Recap: 'The Wedding To-Do List'

Tonight on Bringing Up Bates, "The Wedding To-Do List"...

• Michaella calls Brandon to tell him that Wallace Memorial Baptist Church has agreed to let them use the church for their wedding. The church has a youth lock-in that weekend, so the Bates and Keilens can only set up for the wedding the day of, and the reception must be over by the early evening.
• The Bates family has a fabulous oral surgeon who works with their budget. Zach, Michaella, Erin, and Tori have all had their wisdom teeth pulled, and now it's Lawson's turn.
• According to the family, Lawson has a pain tolerance of zero and is very melodramatic when it comes to dental procedures.
• On the day of the surgery, Gil brings a camera to capture Lawson's entertaining post-op for Kelly, who stays home because she is prone to fainting during the kids' medical emergencies. The mom of 19 can handle pain herself, but when she sees her children in pain, it makes her feel lightheaded.
• When the procedure is over, Lawson plays up the severity of his condition, but he manages to take a selfie on the drive home.
• Brandon comes to Tennessee so he and Michaella can meet with a wedding coordinator friend, shop for wedding bands, and choose brown tuxedos. Tori and Carlin go along as chaperones.
• Most people would consider 500-800 guests to be a massive wedding, but according to Nathan, "anything under 1,000 is a small wedding." Lawson agrees. Brandon, on the other hand, considers a small wedding to be one with around 50 people. Michaella and Brandon are going to have less attendees than all three previous Bates weddings.
• Although Michaella's wedding is going to be big, she and Brandon are committed to keeping it cost effective, which makes Gil very happy. "Sometimes when I see [my dad] crying when the girl is walking down the aisle, I wonder if he is crying because he is losing his girl, or if he is crying because he is seeing all the things he bought that he is just discovering," says Nathan. 

Recap: "Life Lessons"

Tonight on Bringing UP Bates, "Life Lessons"...

• The Bates family has a designated school room, which is filled with computers, but many of the children do their schoolwork on the living room couches.
• "I describe our school like a three-ring circus, because I've got all the way from kindergarten to senior high school," says Kelly.
• Kelly explains that she and Gil "had the advantage of going to college." She majored in human services with a minor in special education. Gil and Kelly say that going to college broadens a child's opportunities.
• Gil lost his job when he and Kelly had eight kids and had to learn a trade to keep his family afloat.
• Kelly loves having the freedom to personalize each child's curriculum, and she encourages her older kids to be involved in that process. "My mom is a genius," says Carlin.
• The older kids also help tutor the younger ones. Tori (19) has especially enjoyed assisting her mom in the schoolroom, which prompted her to pursue a teaching degree at The Crown College of the Bible. Tori is enjoying her classes and the opportunity to meet new friends.
• At the end of Tori's first full semester of college, several family members gather around the computer as she checks her graces. Straight A's! "That tells me one thing," says Gil, beaming. "You've got your mama's brains."
• Nathan heads down to Mississippi for a month to study under an aviation instructor, who is also a pastor, in order to earn his pilot's license. He plans to use this certification to enhance his mission work, which he is pursuing full-time. Gil and Kelly are thrilled for Nathan, but they are sad to see him leave.
• When it comes time for Nathan to fly home with his instructor, the family drives to the runway to meet him. It is a rainy day, and Kelly is concerned for her son's safety.  "If this is a bad landing, my mom's never going to ride with me in an airplane," says Nathan.
• Nathan's landing is a success, and everyone runs over to the plane to greet him.

Recap: "Doctor's Orders"

Tonight on Bringing Up Bates, "Doctor's Orders"...

• Gil and Kelly sit down with Michaella to talk about the budget for her wedding. As they did for Erin and Alyssa and plan to do for each of their daughters, the Bates will give Michaella a sum of money for her wedding. If she and Brandon want to spend more, they will have to raise their own funds.
• The Bates' extended family members have helped keep wedding costs down. Kelly's sister Kay is a baker, and her sister Kim owns a flower shop.
• Kelly, Michaella, Erin, and Whitney search for a church that can accommodate 500-800 people and is available on the date Michaella and Brandon have chosen (August 15th). The couple's wedding colors-- pink and brown--also must look good inside the sanctuary.
• The first church doesn't work with Michaella's colors. She really likes the second church, but Erin is convinced that it won't hold enough people. Kelly takes videos to send to Brandon.
• "All of my family is very opinionated, and it can be very helpful, but at the same time, my list of important things doesn't necessarily match their list of important things," says Michaella.
• Unfortunately, the ladies soon find out that church No. 2 is not available on August 15th. Michaella admits she is nervous because she and Brandon cannot change their date.
• The third stop is Wallace Memorial, and everyone loves it. The church has a youth lock-in on August 15th which they have to figure out if they can work around. The Bates know that if it is God's will, the date will work out.
• Meanwhile, Aunt Kay (also known as "Kay Kay") comes over to show the little ones how to decorate a cake. The kids especially enjoy eating the icing.
• Before long, the cake decorating class turns into a food fight, which Kay admits she instigated. "I covered Kay Kay's glasses with icing, pink icing, so she couldn't see anymore," shares Callie, giggling.
• "This was a very successful thing," says Kay. "It was very messy, but messy can be fun. You need to teach kids how to have fun in the kitchen and not make it a chore."
• Erin wakes up early one morning with painful contractions, so she and Chad head to the hospital. The doctors give Erin medicine to stop the contractions, and they give the baby a steroid shot, in case he arrives early.
• After those complications, Erin's doctor decides to schedule weekly appointments and ultrasounds. "It's hard for me not to live in fear," says Erin. "It's scary, and you just want to be sure that everything is okay."

