Bates Family

Two years of YES: Celebrating our Love

2010-05-26T11:34:00.004-06:00

On Saturday John and I celebrated two wonderful years of marriage. Two years of growth, love and happiness. I am blessed to have the kind of man I have by my side. And everyday that goes by, more and more, I realize that I made the best decision of my life. Being married to John has been even better than I could have imagined. This year we went to Zion National Park to celebrate.

(I'll post pictures when I get back from Miami)

__________________________________________________________________________

(I love this song)

Red

2010-05-15T21:24:00.001-06:00

I just got these new pumps! I've been wanting these shoes forever but they were too expensive. On Friday I got them for 75% off. I love sales. You know I'm wearing them tomorrow.

Cake Decorating Fail

2010-05-15T21:06:00.002-06:00

My first cake was a disaster...lol. I don't know what I did wrong but the consistency of the icing wasn't right. Maybe on Monday I'll have better luck.

Summer To Do List

2010-05-12T09:16:00.001-06:00

I don't know about you but I feel like I always have a lot on my to-do list. So much that there are days I don't know how I don't literally lose my head. This year I've decided to make what I call MY SUMMER FUN TO DO LIST. This list is all about fun and giggles. Here's what I'm thinking:

go camping
do a couple of small hikes
have saturday picnics
fly a kite
go to the zoo
play in the rain
finish Isla's memory book
make a quiet book
make a summer dress
decorate a cake like a pro..I probably won't be able to that but maybe I can get good enough so that I can make Isla's birthday cake
finish 3 books
start working out regularly
go swimming
run a 5k

So what do you think? Any suggestion of things we need to do? Maybe hikes, parks, activities that are fun that I didn't think about? Let me know. For now here's my to-do list for today:

clean the house
do some laudry
read Isla a book
play like a kid
find something to cook
go to the mall
go to Michaels and buy stuff for my cake decorating class
wash my hair
do some personal reading

Women of Light

2010-05-09T22:28:00.002-06:00

On this Mother's Day I couldn't help to think of some of the women in my life that I admire so much. They are women of God. And they have taught me so much about love, charity and sacrifice. I feel so blessed to have them as examples in my life.

President Hinckley says it beautifully in this Mormon Message:

So on this day, "may your spirit be touched with a lightness that comes from knowing what an important place you have in this world. And may your life be blessed with happiness as you have blessed so many others with your love."

Happy Mother's Day!

Car Seat Tent

2010-05-08T21:37:00.004-06:00

Maybelline and I stayed up the other night until 2 am finishing this car seat tent for her baby, who will be here in September. I'm really excited for her, she'll be a great mom. The car seat tent is really easy to make. If you're interested in making one we got the pattern from here.

An inspiring message from Stephanie Nielson

2010-05-07T10:27:00.001-06:00

I saw this video this morning and I was touched and inpired by its message. It reminds me of a quote I came across by Elder Eyring, "I bear you my testimony that God the Father lives. He set a course for each of us that can polish and perfect us to be with Him. I testify that the Savior lives. His Atonement makes posible our being purified as we keep His commandments and our sacred convenants. And I know from my own experience that He can and will give us strength to rise through every trial."
- Elder Henry B. Eyring, "Adversity," Ensign, May 2009, 27

Hope you enjoy the video!

Part II While Isla takes her morning nap

2010-04-26T11:46:00.002-06:00

November 2009

Isla and I at a ward activity

Thanksgiving at my aunt's house

December 2009

For christmas we went looking for sun

New Year's in Orlando with the family

January 2010

Waiting to get set apart as a full-time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

My younger brother Marlow entered the MTC on January 20th. He is currently serving a mission in McAllen, Tx

If you want to follow his blog go here.

February 2010

For Valentines John and I decided to keep it small. We had an indoor picnic while we listened to Michael Buble and read Love letters of Joseph and Emma. John wrote me a sonnet....it was the best gift ever!

March 2010

Isla started swimming lessons at the rec center in springville. She only cried the first day of class. I'm so proud of her.

April 2010

For Easter Sunday we had dinner at home with Liz ...the easter bunny stopped by too!

We hiked the Y. I thought we are going to die and Isla fell asleep.

