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Thursday, June 29, 2017

'He Said, She Shed' Recap

Bringing Up Bates "He Said, She Shed"

  • During family Bible time, Gil announces that he is going to need help with the dreaded task of cleaning out the shed. “Nasty and trash and metal junk and dirty stuff,” is Judson’s [very accurate] description of the shed.
  • “Dad’s pretty good about go with the flow, unless it comes to where he has to get rid of some of his stuff,” says Carlin.
  • “I can see value in things that nobody else can see,” responds Gil.
  • Trace, who is currently putting the Dixie Stampede on hold and attending college, announces that he plans to try out for the Crown basketball team, and his family is thrilled.
  • Partway through the shed project, Nathan finds the wire from the zip line the Bates had at their old house, and he starts to put it up for the little kids, but Gil puts that project on hold until the shed is finished.
  • When Kelly calls Carlin over to help sweep, the boys take the opportunity to scare her with a huge, remote-controlled spider. She decides to spend her day painting lines on the basketball court so Trace can practice.
  • “Can you believe the Bates are getting two things done at once?!” exclaims Trace.
  • By the end of the day, the shed looks great, and Kelly is thrilled. “I have to admit,” she tells Gil. “Stepping back and looking at the finished project—don’t take this the wrong way—but I did not know you had it in you.”
  • After the court is painted, Trace brings some of the basketball team members over to play a game. Lawson joins in.
  • “Listen, me and Lawson get along in every aspect, except sports,” says Trace. “The problem is, he wants to be the star, and I just want the ball any time.”
  • “I think going to Crown has really helped me get out of my box a lot,” says Trace. “Man, over there now, I ain’t that shy no more.” “We can’t get him to shut up,” says Nathan, smiling.

Tonight: 'He Said, She Shed'

How many of you shudder whenever the Bates give viewers a look at their shed? If you do, you and Kelly Bates have something in common. But tonight, the moment the Bates mama has been waiting for has finally arrived. Watch the family pull together to transform the shed from a trash heap to usable storage space.

Trace Bates also announces that he plans to try out for the the Crown basketball team. Loving sister Carlin Bates helps him put lines on the family's new court so he can practice.











Photos/video courtesy of UP

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Little Bates Fam in SC

Zach and Whitney Bates are enjoying some time away with their kiddos this week. They made the trek down to Charleston (only a six-hour drive) to tour the city and swim in the Atlantic ocean. Have you ever visited that area of the country?

 Whitney Bates, Bradley Bates, Zach Bates, Kaci Lynn Bates

 Whitney Bates and Kaci Bates

Zach and Whitney Bates

Photos courtesy of Zach and Whitney Bates

Cleaning the Shed...But First, a Zip Line


"A typical Bates project, we're not quite done with one, we start another."
-Jackson Bates

Kelly Bates is getting her longtime wish. Gil Bates and the Bates boys are finally going to clean out the shed! Although some of the workers get a bit distracted at times, the Bates mama is still thrilled that they are making an effort.

One of the distractions results in a zip line for the little kids, which gives the children something fun to do together, so Kelly really can't be upset about that, can she? Do any of you have a zip line? They're quite fun!



Photo/videos courtesy of UP

Monday, June 26, 2017

Michaela Shares Infertility Struggles


Last season on Bringing Up Bates, Michael (Bates) Keilen and Brandon Keilen opened up about their struggles with infertility. Just yesterday, Michael shared that her inability to conceive has taken a toll. The Keilens will celebrate their two-year anniversary in August.

Michael has been smitten with Brandon from day one, telling him when he proposed that she had wanted to marry him from the moment they first met. The couple is very happy together as young marrieds, and they are beyond grateful to God for bringing them together, but Michael admits that she still has a deep desire to be a mother.

The oldest daughter of Gil and Kelly Bates, Michael has possessed a love for children from a young age.

“Everyone in the family has always predicted and said Michael is going to be the one that has a really, super large family," Kelly tells viewers during the recent "Doggy Dilemmas" episode. "She loves children. She rejoices when another person is pregnant as much as we do, but at the same time…there’s got to be that feeling of, ‘I wish I could be pregnant and join them.’”