Recap: "Brandon Pops the Question"

Bringing Up Bates, "Brandon Pops the Question"

• Brandon Keilen calls Gil to share his plans for the big proposal. The Bates all love Brandon and say it's about time that he ask Michael to marry him.
• Brandon wants Michael to have a unique engagement ring, so he brings sketches to Harrington's Fine Jewelry in Chicago to start the design process. 
• The white gold ring features a big stone that represents God as the center of Brandon and Michael's relationship, surrounded by each of their initials (M and B).
• Brandon texts Michael to tell her that he is planning a trip to Washington D.C. and will be staying with his sister, Angie. Michael asks her parents if they mind if she goes along. Gil suggests that Michael surprise Brandon in D.C, so Michael makes plans to stay with Angie but does not tell her boyfriend. Little does she know that she is part of a much bigger plan. 
• Meanwhile, Gil and Kelly are secretly planning to fly to D.C. separately, but they day before they are scheduled to leave, Alyssa goes into labor. Gil and Kelly drop everything and head down to Florida.
• Alyssa gives birth at a birthing center and is released the same day. Gil and Kelly meet their granddaughter, Allie Jane, the day after she is born. Kelly is shocked at how good Alyssa looks so soon after giving birth. "You couldn't even tell she had had a baby," says Kelly. She looked great."
• After meeting Allie, Gil and Kelly "zip over" to D.C. for the proposal. 
• Michael arrives in D.C. and surprises Brandon at Angie's apartment. (Angie sends Brandon on an errand and has Michael greet him at the door when he returns.) 
• Michael arrives on a Sunday, and she and Brandon spend the day sightseeing with Angie and another of one Brandon's sisters, Becky. "Anxiety was kind of mounting as the day was getting closer," says Brandon, as he makes final plans to execute the proposal the following day.
• Back home in Tennessee, the kids use the iPhone app Find My Friends to figure out that their parents are no longer in Florida. They put two and two together and realize what is happening, and they are thrilled.
• The next morning, Brandon and Michael visit the D.C. cherry blossoms at the Jefferson Memorial as the sun rises. Brandon tells Michael that he has to leave for a few hours to do work and hands her the first clue of a scavenger hunt.
• "Brandon, he gives 'thoughtful' an entirely new definition," says Michael, touched that her boyfriend planned something for her to do in his absence.
• The scavenger hunt takes Michael and Becky on a trek across the city. Angie and a third Keilen sister, Christy, are helping behind the scenes. At each location, Michael watches a video made by Brandon and cries at his thoughtfulness.
• The last clue takes Michael to Great Falls Park, Virginia, where Brandon is waiting with flowers and the ring. 
• "Michael, I want to say three things to you," Brandon tells his girlfriend. "The first thing is: I love you. The second is: I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And the third is a question: Will you marry me?"
• "Yes!" responds Michael. "I've wanted to from the very first day I met you."
• The couple shares a few hugs before their parents come out of hiding. 
• Brandon and Michael are planning their wedding for August 15th.

Recap: "Blessings...And New Beginnings?"

Tonight on Bringing Up Bates, "Blessings...And New Beginnings?"

• Ashley and Anastasia, two friends whom Lawson and Nathan met at a conference, come for a visit.
• The boys recently visited Ashley and Anastasia in their "hometown" of New York City, and now they want to show the girls what life is like in the hills of Tennessee. “…We decided to give them a taste of what the real world is like,” says Nathan.
• The first item on the agenda? Horseback riding. “The most fun part was watching them try to make the horses go in a straight line,” says Lawson. “They did better than I thought,” says Nathan.
• Later, Gil and Kelly take Lawson, Nathan, Anastasia, Ashley, and a few of the other Bates to McCloud Mountain Restaurant, which has a beautiful view.
• The visit goes very well. “Who knows? They just might want to come back again someday,” says Lawson, smiling.
• Kelsey, Erin’s close friend from college, throws Erin a baby shower. The Bates usually invite both guys and gals to their baby showers, but Erin has decided she wants to have one with just ladies.
• As friends and family members gather for the shower, Kelly is stressed out because her other daughters are 30 minutes late, due to a miscommunication over whether Carlin or Tori is supposed to drive.
• At the end of the shower, Kelsey reveals a special surprise she has planned for Erin. She instructs everyone to grab a balloon and release it outside in memory of the babies Erin miscarried before she became pregnant with Carson.
• “It was very, very touching,” says Kelly. “It was a very loving gesture, a thoughtful gesture that I would not have thought of doing.”