December 4, 2017, 7:08 am
Big news from Lawson! His new Christmas singles have been released!
Visit iTunes to listen to a preview of "Back to Christmas" (an original song) and "Go Tell It on the Mountain." You can purchase them for 99 cents each.
As we shared last week, Lawson spent the weekend filming a music video for "Back to Christmas" in Nashville.
Album photo courtesy of
tarynyagerphotography.com
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December 5, 2017, 1:31 pm
Two months ago, I showed you my
#FabFitFun Fall Box.
FabFitFun is a subscription box filled with beauty, wellness, fashion, and fitness products that is delivered to your door four times each year. I was invited to become a #FabFitFunPartner and was sent the fall box for free.
The
FabFitFun Winter Box arrived last week, and I'm excited to put the products to use. Check out my unpacking video below, and enter code ELLIE at
fabfitfun.com to get $10.00 off your first box. All opinions are my own.
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December 5, 2017, 2:00 pm
'Tis the season for giving! Just in time for Christmas, we are raffling off five copies of Erin Bates Paine's "Comfort & Joy" Christmas CD. With classics like "Joy to the World,""Frosty the Snowman,""Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," and "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen," this album is sure to put you in the holiday spirit. Follow the prompts on the Rafflecopter widget below to enter to win.
Photography courtesy of
tarynyagerphotography.com/Chad Paine
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December 6, 2017, 3:17 pm
Zach and Whitney Bates have big news. They bought a house! It's a fixer-upper, but they say they are looking forward to fixing it up. The previous home they lived in was a rental.
Whitney Bates, Zach Bates, Bradley Bates
Photo courtesy of Zach and Whitney Bates
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December 8, 2017, 1:00 pm
You enjoyed seeing photos of
Erin and Chad Paine's Christmas decor, so we thought we would share this snapshot of Alyssa and John Webster's Christmas tree. They purchased it from Kelly's Christmas Trees in the Orlando area. What do you think?
If you remember, Alyssa chose pink and blue as her wedding colors, so it is fitting that her Christmas ornaments are blue.
Webster family Christmas tree, 2017
Photo courtesy of Alyssa and John Webster
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December 9, 2017, 1:26 pm
In exactly one week, Tori Bates will recite her marriage vows in front of family and friends and become Tori Smith. This will be the fifth wedding for Gil and Kelly Bates' super-sized clan.
Tori Bates and Bobby Smith will have 10 bridesmaids and 10 groomsmen, with a winter wonderland theme. Their decor is white, silver, and a beautiful shade of purple.
Photo courtesy of Shannon Benfield, UP
Click here to see more photos of Tori's engagement
on the UP website.
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December 11, 2017, 12:53 pm
"I used to play those chasing games, and then I started thinking, 'Tori Bates is all I want.' And that's not changing." -Bobby SmithThe first time we were introduced to Bobby Smith was on Valentine's Day 2016, which was shown on
Bringing Up Bates"A LOVEly Day." At that point, Bobby and Tori were still just friends. They met through a mutual friend--Kelton Balka, who is now Josie Bates' boyfriend--over fall break 2015.
Exactly one year later, during fall break 2016,
Bobby asked Tori to begin an official courtship while the Bates were vacationing in Pensacola, Florida.
Rather than wait until the following fall break to ask Tori to marry him, Bobby
popped the big question a little bit sooner...and Tori said yes!
Their wedding is just five days away.
We're throwing it back to Bobby's musical performance for Tori on Valentine's Day 2016. Check out the video below.
Photo/video courtesy of UP
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December 12, 2017, 2:13 pm
We know you all have enjoyed getting to know Bobby Smith, Tori Bates' husband-to-be, but there is one fact that you might not know about him. He is a beast on the piano! Check out this video of his cover of the
Pirates of the Caribbean theme song. You're sure to be blown away.
Photo courtesy of thebatesfamily.com; video courtesy of Bobby Smith
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December 12, 2017, 7:18 pm
Hot off the press! UPtv just launched a
brand new website, and they have released the first promo video (embedded below) of
Bringing Up Bates season seven, which premieres Thursday, January 4th, 2018. We say this every season, but it sure seems like this one is going to the most exciting yet!
Photo/video courtesy of UP
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December 14, 2017, 6:29 am
Earlier this week, we posted the first
promo video of Bringing Up Bates season seven. The series returns in exactly three weeks!
In the spirit of Christmas, UP has created a mini music video to the tune of "Carol of the Bells." It's catchy, so you might just find yourself singing it in your head all day.