After marrying Brandon in August 2015 and graduating from Roane State Community College the following spring, Michael began to wonder why she hadn't yet gotten pregnant. She had tests done, and the doctors told her not to give the subject any more thought until she had been married a year.

Following the Keilens' one-year anniversary, they visited a specialist, who ran further tests but was still unable to find a solution.

"Night after night, I cried myself to sleep and felt like all my dreams and desires were shattered," Michael writes on her website. "Each night, Brandon held me close and let me cry until I had no more tears. He prayed with me and assured me that God had a plan and knew what He was doing. Yet, I had become so focused on the one thing I didn’t have that I was doubting God and His goodness."

On one particular night, when Michael's heartache was very great, Brandon shared words of encouragement that spoke to the deepest parts of her heart.

"Brandon encouraged me to be honest with God and ask for His grace to trust again," Michael writes. "As I began asking God to help me see Him again and to give me grace to trust, He started changing my heart. As I searched for verses and meditated on who God is, my perspective changed. Not only has God shown me His hand of provision on the medical side of this walk (finding doctors, searching for answers, providing finances), He also has allowed me to see how this time has knit our hearts together as a couple. Even greater still, God has allowed me to see a glimpse of Him. The fellowship I’ve had with my Heavenly Father is unlike anything I dreamed possible. He truly has become my everything, and I’m learning that no matter what situation or circumstance life throws at me, Jesus Christ is the only one that can fully satisfy."

Michael admits that she still struggles and that her tears flow often, but in the midst of the pain, she has a peace that surpasses all understanding, knowing that God can be trusted no matter what.


Photo courtesy brandonandmichaela.com

Saturday, June 24, 2017

Sibling Revelry Photos

What did you think of Thursday's episode? Zach and Whitney Bates go on a double date with Erin and Chad Paine to a cooking school to learn how to make two delicious dishes.


They prepare bruschetta with basil and mozzarella, as well as chicken piccata, and they all end up loving both dishes.





Back at the Bates house, Gil Bates teaches some of the "middle kids" basic car mechanics.





And when the girls attend a self-defense class with a jiu-jitsu instructor, their competitive streaks come out. 


Erin Paine expresses her desire to take someone down...


...While Carlin Bates puts a hole in the wall.


Photos courtesy of UP

Friday, June 23, 2017

The Competitive Bates Women


While they appear sweet and gentle most of the time, the Bates women all have a competitive side, especially Erin Bates Paine and Tori Bates. During their jiu-jitsu class, Erin admits that all she wants to do is take people down. And Tori ends up punching the instructor in the face! Here's a deleted scene from last night's episode that you'll enjoy.



Photo/video courtesy of UP

Lawson Down on One Knee


During charades with his family, Lawson Bates gets down on one knee. He may just be joking around this time, but perhaps someday in the not-so-distant future he will be glad he practiced the maneuver!



Photo/video courtesy of UP

'Sibling Revelry' Recap


Bringing Up Bates "Sibling Revelry"
  • Gil decides to teach the new drivers some basic car mechanics. “Bates cars break down a lot,” says Nathan.
  • “I’m pretty sure with everything, my mom and dad teach the first few kids, and then they feel like they’ve taught all of us, but they forget that they have 19,” says Tori.
  • “It was great for all of us to learn some of the things that Dad told us, but really in all reality, we’re going to call Dad if our car breaks down because that’s what he’s there for,” says Carlin, laughing.
  • Later, Erin, Whitney, Tori, Carlin, Josie, and Katie visit the jiu-jitsu instructor to learn self-defense, but they are caught off-guard when he has them warm up with jogging and pushups.
  • They jog across the room, and both Carlin and Whitney fall into the wall at the end. Carlin makes two holes with her knees, on either side of a stud.  
  • “Here we are with this little group of homeschool girls,” laughs Erin. “I mean, it hadn’t been five minutes, and we had already put a hole in the wall.”
  • After the instructor makes sure everyone is okay, he teaches the girls how to block a punch, take someone down, and choke them until they pas out.
  • On another day that week, Zach, Whitney, Erin, and Chad meet at The Cutting Edge Classroom for a cooking class. When the instructor announces that they will be making bruschetta with basil and mozzarella, as well as chicken piccata, Zach jokes that he should have taken an Italian language class before coming. They end up loving the meal. 
  • “It’s always good to remember that no matter the amount of time that’s been by, no matter the hard things that you’ve been through, the good things that you’ve been through, you can always, always enjoy good food,” says Zach, sentimentally.

