Baby Girl Bates Has ARRIVED!!

Allison Danielle Bates

Arrived on April 24, 2010 at 1:11 pm

She weighed 6 pounds and was 18 3/4 inches long

Our 3 Girls

Family of Five



Mom & Allison are home and doing well.

Be sure to check back for lots more updates.

Mommy Shower

On April 19th (can you tell I am playing catch up...AGAIN) the fire wives threw me an AWESOME Mommy Shower. A Mommy Shower is when you bring gifts for the Mommy instead of the baby. Well, at this shower I got a little bit of each. I got a gift certificate for a massage, some bath and body works products, lots of diapers and wipes and lots of cute clothes and accessories for our new baby girl. It was a fun night of sharing baby stories and yummy food. Thank you so much to all the wives who came and for all the great gifts.

Jen, Shelley & Me

The Dessert

Lasagna, salad and garlic bread....mmmm yummy!

Another Snake

Spring is in the air... that means all the annimals, rodents, insects, creatures and reptiles are starting to come out. We had another snake in the back yard last week, this one not as big (only about 3-4 feet long) as the one before but still a "good snake to have around".

I am so glad no one had the camera on me...but here let me draw the picture for you...9 months pregnant, hair in rollers, wearing flip flops, running & climbing the walls to get a good picture. lol =)

A Wedding

Last weekend we not only had Jacobs birthday party but we also attended a wedding. Anthony and Amy were actually getting re-married after being married for 3 years, they found out that there was a paperwork mistake somewhere along the line and that their marriage was never legal. Can you imagine??? Since they didn't have a wedding the first time around they decided to this time. The casual laid back ceremony took place at the Gazebo on the courthouse square. It was a nice ceremony then it was off to the reception for dinner, drinks and dancing. Due to it also being prom night A had to go with us because all our regular sitters were at prom, but it was fun, she loved the wedding (like most girls do), and we could barely keep her off the dance floor, I think she gets that from her Mamma. =) In case you are wondering D and Anthony became friends during TRT school last Fall and now work together for Williamson Valley Fire.

The Kiss

Lets Party!

A took this picture

Dancing with Daddy

She made a friend that even had the same dress as her =)

Good thing Daddy taught her to dance earlier in the week. =)

Jacob's Birthday

Our busy Birthday months are finally slowing down. Last weekend we attended one of A's best friends Jacob's 3rd birthday party. It was a beautiful day for a BBQ at the park. The kids had fun playing, the adults socializing and of course Rachel prepared an awesome lunch. Thank you so much for inviting us we had lots of fun. =)

The Birthday Boy

Weee

Ben - Jacobs little brother

Mr. Hassel

Michael C. Hassel

May 17, 1950 - April 8, 2010

I want to tell you all about a very special person. His name was Mr Hassel. I met Mr Hassel at Estrella Jr High, he was my homeroom teacher, my 8th grade Literature & Language teacher and he was also in charge of Student Council, which I was in. Mr Hassel also organized the end of the year trip to Magic Mountain every year, which everyone looked forward too. I was lucky enough that I got to go both years of Jr High, all four years of high school and then as a chaperon for three years after high school, it was so much fun.

As most of you probably know I HATE to read and write, but Mr Hassel had a way of making it fun, he played music in class, one of his favorites was "Wind beneath my wings" by Bet Midler and there was another one but all I can remember was the umm but but part =), and let us order pizza for lunch. He was the best! Our relationship didn't end there, once in High School he became my Badminton and Basketball Coach. He was also the announcer for all the home football games and travel with the football team to keep stats. When my parents started going through their divorce it wasn't easy for Erin and I and he took us in under his wing and was there for us. He helped in so many ways, I don't ever think I got to tell him how much it meant to me to have him there. Our friendship continued past High School and it wasn't but a few years ago that we lost contact, I am very sad for that. Mr Hassel was a very special man who touched not just my heart but so many others. I will miss him so much and am so sad that I did not get to say good bye or tell him thank you for all he did for me. To all those who had him as a teacher or coach you have to know we were very lucky to have such an amazing man as our teacher and to those who didn't you truly missed out on having one of the best teachers & coaches in the State of Arizona. My prayers go out to his family. I love you Mr Hassel, may you rest in peace.

Here was his obituary that appeared in the AZ Republic on Sunday, April 18th.

Michael Hassel 59, passed away April 8, 2010. A gifted teacher and high school basketball coach for over 35 years, he will be remembered as someone always willing to offer a helping hand, quick to forgive and remind you that laughter was the best medicine. He kept things simple and never sweat the small stuff. Mike will be deeply missed by his sisters Peg, Mary Lou, Kathleen and Barb, his nieces Jenn, Megan and Jill, nephews Jamie, Scott, Ben and Justin and his best friend Desire. His warm spirit and kind heart was one of a kind. So we say goodbye with this thought: "He was a lamplighter. He has taken his bright candle and has gone into another room we cannot find, but anyone can tell where he has been by all the little lights he left behind". A memorial service will be held at Hansen Mortuary, 8314 N. 7th St. on Tuesday, April 20, 2010 from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in his name to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital , www.stjude.org/waystohelp. If you want to share with the family you may copy the donation to miketeacher@netscape.net. Memories may be left in the guestbook at http://www.michael-hassel.last-memories.com/ or at http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/azcentral/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=141912678

Selfish?

