5 Little Bates Families

Over the weekend, we posted a couple group shots from the Bates' recent photo shoot. The talented photographers were Caleb and Brittany Cruse from Cruse Creative.

With all the new babies and new boyfriends, the Bates family is growing steadily. There are currently five married children (four daughters and one son), but that number could increase to seven in the near future. We thought you would enjoy seeing snapshots of each little family.

The Zach Bates

Zach, Whitney, Bradley, Kaci

The Keilens

Michael and Brandon

The Paines

Erin, Chad, Carson, Brooklyn, Everly

The Websters

Alyssa, John, Allie, Lexi, Zoey

The Smiths

Tori and Bobby (and Robert Ellis Smith IV, due in November)

Photos used with permission from Gil and Kelly Bates

Snacks at Erin's

"There's some things you can count on. The sun's going to go down, the sun's going to rise....And Erin, if you go to her house, is always going to have good food."
-Lawson Bates

As part of Evan Stewart's scavenger hunt courtship "proposal," the Paines invited some of the couples over to their cottage for snacks and refreshments. As usual, Erin went all out and blew everyone away.

Photo/video courtesy of UP

Goats, Zip Lines, and an 'Old' Man

It's Bates night! An all-new episode of Bringing Up Bates airs tonight at 9pm ET/8pm CT on UP.

Nathan has connected the Bates' old zip line to the shed, but Gil doesn't think it will hold, so he and the boys scout out another location.

First they try tethering it to the fort, but Gil nixes that idea, so they try another location.

Once the homemade zip line is set up, Gil appoints athletic Trace as the guinea pig. The previous zip line dropped its first rider on the ground, so Gil is a little wary.

Also on tonight's episode, Gil and the little kids visit Erin and Chad to play with the goats.

"Bubby" and "Sissy" are a breed of miniature goats called pygmys. Gil sure seems to like them!

When Chad returns home from work, everyone helps him paint the goat shed, a daunting tax with so many little ones running around.

The Paines hope the shed will help keep the goats from eating their flowers.

Towards the end of the episode, Erin and Chad head out on a romantic getaway to Hot Springs, North Carolina, to celebrate Chad's 30th birthday. The posters that Erin puts up around their rental cottage are hilarious! Check out the video preview below:

Photos/video courtesy of UP

Bradley Bates' New Bed

In the following sneak peek video, the Paines deliver Bradley's toddler bed to Zach and Whitney's house. Bradley Bates' reaction when he sees the new piece of furniture, built with love by Uncle Chad, is absolutely priceless! He even notices the "B" on the headboard.

Photo/video courtesy of UP

The Paines' Ever-Changing Living Room

Most of you have heard about Chad Paine's passion for restoring old furniture and making new furniture. (He and Erin hope to turn that hobby into a business very soon.) Did you know that the father of two also enjoys redecorating?

The Paines' tiny, cottage-style house has undergone quite a few renovations since the couple tied the knot in November 2013.

This photo of their living room was taken earlier this summer...

But just last year, the same room had two other "looks." This is the "pre-Carson" living room...

 And this is the "post-Carson" living room...

Do you enjoy redecorating?

Photos courtesy of UP, chadanderin.com

Recap: Back Seat Bates

Bringing Up Bates "Back Seat Bates"

• Chad shows Erin the design he has created for the cover of her upcoming Christmas album, which she recently recorded in Nashville.
• The Paines reveal that this is not the first album cover that Chad has designed for Erin. Before they were "together,' Erin enlisted Chad's help in designing her Down Home Gospel CD cover, but she was secretly just looking for an excuse to spend time with him.
• "I jumped at the chance," admits Chad. "I saw an opportunity, and I was like, you know what, I've never done this before but I'm going to find out how."
• After finishing his training at that Blount County Regional Training Academy, Zach asks his instructors if he can bring his family back to give them a taste of what he went through. 
• The first item on the agenda is pursuit driving. Everyone grabs a helmet and piles into old Sheriffs cars. "They don't know what they in for," laughs Zach.
•  Carlin screams the entire time, as do many of the others. 
• " It was better than any roller coaster in the country," says Lawson. "These guys can drive."
•  Callie is quite upset to see her mom take part, as she's afraid that something is going to happen to her. Zach, the driver, promises to be careful. 
• "I should have gone to the bathroom first," comments Kelly. "Mom, please don't say that," responds Lawson. 
• Kelly reveals that one of her greatest fears is car wrecks. "I've got a house full of bad drivers," says the mom of 19. "I've got certain kids I won't even drive with."
• Kelly holds Whitney's arm and screams for Zach to let her out, but Zach keeps driving, laughing hysterically. "It's too bad he's too big to spank," says Kelly at the end of the ride.
•  The next activity, for the older ones, is target shooting, but first the instructor lectures them about gun safety.  
• Next, Zach leads the guys through an obstacle course, which leaves Gil on the ground trying to catch his breath. "My dad's probably the toughest 50-year-old I know," says Zach. "But man, it pushes you to your physical limit."
•  A day at the Police Academy leaves the Bates feeling very appreciative of their law enforcement officers and the instructors who train those man and women.
• Later, Lawson takes Kelly, Carlin, and Josie to the local children's hospital where he has been visiting sick kids. 
• The child who is most excited to see Lawson is AJ, a little boy with a tumor pressing on his optic nerve who has become a close friend of Lawson.
• Everyone fights back tears as Lawson plays guitar and sings with AJ and several other young children at the hospital. 
• "We've tried to encourage all of our children to be involved in some kind of ministry outreach that would be a blessing to other people," says Kelly.