Thursday, June 22, 2017

Bates Around the World: Erin and Whitney


"To me it looks like a dead frog, and if it tastes like that, I'm going to throw up."
-Erin Bates Paine

Are you enjoying the new Bates Around the World video series? In this clip, sisters-in-law Erin Paine and Whitney Bates try candies from Mexico, Finland, the United Kingdom, and China...and their reactions are priceless. Have you had any of the treats that they are sampling?



Be sure to check out our other blogs (NashvilleWife.com and DuggarFamilyBlog.com).

Photo/video courtesy of UP

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Culinary Double Date


"Ever since I got married, I really fell in love with cooking. ...It's relaxing"
-Erin Paine

"I learned to cook because I love food."
-Zach Bates

Siblings Zach Bates and Erin (Bates) Paine both enjoy being creative in the kitchen, although their reasons are quite different. Eager for an excuse to go out on a double date, they convince their spouses to take a culinary class at The Cutting Edge Classroom in nearby Knoxville, Tennessee. Check out this promo video for tomorrow's new episode.


Photo/video courtesy of UP

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Bates Learn the Basics


It's a week of learning for the Bates clan. Judson Bates and Jeb Bates have had their fun, and now its the girls' turn to practice self-defense moves with the jiu-jitsu instructor. Later, Gil Bates decides that his younger drives need to know basic vehicle mechanics, since the Bates own a lot of "mature cars," as Nathan puts it. And during a double date, Erin Paine and Zach Bates impress their love of meal preparation on Whitney Bates and Chad Paine during a cooking class. Check out the promo videos below.



Photo/videos courtesy of UP

Grand-Bates #4 Turns 1

Happy 1st birthday, Kaci Lynn Bates! Click here to see a slideshow of photos from her birth.


Photo courtesy of UP

Monday, June 19, 2017

Bates Father's Day Photos

There are a lot of dads in the Bates family! Let's take a moment to honor each one. There's Gil, faithful husband to Kelly and father of 19.

 Gil Bates and Lawson Bates

Then there's Papa Bill, husband to Mama Jane and father of Gil, Greg, and Jennifer. 

Papa Bill and Mama Jane Bates

Kelly's father, Ken Callaham, passed away 14 years ago but still holds a special place in Kelly Bates' heart. 

 Kelly Jo Callaham and father Ken

 Kelly Jo Callaham and father Ken

Chad Paine is the devoted husband to Erin (Bates) Paine and father of Carson Paine and Brooklyn Paine.

 Chad, Carson, and Brooklyn

Zach Bates is the oldest Bates child and now has a wife, Whitney, and two children of his own.

 Zach Bates, Bradley Bates, and Kaci Lynn Bates

Down in Florida, John Webster is fearlessly leading his three girls, wife Alyssa (Bates) Webster and daughters Allie Jane Webster and Lexi Mae Webster.

The Websters with Papa Bill and Mama Jane

And even though he's not a Bates, here is a photo of Whitney's own father.

Bradley Bates and his maternal grandfather

Photos courtesy of Gil and Kelly Bates, Zach and Whitney Bates, lawsonbates.com, chadanderin.com, Alyssa and John Webster, UP

Friday, June 16, 2017

Tori and Bobby on Engagement Rings


"I am ecstatic that Bobby even thought of the idea of moving out here..."
-Kelly Bates

Tori Bates and boyfriend Bobby Smith say they are planning to wait until after Tori graduates next year to tie the knot, but some of the Bates predict that their plans will chance. In this deleted scene from yesterday's episode, the courting couple goes on a double date with Gil and Kelly...and the conversation turns to engagement rings!


