The Bates Family

2009-12-31T15:15:00.000-08:00

Wow I haven't posted forever....let's give it a try. Here's some recent pics of our dear little family.

Funny Video--Watch to the end

2009-03-29T15:25:00.000-07:00

Avery's Amazing Coloring Talent

2009-03-29T15:19:00.000-07:00

Avery got this calendar from Grandma Peterson. She did this all by herself. She's amazing!

Thanks Grandma!

Pajama Party

2009-03-29T15:15:00.001-07:00

Camo Kids!

2009-03-29T15:12:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Peterson bought the girls camo clothes. Bristol wasn't even born when hers was given. Now it fits great!

Sheri's 30th Birthday

2009-03-29T15:07:00.000-07:00

DISNEYLAND!! Dinner at Cheesecake Factory

Daddy Duty

2009-03-29T14:58:00.000-07:00

Our Happy Girl

2009-02-17T21:50:00.000-08:00

Holiday Cheer

2008-12-09T21:38:00.000-08:00

More Proud Parent Pics

2008-12-09T21:32:00.000-08:00

Proud Parents

2008-12-09T21:28:00.000-08:00

Funny Face

2008-12-09T21:21:00.000-08:00

This is probably mean to post, especially as a proud mama, but it was just too funny not to.

Sisterly Love

2008-12-09T21:12:00.000-08:00

Avery & Bristol

Avery can't give her sister enough kisses.

Our New Addition

2008-12-09T20:54:00.000-08:00

Introducing....
Bristol Marie Bates
Born: 11/14/08
Weight: 8 lbs. 9 oz.
Length: 20 inches

Bristol on the day after her birth.

Our Happy Halloween

2008-11-12T15:48:00.001-08:00

Our Princess Cinderella...

Sheri and her pumpkin and pumpkin like belly at 37 weeks.

Dan & Aves carving pumpkins.

Avery with her cute little pumpkin.

Our Last Trip to Disneyland for the Year

2008-08-26T22:38:00.000-07:00

Our annual passes expire this week :( We went to Disneyland last night. Avery is 39 1/2 inches tall without shoes. Most of the 'big rides' you have to be 40 inches. Thank goodness for heals. She was over 40 inches tall, we stapped on her tallest sandles and she was able to ride: Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Railroad & Space Mountain. Though she was tall enough, she wasn't quite brave enough for them all. She absolutely loved Splash Mountain, even with the waterfall drop, but Big Thunder Railroad & Space Mountain were a little scary for her.
This is her crazy excited happy face...
Avery and Dan about to embark on Big Thunder Railroad...
She's safe and glad to be out of the train.

Our second vacation in July-ARIZONA

2008-08-26T22:25:00.000-07:00

4 days after returning home from Utah, we headed to Arizona for my nephew, Crew's baptism.

Here's Crew and his dad, Jason..
The Jason E. Turner Family....
Avery with Grandpa Peterson
Grandpa Peterson, spoiling the grandkids with Camo P.J's. Last year it was a cowgirl hat and boots. They love it!

Our first vacation in July--UTAH

2008-08-26T21:50:00.000-07:00

A week and a half after our cruise (July 2nd-6th) we headed to UT for the David L. Bates Family Reunion (Dan's Dad--our immediate family), the Derrick Family Reunion (Dan's Mom's Side) and the Dee Forrest Bates Family Reunion (Dan's Dad's side) Yes it was all about getting this side of the family together.

Here is our little family...at Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon, UT

Avery and Grandpa Bates

Avery found her 'kissing cousin' Owen....though they only held hands.

Our family with the kissing cousin....
Sam (Owen's bro) adventuring down the falls.
where's waldo?? Or actually where's Dan & Avery in these photos???

They were there I promise. Isn't it beautiful!

Here's our family at Casade Springs...

Avery enjoying her granola bar....I just loved the profile in this though.

Our Mexican Riveria Cruise June '08--On the Ship

2008-08-20T21:04:00.000-07:00

All dressed up at a show In our room....sparkling cider, I know the appearance of evil...
Sunset on board

Cabo San Lucas

2008-08-20T20:50:00.001-07:00

The City of Cabo

The famous Arch

Where we went snorkelingCabo's coast

Mazatlan

2008-08-20T20:35:00.000-07:00

Relaxing at a resort On the beach
Dan Parasailing
At a Cathedral

Leaving Mazatlan

Our Favorite Port - Puerta Vallarta & On the Boat

2008-08-20T19:48:00.001-07:00

Us in the back country of Puerta Vallarta....Isn't it beautiful?