Hope you've enjoyed the update....i know it was a really quick one. We've had a year full of excitement and we've had to learn to adapt to a lot of changes. However, we feel so blessed for every experience we've had. We feel especially thankful to have our little peanut now a beautiful little girl in our home.

Now to the real question....Do you forgive me???

Update & My apologies for not keeping up with my blog Part I

2010-04-25T15:26:00.077-06:00

Hope you can forgive me for not keeping up with my blog. I don't even know if anyone looks at this thing anymore...but if you've been a faithful follower thank you and i hope i don't disappoint you again.=)

Here's an update of what's being going on. Enjoy!

July 2009

Isla and Daddy at the hospital

First week home

This is what happens when you're tired and trying to change a diaper

Isla and Uncle Marlow

July 2009

For the 4th of July we went to my aunt's house

August 2009

We went to Miami for my cousin's wedding

After spending a couple of days in Miami we drove to Orlando and then Alabama.

September 2009

Isla's first Temple visit

October 2009

Isla meets Kai.

Meet the pumpkin and the dragonfly

to be continued....have a good night!

Isla Marie Bates...our little lady!

2009-07-05T09:30:00.005-06:00

Here are some pictures of Isla right after she was born.

Before & After

2009-07-05T08:54:00.012-06:00

Before

After

After 14 1/2 hours of labor, 2 1/2 hours of pushing, baby Isla (pronounced Eye-la) Marie was born on June 11th at 2:34 am. Words can't describe what I felt when I saw my baby for the first time. I was in love the minute I set eyes on her and i knew my life had changed forever!

As you can tell by my ugly "after" pictures I was tired and hungry but it was all worth it....especially the ice chips! (but i did have my demands after having Isla.... i wanted my chicken fingers and fries!)

Families Should Strive for Exaltation

2009-03-23T07:08:00.007-06:00

“With your companion, make it a family objective to all be together in the celestial kingdom. Strive to make your home a little bit of heaven on earth so that after this life is over, you may be able to say: We are all here! Father, mother, sister, brother, All who hold each other dear. Each chair is filled— We’re all at home. . . . We’re all—all here. (Charles Sprague, The Writings of Charles Sprague, New York: Charles S. Francis, 1841, p. 73.)”
Ezra Taft Benson, “The Honored Place of Woman,” Ensign, Nov. 1981, 10

And the belly keeps growing....

2009-03-22T11:16:00.003-06:00

28 Weeks pregnant!

My Belly Pictures.

2009-03-12T19:34:00.009-06:00

John and I found out we are having a beautiful baby girl!!!!!

2009-03-08T17:57:00.003-06:00

Our little baby is not a peanut any more....

2009-02-14T14:37:00.002-07:00

Happy V-day!!!!

My secret for the past 11 weeks & my new crush!

2008-11-14T11:09:00.001-07:00

So I have a crush on a little peanut...take a look!

I've been tagged!

2008-11-07T11:14:00.000-07:00

7 facts about me

1.) I love buying books....its like buying myself shoes....it makes me happy!!!!!!
2.) I always need to wear earrings if I don't I feel like a boy!!!!
3.) I tend to move alot when I'm sleeping and according to my husband steal the blanket from him.
4.) My dream is to go to Africa someday and learn their music and their dances. In fact, i love learning about different cultures.
5.) I love playing in the rain
6.) Soar Gummi worms make me happy!
7.) I have a new crush!!! (I'll tell you about this later)

Finding the Perfect Dress

2008-10-08T12:00:00.000-06:00

Last night we went wedding dress shopping with Maybelline.

It was so much fun...and she looked beautiful!

Every dress she tried on looked perfect on her.

Can't wait to see her on her wedding day.

I'm really excited for her!

Quote of the Day

2008-10-08T11:52:00.002-06:00

"We must strive to manifest the love of Christ, who always sought to please His Father by doing His will. . . . We must make every effort to follow His supreme example--to demonstrate such love through our thoughts, our speech, our actions--in all the things we do and are. We must not allow pride or vanity, selfishness or personal agendas to displace our reaching out to others in love. Quite simply and profoundly, we must first allow ourselves to be encircled by God's love. We do this best by embracing the Savior's eternal Atonement. Then we can expand that circle to include our family and all others. Such a circle is indeed heaven."

