Kelly Bates recently used airline points to take a girls' trip with her three youngest daughters. Addallee (15), Ellie (14), and Callie (12) will soon be the only three out of 10 Bates daughters who are not yet married, once Katie Bates ties the knot on December 3rd. Gil and Kelly are all about spending quality time with their children, and with two weddings coming up that are requiring attention from Mama Bates, it is sweet to see her take the time to make memories with her younger girls.
Kelly Bates, Ellie Bates, Callie Bates, Addee Bates
Photo courtesy of thebatesfamily.com
Sweet!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a fun trip. Kim
ReplyDeleteBeautiful ladies! I hope they enjoyed their time out west!
ReplyDeleteHow fun they were in Arizona. I hope they got to visit places here in addition to the Grand Canyon. We have Sedona,Tombstone and Jerome just to name a few.
ReplyDeleteThey are three of the girls that look mostly like mom too, to people who say that having too many children means not being able to give them enough attention that only counts if you are not interested in giving them enough attention, as Kelly has proved where there's a will there's a way.
ReplyDeleteSuch a devoted mother. This is why the family is so well-adjusted.
ReplyDeleteKinda of interesting that the article states Kelly used airline points to take three of her daughters to Arizona(wasn’t Lawson & Tiffany just there, too?). Is that a reference point to posters inquiring how do many of the Bates afford to travel so often? Either way, what a great trip to do with your daughters; especially at their age!
ReplyDeleteNo, Lawson and Tiffany have traveled to Hawaii, maybe they took the private plane so that's why Kelly and the girls had to take a private airline, and as for how can they afford, we'll they all work, even if the boys work for dad's business it's still a paying job and it means Gils tree business is doing well, which means that Gil can give his wife and daughters the money to go on vacation, nice to know he's not stingy.
DeleteLOL, there is no tree business anymore. Try googling it.
Delete@2:16- Lawson & Tiff visited the GC, too.
DeleteYes thats wonderful she took time for them. cute picture
ReplyDeleteEllie Bates is Carlin's twin. I love how Kelly takes special time with her kids. I don't see other moms from large families do special activities like this with their kids unless they are doing a chore or running to the store. It is cool to see!
ReplyDeleteIt is! What fun for the four of them! My mom still talks about a special trip she got to take with her mom and sister.
DeleteWell, really, if she wanted a girls trip, who else would she go with? My goodness, the Bates family must have a ton of money, they are always traveling. Imagine having enough points for four airline tickets across the country. Not to mention hotel costs! I miss the days when spending quality time with her girls meant a walk in the woods or baking cookies.
ReplyDeleteI miss the days when people were just happy for other people instead of picking and criticizing.
DeleteI’m sure they bakes cookies and take walks too.
DeleteWell, aren't you a bundle of joy? I think it's great they could take this trip and have some quality time with the younger girls.
Delete@1:45am. Kelly and the girls probably shared a hotel room,
ReplyDeleteAt least they went to Arizona and not Florida. Sine Florida has so many Covid cases right know.
The Bates save their money
AUGUST 13 2001 @1:45AM.
ReplyDeleteBates don't travel that much. If they travel they usually drive not fly.
What? They travel pretty much every other week. And they definitely fly.
DeleteOf course they fly! How else would they have airline points that paid for FOUR roundtrip tickets across the US? That's a lot of points.
DeleteYou can also accumulate points through credit card usage, or someone may have given them their points. Regardless, it’s so sweet that they’re together for a mom/ daughters trip.
DeleteWho's the other Bates getting married?
ReplyDeleteNathan and katie
DeleteEnjoy your trip.
ReplyDeleteMarilyn,Joan and Marion
The girls learn so much from traveling. It’s great that Kelly exposes the girls to so much more than cooking and cleaning. My children remember the family trips we took and now travel with their children. It’s a wonderful experience for educating and bonding. Great choice, Kelly!!!
ReplyDeleteWhy are all the girls smirking? Natasha b
ReplyDeleteI have no idea, but, you are right, it sure looks like they are.
DeleteThey should never smirk. They would always smile sweetly and look happy.
Delete2/3 of them are just smiling, one could possibly be interpreted as a smirk. I think it a little odd to be studying the picture that closely.
DeleteAren't these people ever HOME for any length of time? These trips are only possible because they have a TV show and the income from it. The average family can't afford to do half of what these people do. They are no longer relatable to the average family; let alone other larger families. You don't have to travel half way across the country to spend quality time with your children. I think Kelly just wanted to take a trip away from the house herself.
