Merry Christmas From The Bates Family

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Christmas This and That!

Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper! I love wrapping gifts and on Christmas morning looking at the piles of wrapping paper and then watch my dad put it into multiple garbage bags.

Real tree or artificial? Much to Derek's dismay, we have an artificial tree. I'm allergic to all grasses and when I am around such things, it makes it difficult for me to breath, so he chose an artificial tree over a dead wife! I love our tree! It's beautiful!

When do you put up your tree? The day after Thanksgiving

Do you like eggnog? I used to when I was younger, but now, I think it's nasty! I am a big texture person and it's much too thick for me!

Favorite gift received as a child? I don't even remember! Now as an adult, my engagement ring was my favorite or my cookware from MiMi!

Hardest person to buy for? My mother- in- law Sheila! I don't know why, but it's difficult buying for her! It's weird!

Easiest person to buy for? Mason or my dad! Mason doesn't care right now what he gets and you can never go wrong with a Sportsman's Warehouse or Bass Pro Shop gift card for my dad!

Do you have a Nativity Scene? No but I would love the Willow Tree Nativity Scene.

Email or mail Christmas Cards? Mail them if they would ever come in! I've been waiting about 2 weeks now!

Worst Christmas gift you ever received? My MawMaw Wanda got me a Hickory Switch and potato as a joke once.

Favorite Christmas movie? Christmas Vacation or Elf

When do you start shopping? Whenever I have money, usually mid November!

Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes and I waited a whole year and ended up giving it back to the person who gave it to me! Oops!

Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? MiMi's cream cheese braids, sausage balls, Popcorn balls, and I love drinking apple cider.

Lights on the tree? Yes thank God for pre- lit trees!

Favorite Christmas Song? Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas or Mary Did you Know

Travel at Christmas or stay home? We do a little bit of both! Here is our plan for this year, we leave Friday the 19th for Mississippi and have Christmas with Sammy, Dinah, Casey, Christa, Elijah, Emmeline, Zeke, Brian, Stacy, Slayton, Freddie, Diane, Nick, Hope, and Weston at Sammy and Dinah's on the 20th in the morning. Then we will do Christmas with Milton, Kim, Anna Beth, Nathan, and Natalie on the 20th that night. We will come home on Sunday. Then, MiMi and Pop will come in on the 23rd, we will go out to eat for Mom's birthday (it's on the 22nd) that night. Then Christmas Eve, MiMi is cooking for Derek's 23rd birthday and Mason's 6 month birthday at my mom's house. Then we will open Christmas presents at my mom's Christmas morning and Pop will make breakfast. Then, we will come home and open presents with Sheila later that morning. Then we will enjoy a day of putting things together that Santa brought Mason. We will both go to work that Friday and after work, we will head for Knoxville where we will exchange gifts with James, Kristie, Ricky, Terri, Brent, Laura, Haden, Hudson, Bob, Angie, Matt and Mandy. Then we will wake up Saturday morning where we will meet Mom, Dad, Kaitlin, MiMi, Pop, Milton, Kim, Anna Beth, Nathan, and Natalie at the Pancake Pantry and enjoy the weekend in Gatlinburg until Monday night when we will come home! We are busy beavers!

Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? EASY... Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and of course the most famous reindeer of all. What was his name again? J/K Rudolf

Angel or star on top of the tree? We have a gold star on top this year!

Open Christmas present Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? We always open one present on Christmas Eve, we all open our Christmas pa jams, with the exception of Derek who opens a lot of gifts on Christmas Eve because it's his birthday!

Most annoying thing about this time of year? The traffic and the crowded malls and other shopping areas, who's up for shopping online next year?

Favorite ornament theme or color? Derek and I have decided to do a different theme each year, this year it's gold and brown! We are thinking purple and gold next year. We will have a different theme every year until Mason starts making us ornaments, then we will probably have two trees like my mom!

Favorite Christmas dinner? Probably not dinner but Christmas breakfast! I love when MiMi and Pop wake up at around 5 and start making us breakfast and we unwrap our presents to the smell of bacon frying and biscuits baking!

What do you want for Christmas this year? I've asked for mainly gift cards although Derek and I asked for a desk for our house. We are really just excited that we have a baby to share Christmas with this year!

Yes this is a tag! I tag Courtney and Claire! GO!

Home Alone

Well, not really! I am at my mom's the rest of the week! Which by the way is totally weird, being back at my parent's house. Even though it's just a few days, it's weird because I haven't stayed there just me and Mason, well, ever! I forgot how uncomfortable my bed is! My back is killing me today!
Derek is in West Tennessee fighting the wind and snow to yet again, find us some decorations to stuff for the man den! I'm sorry but I would have to agree with Claire about the hunting thing. I have no idea why you would ever want to go hunting in weather conditions that they are in. Derek called me this morning and here were the weather conditions: cloudy, 26 degrees, and 20 mile and hour winds- prognosis for these blistering weather conditions, no ducks! So my point would be, stay home!
I miss Derek! Life is so lonely without him! I am so glad that my mom is around to help me with Mason! Derek will return on Friday and hopefully, completely for his sake, I hope he can bring something home!

Baby Food Good? I think not!

Ok, so a few weeks ago, we got clearance from Dr. Wiley to go ahead and start baby food with Mason. He said to start out with the vegetables, do each veggie 4 days to make sure he wasn't allergic to them, then once all of the veggies were completed, go on to fruits. So our journey began with green beans. At first he wasn't quite sure what to do, but once he got the hang of it, he loved them. Then we went on to carrots which were a big hit, then we went to squash which he approved of as well. Then, to much of my dismay, we tried peas. Derek and I hate peas so we were praying that Mason didn't like them either, more like I was praying because I would be making a pot of peas just for him, but I think I would deal with it for my sweet baby! I want him to be a kid who will at least try anything and not be the kid that doesn't want to eat something just because his mommy and daddy don't.

So anyway, since he liked everything else, I thought for sure he would be a "weird- o" and like peas as well, so of course I stocked up on them. Well, Mason isn't the eater that I thought he was. The first bite of peas- which smell horrible I might add, he spit them out all over himself and me, and then began to gag. I thought it was just a first time reaction, so I tried again, and he did the same thing. So needless to say, if your kid likes peas, call me, I have plenty.

On the other hand, we have started the fruits now. Bananas were so so and applesauce? Well, see for yourself! Stay tuned for more.....

Starting up with some carrots! Applesause is next

Ah, what is this stuff?

Please do not make me eat anymore!

Still not quite sure about this!

Hey mom, I like baby food!

A little sour!

Mommy- I think I am done!