Bonnie D. Parkin, Eternally Encircled in His Love, Ensign, Nov. 2006, 109-10

Conference Weekend

2008-10-06T11:02:00.000-06:00

Conference weekend was just amazing this year! It was so good for my soul.

I feel blessed to be part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to know that the Lord calls prophets, seers and revelators to guide us through our mortal lives. I'm excited to read and study the wonderful messages we heard during conference and to be able to congregated again in April as Latter Day Saints.

Here are some pictures I took during the weekend:

Traditions

2008-10-02T10:25:00.000-06:00

For the last two weeks I've been reading this blog which is just amazing!!!! Actually, two. The blog was originally written to talk about this girls infertility challenges but her sister recently got in a plane crash and now its a blog dedicated to her as she fights for her life. This blog is just inspirational , her family is going through so much yet they manage to have Faith in these hard times. Stephanie, the girl who got in the plane crash, has a blog on motherhood. This blog has touch a lot of women around the world. I can imagine why. I've been reading her posts and she is just amazing! She is fully of energy. She has four kids and a husband who she just adores. It's really cool to see how she expresses her love for them. Anyways, Stephanie and her family just have cool traditions. One of their traditions is to let go of wish balloons for every birthday in the family. So, I've been thinking of what i can do with my family although it just consist of two people...(at least for now). I found this article published in Forever Families. (it's a good website by the way) And it talks about family traditions. The first paragraph i read in the article hit me, "Meaningful family traditions provide parents with an invaluable tool for carrying out their divine responsibility to rear children in love and righteousness. As families establish and follow traditions, each family member is strengthened and the family as a whole grows in unity and love." That's so true!!!!
Growing up we had a tradition to say "I love you" before going to bed. Those simple "I love yous" strengthen our bond as a family. And now I try to do it with John. And the more I express my love for him the more I'm aware of all the things i need to be grateful for. Here is a list of traditions that some families have that i really like:

Wish Balloons
For birthdays, each family member chooses his or her favorite menu, then everyone except the birthday person helps prepare the meal.
No one can go to bed until they've told each member of the family "I love you."
Saturdays are Dad's day to make breakfast with the kids.(I'm not sure if John would like this one...hehe.j.k.)
Have a special dinner plate to be used by a family member who has a reason to celebrate.
Keep a family journal, letting everyone write in it.
Establish your own holidays, such as an "Unbirthday Party

What are some of your traditions? Post.

If you want to check Forever Families click here http://foreverfamilies.net/xml/home.aspx

Check out cjane's blog: http://blog.cjanerun.com/

Or Stephanie's (Nie Nie) blog: http://www.nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/

My "blah" day....

2008-10-01T11:25:00.000-06:00

Today I'm having one of those days when I just feel blah. I just want to sit and do nothing. What do you when you feel like this? (assuming i'm not the only one) Post your ideas.

Feliz Cumpleanos!!!

2008-10-01T09:14:00.000-06:00

(My Mom and Dad a few months before I was born)

Today is my papi's Birthday! I wish I was home right now to give him a BIG kiss and a BIG hug. Happy Birthday Mr. Don!

It's official

2008-09-25T09:32:00.000-06:00

Maybelline and Marcus got engaged last night!!!! I'm so happy for them!

It's been 4 months....

2008-09-22T10:46:00.000-06:00

I can't believe how fast time flies when you're having fun! John and I have been married for 4 months today....it's been the best 4 months ever!!!

Target Wedd Club...don't do it!!!

