward to seeing?

Bates #14 Turns 11

According to Gil and Kelly Bates, Isaiah Courage Bates "has a smile that will melt any heart" and is quick to dish out compliments to his sisters. Have a blessed birthday, Isaiah!

Isaiah Bates

Photo courtesy of UP

More of the Little Bates Fam

Three days ago, we posted a handful of snapshots from Zach and Whitney Bates' recent photo shoot with Taryn Yager. If you thought those were cute, then you're going to love these! Thanks for giving us permission to share your work, Taryn. Learn more about this gifted photographer on her website or Facebook page.

 Whitney Bates and Bradley Bates

Zach Bates, Whitney Bates, and Bradley Bates

 Zach Bates and Bradley Bates

 Bradley Bates

 Bradley Bates

 Zach Bates, Whitney Bates, and Bradley Bates

Bradley Bates

 Photos courtesy Taryn Yager Photography

Bates Ladies Love to Laugh

We just love this picture of these two lovely Bates gals. One is Tori, and the other is Carlin, but can you tell which is which? To give you a bigger challenge, how old are they? Now don't go peeking at our Birthdays chart! ;)

A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones (Proverbs 17:22).



Photo courtesy of the Bates family

Miracle Baby Carson Reaches 5 Months

In a family of 19 children, there is always a milestone to celebrate. Charles "Carson" Stephen Paine IV--son of Charles "Chad" Stephen Paine III and Erin (Bates) Paine--is five months old today.

Before becoming pregnant with Carson, Erin suffered multiple miscarriages due to a blood clotting disorder. Through medical intervention, she and Chad were blessed with a healthy baby boy on May 14th, 2015.

The Bible verse that the Paines printed on their birth announcements fits their story well:

"For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him." 

1 Samuel 1:27

Chad Paine and Carson Paine

Photos courtesy of the Bates family

Photos of the Little Bates Fam

Bradley Bates is fixin' to turn one year old in just over two weeks. Last Thursday, Zach and Whitney Bates hired the talented Taryn Yager to take pictures of their little family. Taryn graciously gave us permission to share the photos with all of you. Be sure to visit her website at TarynYagerPhotography.com, as well as her Facebook page.

Zach and Whitney are also gearing up to celebrate their second wedding anniversary on December 14th.  

Zach Bates, Whitney Bates, and Bradley Bates

 Bradley Bates, 11 months old

 Bradley Bates

 Bradley Bates

 Zach Bates and Bradley Bates

Photos courtesy Taryn Yager Photography

Allie Jane Reaches 6-Month Milestone

This little munchkin has an announcement to make. She is six months old! Allie Jane Webster was born on her due date--April 11th, 2015--to John Webster and Alyssa (Bates) Webster.

Alyssa delivered at a birthing center. Her labor was so quick that grandparents Gil and Kelly Bates, who left their home in Tennessee as soon as they found out Allie was on her way, barely had time to make it to the local airport before receiving a picture of their newest grandchild.

Allie Jane Webster

Photo courtesy of the Bates family

Bates 'Speak Up'

October is National Bullying Prevention Month. In the following video, the Bates family encourages children to speak up about bullying.

Throwback Thursday: Bates in 2011

In January 2011, Ryan Owens from ABC News interviewed Gil and Kelly Bates and their then-18 children at their home near Knoxville, Tennessee. The family gave Owens a tour of the house and a run-down of their daily routine. 

At that time, the Bates family told ABC that they had no interest in being the stars of a reality TV show. They also shared that they hoped to end up with a total of 10 boys and 10 girls. Now, nearly five years later, Gil and Kelly have 9 sons, 10 daughters, three sons-in-law, one daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren. 

Bates Return to TV in 3 Months

New episodes of Bringing Up Bates return to UP in January 2016. The network has yet to announce the exact date, but we will keep you posted. Check out this promo video, and see if you can pick out the Bates family members who appear throughout.

Bates #11 Turns 15

Wishing Katie Grace Bates a blessed 15th birthday! 

Our readers have asked why Katie doesn't seem to appear on the show as much as some of her siblings. This gal prefers to serve behind the scenes and has been known to give up her turn to go on special outings in order to help Kelly with the younger kids. Katie's name means "pure grace."

Katie Bates

Photo courtesy of UP/the Bates family

Win Erin (Bates) Paine's Gospel CD

Erin (Bates) Paine, a talented pianist, has released two CDs of melodic worship music. "Merciful and Mighty," Erin's first CD, features 12 piano solos and one violin and piano duet. For her second CD, "Down Home Gospel," Erin brought in Andy Leftwich to create an upbeat, southern vibe (more info in the YouTube video below).

The Paines graciously sent us four "Down Home Gospel" CDs to give away to our readers. Follow the directions on the Rafflecopter widget below to enter to win.

To purchase physical copies or downloads of Erin's CDs, visit the Bates Family Store.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Alyssa and Allie

October has begun, which means Allie Jane is fixin' to turn six months old. Take a look at this adorable snapshot of Alyssa and Allie:

Alyssa (Bates) Webster with daughter Allie Jane Webster

Photo courtesy of the Bates family