An LDS church we saw on our Jeep Tour, it was under construction....pretty cool to see, they all look the same.Cemetary in the country

A country village

A Church out in the country

Sheri the bandit of the group....
Dan driving on our Jeep Safari...
Learning how to make Tequila....we have our own version now, so anyone that wants to come by and try it just call me :)
On the Coast

A beautiful Catholic Church
Dan along the coastal line
Sheri with her 4 1/2 month baby bump on the coast.
On the ship..one of our formal nights.
Waiting to come disembark....What a great week, but we missed Aves by now and were excited to see her.

Girls Overnighter

2008-08-03T13:02:00.001-07:00

A few of us girls decided we needed a get away, so we headed to San Diego. We went to eat at the Cheesecake Factory........

Here's Amber enoying her very own cheesecake. She's so excited it's gluten free!

Sarah savoring the moment...no kids and chocolate bliss...

I'm posing...yummy cheesecake...

After we stuffed our bellies...
Our very nice, farely inexpensive hotel room...thank you priceline.com!

So what did we do? Girls stuff, we ate dinner, slept, (Amber and Sarah were ambitious and actually worked out the next morning), then we went shopping and to the pier for lunch.

That was about it. It was a nice short get away and we now have more ideas for next year with more adventures and girly things to do...Yes this will definitely become an annual tradition.

Back to Bloggin'

2008-08-03T12:57:00.000-07:00

So as you've noticed I haven't posted anything for the longest time. We were vacationing for it seems like the whole month of June and July has been spent trying to get Avery back on a sleep schedule. It's been 3 weeks that we've been fighting her to go to sleep in the middle of the night. She goes down great, just gets up and she wants to be with us. It's great that she loves us and all, but really...she's big enough to sleep through the night and in her own bed. During the day she's the happiest child. Needless to say, we've been a little sleep deprived.

A new version of the 80's song "Walk the Dinosaur"

2008-05-18T22:15:00.000-07:00

Family fun time! Need I say more.

Daddy Sharp tooth joins in.....

Happy "30th" Birthday Dan

2008-05-18T22:08:00.001-07:00

We didn't have any "manly" wrapping paper, so Avery colored the box. It's still isn't as manly as I was thinking we could have done, but that's a 3 year old girl for you.
Avery did most of the writing by herself.
Great gifts come in funny packages.

Another low key celebration, since the party was last week. We just enjoyed each other and had fun family time.

Last Week's Mother's Day

2008-05-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

Mother's day was great. We just hung out and enjoyed each other. Dan made breakfast, it was actually Avery's choice, but then again Mother's usually give in to their kids. He would have made dinner as well, but I had him take me out for an early Mother's day dinner on Friday night, so all I wanted was left over chinese food. One of the coolest parts of the day was realizing my sister in law was in So. California and she was only 6 miles away!!! So we were able to visit her and her 6 week old little Henry boy. He was adorable. We were excited to see him, since we weren't quite sure when we would ever meet our new nephew.

Avery and her newest cousin Henry. So cute!

The Much Anticiptated Gala

2008-05-18T21:41:00.001-07:00

Here are pics and videos of Chicago. It was a lot of fun. Music was great, but I was surprised that I only recognized half of the songs. Dinner was fabulous and dessert was all chocolate fancy, rich and yummy stuff...I don't know what it was all called. I ended up picking dress #3 from below. It was fitting, because I'm really starting to show.

Avery's Preschool

2008-05-18T21:34:00.000-07:00

Avery as Thomas, Carter as spiderman, Sam as Superman
Carter as Chinese Pirate, Sam as Thomas and Avery as SuperWoman.

Here are pics of Avery at preschool with her friends last week. (May 13th) They obviously had fun.

Dan's 30th birthday bash

2008-05-18T21:30:00.000-07:00

Not the actual day of his birthday. But all these friends turn 30 this year. 3 of the guys turn 30 exactly a week apart for 3 weeks. We barbequed, played games and hung out without kids.

Thanks!

2008-05-17T16:01:00.001-07:00

Thanks to all those that shared their opinions regarding which dress I should wear to the event. I know I was stressed over it. I just hardly ever get to dress up for something like this. Pics and more posts to come later.

New dress options

2008-05-14T14:28:00.000-07:00

Well....Dan didn't think that the black and white dress fit the occasion, so he gave me funds to get another one. Here are two dresses, I did have 3 in the pile, but no one like #1, so it's between #2 & #3. I'm leaning toward 3. #2 makes me feel a little too old and hey, I'm still in my twenties, yes even though I'm 29.

Crazy Hair

2008-05-07T15:19:00.000-07:00

Here's Avery and I being crazy girls when daddy had to work late one night. This was before we both wacked our hair off.

Girls Night Out

2008-05-07T15:12:00.001-07:00

We had a girls night out and went on the openning night to the movie, "Made of Honor." It was good, but had more sexual innuendos than I anticipated, guess I should have known. Here are some fun pics from the night.

A or B?