2008-09-04T11:39:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I tried to return some wedding gifts from Target and I was dissapointed about their return policy. Actually both times I've been there to tried to return gifts their system was down or not working properly. The employees can't even help until you print a gift receipt ID # or have a receipt. So, if you can't log into the system and print whatever they need, you can't return any of the wedding gifts. The first time I went to Target to return a bunch of gifts the girl said i had to come back because the system was down and she couldn't help me without this printed receipt. Not to mention, the girl was so rude! And yesterday, when i was there the system wouldn't let me log on and when i told the girl in customer service she said she couldn't help me that i would need to call the 800 number. When i did the girl on the phone wasn't able to help me out. Someone else had requested to speak to the manager for a similar reason and when she was done with the customer i talked to the manager and she tried to help but at the end i left with the DVD player. This process took about an hour. I don't understand their return policy!!! It's like they don't trust us as customers. On the other hand, i went to Bed Bath and Beyond on monday to return some gifts too and it was so much easier and customer friendly. Bed Bath & Beyond is so much better!!!! So if you're thinking of doing a wedding registry at Target, don't do it!!!!! They are rude and not helpful at all when you are trying to return wedding gifts!

Boyz II Men Concert

2008-09-04T11:30:00.000-06:00

John suprise me with tickets to Boyz II Men....it was such a good concert!!! I was happy....

Romeo and Juliet

2008-08-13T22:23:00.000-06:00

Anniversary Inn

2008-08-13T14:43:00.000-06:00

On Monday, John and I stayed at the Anniversary Inn...we had alot of fun! The best part of it all was that we stayed there for free!!!!!
These are pictures of the suite we stayed in, it was pretty cool although the outside almost scared us away (we almost drove back to Springville without checking it out). The hotel was originally built as the manufacturing facility for the Old Salt Lake City Brewery Company, so you can imagine how the building looks. However, the inside is pretty cool. The cool part of this hotel is that each room is designed around a specific theme, we stayed in the Romeo and Juliet Suite!!! hehe.

My Amazing Husband!

2008-08-13T09:10:00.000-06:00

Our friend Sam Wright came over for dinner last night. We haven't seen him since the wedding so it was fun catching up with him. During our conversation, he asked us a question that got me thinking. He asked John and I to name two things we love about each other. This question got me thinking about John and everything he does for me.Sometimes I'm so busy with life that I forget to take the time to be grateful for those amazing qualities John has. As I pondered on this question my heart was filled with gratitude and I felt so blessed to be his wife. John is a man filled with the spirit. He strives daily to become a better husband. He loves the Lord. He honors and respects me. He is a worthy priesthood holder and lives in a way that he can be worthy of the guidance of the spirit. He is kind to me and others. He's hardworking and unselfish. He is non judgmental and forgiving.He is happy and brings joy to our home. He is compassionate and caring. He is patient and delicate with me. He is faithful and obedient. But above all, he puts the Lord first. I'm so grateful for the man he is and for everything he does for me. He is my best friend and i love him so much!!!!

John's Birthday

2008-08-11T16:17:00.000-06:00

On Sunday, John turned 27...yay!!!! I was really excited to celebrate his birthday. And although we didn't do everything I had planned to do we had a lot of fun. We had biscuit, sausage and gravy for breakfast, went to church, had dinner, eat cravel ice cream cake and went for a cool drive down Hobble Creek Canyon. =) It was fun!

Marilyn

2008-08-11T15:39:00.000-06:00

I'm not the type of person to do a lot of scrapbooking but my friend Andrea found this cool website!!!! I started using it today and I love it!!! Here's what I've done so far. I did this for my sister because I don't think I thank her enough for what she does.

Breakfast at my house

2008-08-10T22:22:00.000-06:00

Us in the morning...we're so pretty!!!!
After the BBQ, a couple of us went dancing. Ashley and Jorge stayed at our house they live in West Jordan and the drive sucks so we told to hang out with us that night...we had a lot of fun with them! So much fun,we didn't go to sleep until 2 that night and the next day, we woke up really early and had breakfast with Markay, Marcus, and Maybelline. I was tired saturday since John and I go to sleep really early now . But I'm glad i got to see Markay one more time before she left. =)

BBQ for John and Ashley

2008-08-09T22:18:00.000-06:00

John and Ashley trying to blow out the sparkler...we forget to buy candles...hehe.

We had a BBQ for John and Ashley at our house on friday. It was so good to see everyone again...Markay was in town too!

Omniture Carnival

2008-08-03T22:01:00.000-06:00

On saturday, Omniture had a huge event for all employees and family at Thanksgiving Point. I took a picture of John, as he participated in a huge Paper,Rock, Scissor competition. The person who won was a little 7 year old girl. She won a $5,000 check to go on a family vacation....crazy!!! There was a ton of people playing. I lost in the first round. =(
John and I hanging out waiting for the Paper,Rock, Scissor competition to start.
We took this picture when we first got to Thanksgiving Point. We had a blast!