I would not consider myself a selfish person at all, but lately that has been coming up more and more, mostly in joking but still. Here is the situation you tell me what you think.

Many people including my Mom & Dad think it would be so neat for the Baby to arrive on May 5th, which as you know is MY birthday. I DO NOT want this nor think it would be neat. That is MY day, everyone deserves to have their own special day, no need to share. =) Now, I know there are millions of people in the world who share birthdays, but not in the same family. So am I wrong for not wanting to share my special day? Leave us a comment with your opinion.

The Nursery

Here are some pictures of the nursery. We decided to leave it the same as we had it with A. We figured it was neutural and cute, we plan to change it in a couple years when she moves into a big girl bed. Really the only thing missing is her name, we will hang it on the wall above the crib once we meet her and decide on a name. We do have one (it's a secret) that we are leaning towards, but wanna make sure it fits her.

Dance Lessons

Be sure to scroll down and mute the music before starting the video.

Getting ready for baby

I have been up way too late this past week trying to get ready for the arrival of our Baby Girl. I NEEDED to spend some time going through all of A's old stuff I needed to see what we had and what we still may need. I re-separated all her old clothes, through out anything stained and re packaged the rest for storing. D could not believe the mess I had going on so he captured these pictures. Think we need anymore clothes?

I have finally finished my last load of laundry and now just have to wash the car seat and get it loaded in the car, wash and sanitize the bouncy and swing, and lastly need to get our bags packed and ready for the hospital. I still would like to do some deep cleaning IE:curtains, base boards, light fixtures, ceiling fans etc, but need to get the baby stuff ready first. THEN i will have time to rest, well as much as you can with 3 toddlers running around most days. =)

My Wonderful Husband

I just wanted to take a quick second to tell you about my husband. Hes the best... enough said. =) Last weekend with everything going on he helped out so much and I just don't think it got recognized nor have I thanked him enough.

For my shower he and our brother-in-law David took all the kids (6 of them) to the park so us Moms could have a nice, quiet and enjoyable shower without having to be Moms for a couple hours. It was awesome and the kids had a blast playing and hanging out with them.

Then on Sunday, he took A down to Phoenix with him for J's Baptism, all by himself. I wasn't able to go on the count of it getting to close to my due date. This did gave me a day of relaxation, again so much needed and very appreciated. This was huge for both him & A. Poor D this was not an easy trip for them either. You will have to ask him the story, because it is hilarious but yet it makes you feel so bad. All I can say is it involves A peeing on him during J's Baptism, lol, so funny but not. =)

A has really been getting much more comfortable around her daddy. She is letting him do a lot more for her which is so nice for me. She has relied on me for everything for so long that the change is nice. The two of them have really been enjoying their time together.

Thank you so much honey for all you do. I don't know if I can say it enough but I love you a ton and appreciate all you do to keep our family so strong.

34 Weeks

34 Weeks!

Growing...Growing....Growing....

That about sums it up. =) As you see my belly is getting bigger and bigger. I am way bigger then I was with A, I have also so far gained the same I did with A, the problem being I still have a few weeks to go, NO, I am done, I don't wanna get any bigger nor do I want to gain anymore weight. Oh, and on top of all of that I am losing my ankles! Yes that is right I am getting CANKLES!!! So DISGUSTING!

I guess the positive is the baby is growing nicely and should be nice and healthy. I am still measuring 2 weeks bigger then what I really am. I feel good and am actually starting to get and feel more prepared for Baby Girl to arrive. I am still watching the boys 3 days a week and trying to get some exercise in when I can. My next Dr appointment is on the 22nd and I have my professional "Belly Pictures" scheduled for the 23rd. I will post another update and pictures at 36 weeks.

J gets Baptized!!

For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. ~ 1 Cor 12:13

On Sunday, April 11th J publicly accepted Jesus Christ into her heart as her savior with her baptism. J has been very excited for many years about being baptized and furthering her walk with the Lord. J's Grandpa Steve got to Baptize her, which was very important for J. We are so happy and excited for you J. Congratulations on your Baptism, we love you so much!

Fun with the Kargs

S Karg and the kids came up last weekend for a sleep over. After my shower we enjoyed a nice dinner then it was baths and bed for the kids. D, S Karg and I enjoyed chatting and D & S had their "goodies" (Frozen Grasshoppers) while I ate another cake pop. D finally headed off to bed while as usually S and I stayed up way too late, but we did finally get to watch New Moon, well most of it, LOL. Sunday morning once we got D and A out the door (come back for those details) S Karg, the kids and myself headed out for a hike. We had a nice hike around the lake and of course had to take a picture break. After our hike we headed downtown for lunch and had to top it off with a treat from the treat center. Then the Kargs headed back down the mountain. Thank you guys so much for coming up. I really enjoy the time we make to spend together. We are going to miss you so much when you move.