Photo/video courtesy of UP
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December 14, 2017, 1:40 pm
Wishing Zach and Whitney Bates a very happy 4-year wedding anniversary!
Zach and Whitney Bates
Photo courtesy of Zach and Whitney Bates
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December 15, 2017, 10:14 am
As the holiday season heats up, the Bates are running around like chickens with their heads cut off, setting up for the big wedding tomorrow and preparing for Christmas. In the video clips below, two of the most musical family members, Erin Bates Paine and Lawson Bates, sing Christmas carol duets.
Jingle BellsPhoto/videos courtesy of UP
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December 15, 2017, 6:47 pm
Tori Bates' wedding is just one day away! She and Bobby Smith will have a Bates-sided bridal party, made up of 10 bridesmaids and 10 groomsmen. Carlin Bates is the maid of honor, and Kelton Balka--Josie Bates' boyfriend and the mutual friend who introduced Tori and Bobby--is the best man.
Watch
season seven of Bringing Up Bates for updates on Carlin and Josie and their boyfriends!
Evan Smith, Carlin Bates, Josie Bates, Kelton Balka
Photo courtesy of Carlin Bates/thebatesfamily.com
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December 16, 2017, 4:30 pm
What a lovely afternoon watching Tori Bates become Mrs. Bobby Smith at a beautiful wedding in Knoxville, Tennessee! The purple and silver, alongside white trees, made for a gorgeous, wintry setting. As expected, the wedding party was made up mostly of siblings. The audience laughed and cried as Pastor Gil Bates officiated the ceremony with the perfect combination of tenderness and humor.
Tori was glowing in her stunning Renee Miller wedding gown. (I--Ellie--was invited to join the Bates ladies the day Tori chose her dress.) The lemon-blueberry wedding cake, made by Kelly Bates' sister Kay, was simply divine.
We enjoyed exchanging hugs and hellos with members of both the Bates and Duggar families. The Duggars are close friends of the Bates, and most were in attendance today. We were also thrilled to chat with a few followers of our blogs.
Details of Tori and Bobby's special day can be found at People.com.
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December 17, 2017, 3:46 pm
Tori Bates and Bobby Smith became husband and wife in a beautiful Knoxville wedding ceremony yesterday afternoon. (
Click here for more details.) Until the professional photos are released, we have a few snapshots to share.
Lawson Bates, Bobby Bates, Tori (Bates) Smith
Lawson and flower girls
Tori (Bates) Smith and Judson Bates
Carlin Bates and boyfriend Evan Stewart
(The bride and bridesmaids wore gowns designed by
Renee Miller.)
Photos courtesy of lawsonbates.com, Carlin Bates, thebatesfamily.com
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December 18, 2017, 10:04 am
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December 19, 2017, 6:28 am
Three days after Tori Bates' wedding, the Bates clan has another big milestone to celebrate. It's Gil and Kelly's 30th anniversary! When they tied the knot 30 years ago, Gil was almost 23, and Kelly had just turned 21. They welcomed their first baby one year later, and the rest is history.
Gil and Kelly Bates
Photo courtesy of thebatesfamily.com
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December 19, 2017, 11:29 am
A couple weeks ago, we announced that
Lawson Bates' new Christmas singles had been released. One was a traditional holiday tune, "Go Tell it on the Mountain," while the other was an original song, "Back to Christmas." In early December, Lawson filmed a music video for "Back to Christmas," and it is officially ready for viewing. Watch it below.
Photo/video courtesy of UP/Lawson Bates
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December 20, 2017, 6:22 am
Tori (Bates) Smith and Judson Bates
Tori and Bobby Smith have been husband and wife for four days. Following their winter wonderland wedding, they rode off into the sunset as Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and we know you all are wondering where they went.
The newlyweds spent the first two nights in Gatlinburg so they could relax and enjoy the beautiful Smoky Mountains before traveling far. They met up with Gil and Kelly Bates for lunch on Monday so they could hand off the wedding gown and suit, and then they headed to the airport to fly out to California. Nathan Bates' hint about where they are is that they are continuing the winter wonderland theme. Any guesses as to what they might be doing?
If you enjoy this blog, be sure to visit Ellie's other blogs (
NashvilleWife.com and
DuggarFamilyBlog.com).
Wedding photos are courtesy of
tarynyagerphotography.com/UP/lawsonbates.com/thebatesfamily.com/
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December 20, 2017, 6:15 pm
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