The Reception

2008-07-16T16:22:00.002-06:00

We had our wedding reception at the Alpine Art Center. (After the wedding ceremony and our luncheon, at Maglebys.) It was definitely a long day but we had a ton of fun!!!!

2008-07-16T15:39:00.000-06:00

These pictures were taken shortly after the ceremony. We had family and friends waiting for us outside. We were so happy!!!!!

For Time and All Eternity

2008-07-10T14:13:00.000-06:00

John and I got married on Thursday, May 22nd. It was the best day of my life!!!!!
Once again, thank you for all your help and support.

Engagement Pic

2008-04-09T17:53:00.001-06:00

Thank You

2008-03-06T11:58:00.003-07:00

We want to thank you guys for all your support. This is an exciting and wonderful time for us and we feel blessed to have wonderful people to share our life with.

Our Story

2008-03-06T10:43:00.001-07:00

Our first date was more or less a blind date. A mutual friend of ours gave me Marjorie's number (with her permission) and I called her one Sunday night in March 2007. The first thing Marjorie asked me was "Do you speak Spanish?" I replied, "No, is that a qualifying question?" Despite that my potential "disqualification", we went out on our first date on March 14, 2007. We had a wonderful time! Marjorie looked so beautiful that night!!

We continued to go out for the next few months and by May/June we knew that things were getting serious between us. We absolutely loved spending time together!! I met her family for the first time in May when I met up with Marjorie in Orlando, FL. Her family was so kind and accepting of me. I really enjoyed the time I was able to spend with them so early in our relationship.

Marjorie and I continued to date through the summer. At the end of September, went country swing dancing. After a little bit, we went outside to talk. This conversation was the first time the "M word" came up. I knew that I loved her and that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. Marjorie was the most incredible woman I had ever met! We agreed that our relationship was definitely heading towards marriage. In November, I was already shopping for a wedding ring and planning the proposal - a proposal that I wanted to be a complete surprise.

The Proposal

2008-03-06T10:10:00.001-07:00

I began planning the proposal in the first week of November. Now I didn't want this to be any old thing - I wanted this to be a proposal that she would never forget...something completely over the top! While we were traveling in Arizona on her tour with ROC, I would spend my nights planning in my hotel room. Finally, the plan of action for proposing to her came down to the following:
1) I bought two plane tickets to San Francisco for December 14, 2007 (same day flights).
2) I always told her that in a perfect world I thought that after about nine months of dating we should be thinking about getting engaged...Dec. 14th was nine months to the day.
3) I purchased her ring and had it in my possession.
4) I secretly called her boss 2 weeks ahead of time and told him what I was doing that she would be asking for a December 14th off work, but it he wouldn't have two weeks notice and so I was giving him notice now for her so that there wouldn't be any problems for her in getting the day off.
5) For Marjorie's birthday (Dec. 11), I got her a manicure so her nails would look nice for the new ring when she showed it off to her friends.
6) I told her the following lie about 5 days before - The president of the company I worked for had received a call from one of my clients, HP. The informed us of a conference in San Francisco on Dec. 14 dealing with technology within Higher Education (I had just returned from presenting at a similar conference in Phoenix, AZ). The president said that instead of paying to stay over night, all five employees at work would be allowed to bring their significant others to San Francisco (all expenses paid). During the part of the conference we were interested in, the girls would go out shopping together.
7) I sent around an email to all employees and spouses of employees describing this story and the part they would play making her believe it.
8) I had our graphic designer make two conference badges for us and I pretended like they had been mailed to us from San Francisco.
9) My Christmas party was the night before the flight. Everyone played along and told her how excited they were to go to San Francisco the next morning.
10) Because my coworkers had children, they would take a later flight than us.
11) I contacted the Marin Headlands at Golden Gate National Park to find out about good places to propose.
12) I had Marjorie bring a change of clothes for the "conference" so we would both be dressed nice when I proposed.
13) We left the next morning and spent the day in San Francisco - a city Marjorie had always wanted to visit, but never had.
14) At 3:30pm, my coworker was suppose to call and tell us that they wouldn't be ablt to meet us at the Spinnaker Restaurant in Sausalito because of traffic, but that we should go ahead and eat without them and then meet them at the conference at 6pm. (My friend got stuck in a meeting and so I ended up faking a 5 minute conversation with him over the phone...lol).
15) After dinner, we went up to Hawk Hill over looking the Golden Gate Bridge for sunset (5:10pm). We then took a small walk up the hill and then that's where I got down and proposed to her. Marjorie looked absolutely beautiful! I couldn't of been happier. It was really funny though because I think she was more nervous for me than I was. I love Marjorie so much!