Photo/video courtesy of UP

Thursday, June 15, 2017

'Bobby's Movin' In' Recap

Bringing Up Bates "Bobby's Movin' In"

  • Tori and Josie return from spending their spring break in Florida with Bobby, and Bobby comes back with them to start looking for a job in Tennessee. Gil and Kelly are eager to help, but they might have ulterior motives.
  • “My parents…if they sense the tiniest opportunity that they can keep their daughter here and add you, they go in full-on salesman mode, and they can make this area sound a lot like heaven, maybe even a little bit better,” says Zach.
  • Later, Kelly and Katie take Judson and Jeb to a Brazilian jiu-jitsu class so they can learn how to rough-house safely.
  • “Me and Jeb were a little nervous about fighting,” says Judson. “I wasn’t,” retorts Jeb. “You don’t know what nervous means,” Judson responds. 
  • Meanwhile, Gil takes Bobby to the new church building, which is still under construction. “Planting a church a few years ago was an endeavor we never anticipated,” says Gil. He offers Bobby, who will graduate in two months with a ministry degree, a position helping at the church.
  • Gil also sits Bobby down and asks what his plans are for his relationship with Tori. They both agree that an engagement conversation will happen soon. “I just cleaned my shotgun real nice,” Gil jokes.
  • That evening, Gil and Kelly take Tori and Bobby out on a double date. “I can picture them being a happily married couple one day,” says Kelly. “It’s hard for Daddy to picture only because he doesn’t want to do the parting thing.”
  • “His dad jokes make him unintimidating because he’s just…corny,” Tori says of her father. 
  • Bobby shares that some folks at the fire department have offered up their camper as an apartment for him. Kelly jumps on that opportunity and lines up a meeting.
  • The camper is beautiful, and everyone, especially Tori, is thrilled that it’s looking like Bobby is going to be moving to Tennessee.    

Tonight: Bobby's Movin' In


Just finished previewing tonight's show, and it's a good one! This week's all-new episode of Bringing Up Bates premieres in less than three hours. Scroll down for showtimes, snapshots, and a promo video, and be sure to come back to the blog later this evening for our recap.

Thursday, June 15, 2017 
8pm ET/7pm CT: Blessings...And New Beginnings?
8:30pm ET/7:30pm CT: Road Trip Romance
9pm ET/8pm CT: Bobby's Movin' In (NEW)
Bobby and Tori are making plans for the future! After he graduates from college, Bobby is hoping to move from Florida to Tennessee to be closer to Tori. Before he makes a final decision, he heads to Knoxville to interview for jobs and look for a place to live. And in an effort to add a little structure to Jud and Jeb's roughhousing, Kelly Jo takes the boys to a martial arts class. Later, Bobby and Tori discuss their future timeline with Gil and Kelly Jo over dinner. Is an engagement on the horizon?
 9:30pm ET/8:30pm CT: Doctor's Orders
10pm ET/9pm CT: Brandon Pops the Question
10:30pm ET/9:30pm CT: Shakeups, Steaks, and Showtime

Gil shows Bobby the new church (The Bates are still remodeling and have not yet moved in)

Gil and Kelly Bates

Tori Bates and Bobby Smith

Kelly Bates and Katie Bates take Judson Bates and Jeb Bates 
to a Brazilian jiu-jitsu class



Tori and Bobby


Photo courtesy of UP

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Jud and Jeb Take Self-Defense


In the sneak peek video below, Judson Bates, 6, and Jeb Bates, 5, visit a local martial arts studio to learn Brazilian jiu-jitsu. As you can imagine, they are ecstatic, and Kelly wishes she had enrolled all her kids in self-defense classes.


Photo/video courtesy of UP

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Kaci Lynn's 1-Year Photo Shoot

Another Bates grandchild is approaching her one-year milestone, which means it's time for a photo shoot and cake smash! Zach and Whitney Bates took Kaci Lynn Bates to Taryn Yager's at-home studio and had some beautiful pictures made. Kaci turns one next Tuesday. 










Photos courtesy of tarynyagerphotography.com