ReplyDelete5:51- I grew up with five siblings. We couldn't afford to travel every year, but my parents did their level best to provide road trip experiences that are still some of my most cherished memories; Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, Disneyland, east/west/Gulf coasts to dip our toes in the ocean. Yes, they scrimped and saved for it all! My husband and I have worked hard to provide our own kids with travel experiences as we could afford it. One summer, we went from the start of the Lewis and Clark trail near St. Louis, all the way to the end of it on the coast in Washington State. I wouldn't trade that incredible learning experience for anything. Yes, you don't have to leave home to have quality time with your kids. But, please, don't begrudge other people for making travel a priority if their budgets allow.
DeleteOh, brother. They will look back on this as a special mom/daughter memory. This comes across in a negative, jealous tone. Is that what you intended? I can't afford to pick up and go on trips with my family, but I don't get bent out of shape because Kelly can.
DeleteI love your story and the point you made. When I was growing up, we were pretty poor. But every third year or so, we would have saved up to take a trip. Nothing fancy, but a trip to Chicago, Wisconsin Dells, Mt Rushmore. When I got married we were able to take vacations with our children. We included our folks on many of them to thank them for introducing us to the fun of travel vacations. Now our grown children take their families, including us on occasion. It is special for me seeing them re-create the importance that the memories family vacations provide. Our world is absolutely amazing, and there are many different ways to see it. Praise be to God!
DeleteI love Arizona! Driving through the state is quite a breathtaking experience- so many diverse natural wonders and sites to take in. Grand Canyon and Sedona are my favorites!
ReplyDeleteI don’t understand what the problem is with wanting to take a vacation away from home. Lots of people, even those with modest means, find ways to take a vacation. It’s so refreshing to get away. Thousands of people visit the Grand Canyon each year. Maybe some of us have to save up for such a trip, or maybe some of us can afford an occasional trip like the Bates do. But no one should begrudge anyone a trip. The Grand Canyon is a great getaway!
ReplyDeleteAgree! Complaining about this trip just reflects badly on the complainers.
DeleteI agree. Letting yourself get upset by someone else taking a trip is unhealthy and immature.
DeleteMore than anything, travel is an education!! I worked decades for a major airline & took my children to many many places due to my travel benefits. Then I started with the grandkids. Nothing like seeing someplace again through a child’s eyes. Best gift for them, but especially for my hubby & I.
DeleteSounds like a wonderful time of making memories! I'm happy for them that they got to do that.
ReplyDeleteYes, families do take a trip or two maybe if they can afford it. The comments here reflect the fact that this family is almost always traveling to or from somewhere. The frequency of these 'trips' even out of town ones to simply shop for a wedding gown are excessive in many posts. I have a job and can't afford to travel as they do....and please don't tell me it's because they are frugal, don't pay for cable TV or drink alchohol...you don't spend THAT much on either if you have them. The constant traveling well exceeds the cost of these two items annually.
ReplyDeleteIf the Bates can afford to travel frequently, I can't see why they shouldn't or why it's any skin off your nose. If it offends some viewers to the point where the ratings drop... oh well- easy come, easy go!
DeleteWe know the show enables the trips. It's not hard to understand.
Delete@5:43 They have a TV show that comes with a generous income, as well as opportunities for travel that is filmed. It's not hard to understand. Not sure why you're comparing them to your own situation, or anyone else.
DeleteThat's kind of the point, isn't it? The Bates are no longer relatable to the average American family (at least in this regard) any more than a wealthy, jet-setting family would be. Interesting that so many of you choose to equate that with some kind of jealousy for simply pointing out that fact.
ReplyDeleteYou know what, how much money a person has or how many trips they take is a shallow measure of relatability. I don't have to have an identical life to them. They have kids, I have kids. They homeschool, I homeschool. They go to church, I go to church. They love their kids, I love my kids. They are humans, I am human. They have feelings, I have feelings. There. Relatable.
DeleteWhether or not the family is relatable is a matter of opinion. There can be certain aspects that "average" viewers might feel some common ground, including the love for travel and seeing new places. I enjoy hearing about others' travel experiences, especially if it's a place I've never been. I also like to see their photos of destinations that I've been lucky enough to see for myself. I have good friends who can afford to travel more than I can, but I still relate to them about their adventures. One friend has a bucket list of visiting every continent. Her latest to Antartica was absolutely facinating. I know I can't afford such a trip, but I sure enjoyed hearing about every detail!
DeleteWhy does this one aspect of their lives, paid for by the TV show that enables us to follow them, bother people so much? I have a live and let live philosophy, which I think perhaps other commenters might too, which is why these comments do come off as jealous. There are plenty of other aspects of their family life and relationships we can find relatable. If you don't have a similar family life or relationships, can't we just relate to them as fellow humans?
DeleteJust because I may not be able to “jet set,” as some posters call it, I don’t begrudge the Bates their ability to travel.
ReplyDelete