Yesterday and Today

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

Marjorie

2008-03-06T09:44:00.000-07:00

Birthday: December 11, 1983

Hometown: Miami, Florida

Favorite Movies: Crash,Wicker Park, Shrek, The Incredibles, Volver, Motorcycle Diaries (edited), The Sandlot, Pride and Prejudice, Monsters Inc., Mary Poppins and Disney Movies

Favorite Color: Purple

Favorite Food: Japanese

Favorite TV shows: Friends, The Office, and now House (Thank you babe)

Favorite Books: Equality by Default,Rich Dad,How to Win Friends and Influence People, The Millionaire Next Door, Bonds That Make Us Free, No Doubt About It, The Alchemist

Favorite Music: Garth Brooks, Rascal Flatts,India Arie, Jack Johnson, Alicia Keys, Chris Brown

What makes me smile: Friends & Family, God (Religion), Missionary Work, Temples, Dancing, Modern Dance, Art, Musuems, Traveling, Butterflies, Dolphins, Baseball, Reading, Government,Nature, the Sun, Beaches, Pedicures, Massages, Being Kissed On The Forehead, People Playing With My Hair, Flowers, Cookie Dough Ice Cream, Smoothies, satisfying my cravings, Scalp Treatments, Thunderstorms, Breezes, Spring, Christmas, Warmth, Ice-Cold Soda, Cheese & Ham, Dancing at home, Face mask, Africa, Rainbows, Sunsets, Gummi Worms, Playing with John, Sour Candy, Breakfast, Saturday Mornings, Pineapple, Reading outside, Taking a Walk, Walking to Church, Barnes & Noble, Smiling, Stretching, being silly, Jumping, Listening to "Don't Worry Be Happy" w/ my girls on a saturday, Cuddling, and Making People Smile.

John

2008-03-06T09:39:00.001-07:00

Birthday: August 10, 1981
Hometown: Fairhope, Alabama
Favorite Movies: Rudy, Rundown, whatever...I like all types of movies!
Favorite Color: Green (R: 120, G: 162, B: 46)
Favorite Food: Thai
Favorite TV Shows: Lost, The Big Idea, Mad Money, The Office, O'Reilly Factor, House
Favorite Books: A Tale of Two Cities; Freakonomics; How to Win Friends and Influence People; Rich Dad, Poor Dad; Guns, Germs, and Steel; The Da Vinci Code; The Book of Mormon
Favorite Music: The Rocket Summer, Jack's Mannequin, Garth Brooks, The Postal Service, Damien Rice, Ok Go, Dashboard Confessional, Marc Broussard, Five Times August, Hellogoodbye, Amber Pacific, Cartel, Cute Is What We Aim For, The Boy Least Likely To, The Format, Love You Long Time, Mates of State, Peter Gabriel, Kalai, Tyrone Wells, Jason Mraz, October Fall, Phantom Planet, CocoRosie, Phoenix, Geoff Byrd, Matt Wertz, Mika, Scott Hicok, Blue October, Josh Woodward, Left One Lower, Paul Sforza, Used for Glue, My Chemical Romance...this list is endless so I better stop here
Things That I Enjoy: Spending time with Marjorie, running, golf, gym, reading textbooks, food, going to the temple, looking at stocks/options, thinking up ideas, analyzing social behavior, economics, snowboarding, racquetball, drawing, telling crazy stories from my life, traveling, teaching, giving to and learning from others, passion fruit, etc.