Christmas 2013
Hello Friends and Family. We hope you are on the receiving end of as many blessings as we are this year. Here's the scoop from 2013.

Jason
Jason is still working for Core Products. They make chiropractic supply equipment. He is in sales and his job has changed a little this year. He still is traveling quite a bit. Outside of work, he's very instrumental in the Galva Sports Wall of Fame. He has coached baseball, flag football, and basketball, all Cooper's teams. He's also become more involved in the Galva Youth Sports Association.

Melissa
Melissa is still working for Kewanee schools, in Neponset again this year. Preschool for the 8th year in a row! She is still involved in doing training for daycare providers, recently branching out into Iowa. She is the Co-VP of her PEO chapter (thanks Mom), still on the library board, and also helping out with the Galva Youth Sports Association.

Carter
Carter is 11 and a full-fledged preteen. He's in 6th grade, top of the school. He earned his yellow belt in Kung Fu this fall. He is an avid gamer, playstation, Wii, WiiU, and the Xbox. He is still very into animals, taking care of his leopard gecko. He got to attend Zoo Camp where he learned a lot and met other animal lovers. He played baseball this summer and is into shooting hoops.

Cooper
Cooper is 8. He is in 2nd grade and tells us he is the teacher's new favorite (after Carter used to be her favorite). He is our sports kid. He loves the Bears (and secretly the Packers, too). He plays baseball, flag football, and basketball. He's into video games too but loves to ride his bike and play outside. He's such a caring and funny kid. He takes good care of Cameron.

Cameron
Cameron is 6. He is in 1st grade and has learned to read and do math easily. His passion is trains, mainly crossings. He loves watching Youtube videos on Daddy's ipad of train crossings. He told me the other day, "I WILL drive a train when I'm a grown up." He wants Mom to ride along with him or serve food in the dining car. He also loves to be outside riding his bike. He and Cooper are racing at losing teeth. They have lost them within a week of each other until now. Cameron still has one top tooth hanging on but Cooper has lost both.

This past summer we went to a water park resort in the Smoky Mountains with Melissa's mom and step-dad. The drive was long but the fun was big. Melissa even tried a big slide and almost got sick going down backwards. A highlight was on the way back in Cincinnati where we went to EnterTRAINment Junction, a huge model train display that the whole family enjoyed. Cameron is still wearing his engineer hat daily.

We have had a nice holiday already, visiting with the Lee side at Melissa's step-sister, Mandy's house and with Melissa's sister, brother-in-law, and nephew, Desmond. We'll be spending Christmas afternoon with the Bates side and the day after with Melissa's aunts and cousins. Lots of gatherings with wonderful family. Memories being made.

Hopefully your family is enjoying the holidays, too. Have a safe and happy 2014!

The Bates Family
Melissa, Jason, Carter, Cooper, and Cameron