Layla Turns 1

Happy 1st birthday to Layla Rae Stewart, the 13th Bates grandchild!

 

Carlin Stewart and Layla Stewart

 

Photo courtesy of Taryn Yager Photography (tarynyagerphotography.com)/@carlinbates98

Gender Reveal: It's a Tie!

Zach and Whitney Bates just announced the gender of their 4th baby, due in June. We'll give you a hint: Their little family of six is now tied up, and Bradley is thrilled. That's right, it's a boy! His name will be Jayden Carl Bates. Visit the UPtv website to see Zach and Whitney's gender announcement photo. 

Of the three Bates grandchildren due in June, we still have yet to hear a gender announcement from Josie and Kelton Balka. Tori and Bobby Smith revealed their pregnancy and the baby's gender and name all at once last week. 

For fun, here is the photo that Zach and Whitney had taken when Bradley and Kaci came to visit Khloe at the hospital in November 2019. Khloe and her little brother will be just one year and seven months apart.

 

Whitney Bates, Zach Bates, Kaci Bates, Khloe Bates, Bradley Bates

Photo courtesy of UPtv

Lexi Turns 4

Happy 4th birthday to Lexi Mae Webster! She's the sixth Bates grandchild, and in just a few weeks, she will meet her little sister, who will be No. 15.

 

 

Lexi Webster, 4th birthday party

 

Alyssa Webster, John Webster, Allie Webster

with newborn Lexi Webster

Photos courtesy @websterforever; UPtv

Bates #2 Turns 31

Wishing Michael (Bates) Keilen a very happy 31st birthday! Coincidentally, Jana Duggar also turned 31 this month. Like Michael, Jana is the second-born in a family of 19 kids. The two have been friends since childhood, and Jana was a bridesmaids in Michael's wedding. Fun fact: Did you know that there's a story behind Michael's name? You can read all about it in our post from June 2015. 

 

Brandon Keilen and Michaela Keilen

Photo courtesy of UPtv

Tori and Bobby's 3rd Baby Announcement

 

Kade Smith, Bobby Smith, Tori Smith, Kolter Smith

Have you heard the exciting news? Tori and Bobby Smith are expecting a baby! This little one will be their 3rd child and Gil and Kelly Bates' 18th grandchild. Charlotte Raine Smith is due in June 2021. She will be joined by two other Bates cousins also due in June, whose genders have not yet been shared. For a statement from the expectant parents, visit the UPtv website.

Photos courtesy of Taryn Yager Photography (tarynyagerphotography.com)

3rd June Bates Baby

June is shaping up to be a busy month for the Bates clan. Zack and Whitney Bates already announced their fourth child, and Josie and Kelton Balka recently shared that they are having their second. And another Bates couple has just jumped on the June baby train. It’s Tori and Bobby Smith! Their third child is set to arrive in June 2021. The link below includes the gender and name in an exclusive Romper article. This little one will be 15 months younger than brother Kolter Smith and 2 years, 7 months younger than brother Kade Smith. 

Tori and Bobby’s 3rd Baby

35 Weeks with Maci Webster

Another Bates baby will arrive soon! Alyssa has almost made it to the 36-week mark and is due on February 17th. Did you know about the Bates family back when Alyssa and John were expecting their first, Allie Jane? That was six years ago. Allie was the second Bates grandchild, and Maci Jo will be the 15th. 

In addition to sharing this positive news, we wanted to take a moment to thank you all for being loyal readers. We truly appreciate each and every one of you, and we appreciate what you bring to the comments section. We have noticed that some of the conversation has gotten off topic, so in order to maintain the uplifting nature of our blog, we ask that comments stick to the subject of the blog, which is the Bates family. Thank you for your readership!

 

John Webster, Alyssa Webster, Lexi Webster, Allie Webster, Zoey Webster

Photo courtesy of @websterforever

Lawson Earns NREMT

It's always great to celebrate a new accomplishment. Lawson recently earned his certification as an Emergency Medical Responder. He finished training at Roane State and then passed the NREMT (National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians) exam. (Fun fact: Michaela Keilen graduated with a degree from Roane State in 2016 before going into nursing school.)

Congratulations, Lawson!

 

Lawson Bates

Photo courtesy of lawsonbates.com

Balka Announcement Photos

 

Willow Balka, Kelton Balka, Josie Balka

Have you heard the news? Josie and Kelton Balka are expecting a rainbow baby! This little one is due in June, just like Zach and Whitney's 4th. To see more adorable announcement photos from the Balkas, visit the UPtv link below.

Josie and Kelton's Rainbow Baby Announcement Photos

Photo courtesy of Darian Kaia Photography (permission from UPtv)

Another Balka Baby

In September, Josie and Kelton Balka shared that they had suffered a miscarriage in August. They had announced their pregnancy to the family at Willow's 1st birthday party in July. To kick off the new year, the couple just shared that they are expecting again! Their rainbow baby is due in June 2021. Zach and Whitney announced in November that their 4th is also due in June. 

The Balkas' announcement photos can be found on Us Weekly. 

 

Kelton Balka, Josie Balka, Willow Balka

Christmas 2020

Photo courtesy of @josie_balka

Nathan's Leading Lady

In September, Nathan revealed during an episode of Bringing Up Bates that he had a special someone in his life. He continued on to say that he wasn't ready to share any details with the public. Since we know you've been eager to learn more, we wanted to share this photo that Nathan just released. Her name is Esther, but aside from that, you'll have to wait to hear more. They sure do make a cute couple though!

 

Nathan Bates and Esther

Photo courtesy of @natebates93

Gil Turns 56

Wishing Gil a very happy 56th birthday!

 

 

Gil Bates and Kelly Bates

Gil Bates and Kelly Bates

Photos courtesy of @thebatesfam