2008-05-07T14:54:00.000-07:00

The owner of the mall Dan is building is putting on a Gala (fancy word I guess for party) the Attire: "Black Tie Optional" Do I go with A or B? A) black and white fun dress or B) little black dress (it's a wrap around that ties and I have to wear a cami under it). The Gala includes: appetizers and cocktails--bring me the virgins...; 'Sumptuous' dinner by some well known chef I've never heard of and a live concert by Chicago--Yes that's right, I'm really excited, and to top off the evening, Luxury Gift Bags. There better be dessert somewhere in there, not just a gift bag.... and yes I am standing on a toilet taking a picture of myself in the mirror--I know lame.

My Little Joy

2008-05-07T14:51:00.000-07:00

Avery is a riot! She is so fun. This was her idea of getting ready when I told her we were going for a bike ride. It's her dinosaur/dragon costume from last Halloween.

Tagged by Mattie Mae

2008-04-09T13:07:00.000-07:00

Here are the rules.
1. Answer questions from your blog list of friends and family.
2. If you don't have 18 names on your list you can pick a name for the last question.
3. Tag 5 people.Then she asked me to answer these questions.

When did you meet the first person on your list? Mattie Mae, when she was born.

What do you like about the 3rd person on your list? Matt & Rachel Bates They are their own kind of people. They have their own style and flare to life.

What do you do you like best about the 5th and 6th person on your list? Sarah & Chris Gray & Gina, Ian, Liam. Sarah & Chris: They are fun and easy to get along with even for being part of the inlaw family relation :) They are great people who extend their love to all. Gina, Ian, Liam: I keep in touch mostly with Gina even though Ian's my cousin. But Gina is great. She is always so sweet and thoughtful, full of compliments and love.

How long have you known the 9th person on your list? Lisa Thomas. I met her where we live now. She only lived here for 4 months while her husband was interning. I've known her about 1 year.

What impresses you about the 11th and 12th person on your list? Shanna Riches & Jenny Friden. Shanna Riches is always so nice and thoughtful. Always willing to help. Especially in the time of the crisis I had when I lived near her. They were so ready to help us out. Jenny Friden is a geniune person and dear friend (despite the fact that we rarely talk). She is sweet, thoughtful and one of the kindest people you'll ever meet.

What is a memory with the 16th person on your list? Melissa Ross, we are friends from High School...I'd have to dig out of my dusty old brain my 'high school memory folder' to think of something. The first thing that came to mind was that I stole her boyfriend once. Though it wasn't worth the steel....sorry Melissa. :(

Say something nice about the 18th person on your list? I don't have one.

Now I have to tag 5 people they are: Auntie Jan, Gina, Jenny, Lisa, Melissa (These were the few that had lists that I noticed)

My Little Princess

2008-04-06T21:49:00.000-07:00

This was taken today. Avery got herself dressed by herself, even the accessories. She was in her closet this morning, with all her dresses on the ground and innocently said, "I'm trying on dresses." It was cute.

Hand Prints

2008-04-06T21:46:00.000-07:00

They put their hand prints on the backs of the shirts.

Also on the back was the primary theme for this year, which states, "I am a Child of God."

Easter Sunday

2008-04-06T21:33:00.000-07:00

Crew, Nakoria, Avery & Kaia. Wearing shirt from Grandma Peterson.

My Sista

2008-04-06T21:32:00.001-07:00

She'll probably hate me for this. But I loved that her family came to visit us over the Easter weekend. Her smile says it all.

Big Bellies

2008-04-06T21:30:00.000-07:00

Avery and Kaia at Disneyland. They had lots of fun being together.

Self-Family Portrait

2008-04-06T21:28:00.000-07:00

It's official!

2008-04-03T11:33:00.001-07:00

We are cruising to Mexico this June. It's officially booked. We are excited. It's just Dan and I. This will be our ship. Have you ever cruised before?? What excursions would you do or suggest?

Help

2008-04-03T10:58:00.000-07:00

Jan, I noticed on your blog you have links to friends/family blogs on the right side of the screen. How do you do this??

Our Favorite Place on Earth

2008-04-03T10:15:00.000-07:00

At least that is what they tell us to believe, though home is a pretty good place to be as well.

Avery loves Disneyland... Though this Ariel looks kind of freaky to me.

Avery's Birthday

2008-04-03T10:12:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of Avery and I on her birthday. She was 3 years old on January 9th.

(Yes, I figured out how to add pictures....more to come.)

My Little Girl

2008-04-03T10:06:00.000-07:00

This is Avery. I think she's beautiful, but of course, I'm biast.
This post is mostly for Jan and Mattie, so they'll get off my back. :) And so Jan won't check herself into the mental institution.
I love you guys. Now I just have to figure out how to post a picture!!
I'm learning. It's obviously a slow process...

2008-03-09T17:10:00.001-07:00

Today is my birthday. I am 29 years old. Any advice for life?