Recap: "Tough Decisions & Large Ambitions

Bringing Up Bates "Tough Decisions & Large Ambitions"

• Chad, Erin, and Carson join Zach, Whitney, and Bradley for dinner. They enjoy talking about their little boys and their soon-to-arrive baby girls. Bradley loves giving cousin Carson hugs and kisses.
• Back at the Bates house, a somber Nathan knocks on his parents’ bedroom door for some “large talk.”
• “Ashley, she’s one of the best girls that I’ve ever met,” says Nathan. “Neither one of us have anything about the other one that we look at and don’t like, but we’ve come to the decision that we’re going to separate.” He and Ashley will still be friends and talk as much as they can, but they will no longer be a couple.
• Gil asks if their relationship is “on hold.” Nathan clarifies: He and Ashley broke up, but the decision was mutual and was on good terms.
• “Our main goal has been to try to pray about it and find out what God’s will is for us,” says Nathan.
• Nathan tears up as his parents give him a big hug. “It’s life,” he says, smiling through the tears.
• In Nashville, Tennessee, Lawson meets with an agent name Charles Dorris to discuss his budding music career and the tour he is planning for fall.
• “I think the future for Lawson is pretty bright,” says Charles. “Though there’s a lot of steps between where he is now and major stardom as a music artist, I think he’s on the right path.”
• The Bates heat their home with a wood stove, and their water comes from a spring. Since Gil is in the tree business, firewood is free. Three weeks after his surgery, he joins the boys outside to split some wood. “Hey, Dad, the ‘70s is calling; they lookin’ for their glasses,” jokes Jackson when he sees his father’s old school protective glasses.
• In the midst of the chaos of nearly a dozen guys chopping firewood, Gil accidentally runs over the front tire of Judson’s new bike with his truck. “Judson was probably as crushed as his bike was,” says Lawson. Thankfully, Gil is able to fix it.  

Recap: Sunshine State Bates

Bringing Up Bates "Sunshine State Bates"

• Kelly and Erin stop by Zach and Whitney’s house to see their latest renovations. Whitney explains that the next project is to turn the nursery into a bedroom that can accommodate both Bradley and Kaci. Kelly and Erin share their ideas.
• Down in Florida, Alyssa and John give viewers an update on their lives. They start by sharing that they are not pregnant. “Since Whitney announced that she was having Kaci, everybody has been asking me, ‘Are you pregnant yet? When are you going to be pregnant? When are you going to tell us?’” says Alyssa.
• The mom of one says she is content with where she is at now. “No rush, no rush, at all no rush,” she states, laughing.
• According to Alyssa, she and John are spoiled to have such an easy baby. Allie began sleeping through the night at one week old, and on the rare occasion that she wakes up, she always takes a bottle and goes right back to sleep. 
• How many kids do the Bates think John and Alyssa will have?
• Chad: 6-8
• Jackson: 2-4
• Callie: 3-4
• Isaiah and Addallee: 10
• Gil and Kelly: 8-11

• John works 8-5, Monday thru Friday, in his family’s heating and air conditioning company. To supplement their income, John and Alyssa have a cleaning business that the operate in the evenings. They currently clean an ice cream shop and a dance studio, while Allie watches from her playpen. Coming from a large family, Alyssa says she is used to spending a lot of time cleaning.
• Every week, John, Alyssa, and Allie spend an evening with John’s family. The men play softball or basketball in an organize league while the ladies chat and cheer them on. John’s siblings present at this week’s softball game are Jordan, Brent, David, and Tori. His parents, Congressman Daniel Webster and Sandy, also attend. Olivia is Jordan’s wife, and Regina is Brent’s wife.
• “Our family is always getting together around music or food mostly,” says Lawson. “And the Webster family, I think sports really brings them together.”
• The Bates also enjoy sports, but the kids say there is a big difference. “The Websters play organized sports,” states Zach. “In our family, we don’t do anything organized.” 
• “We play chaos sports,” adds Kelly. Gil shares an example: tackle basketball.
• Back in Tennessee, Lawson heads over to the children’s hospital to surprise his friend AJ at his end-of-treatment party. AJ is a young cancer patient who has been through 41 chemo treatments and is not yet in remission.
• Lawson brings his guitar and sings “Amazing Grace” with AJ, who is always thrilled to spend time with his buddy Lawson.
• Later, Gil and the boys finally finish the tree house fort. Gabe, a family-friend who builds buildings for a living, lends a hand. The girls put on old clothes and paint the metal roof pieces, while the guys give them a hard time for allowing the wind to blow leaves onto the paint. Carlin's response? "Well hello obvious!" The gals say they can see the leaves sticking to the paint but that they can't help it because they can't control the wind.
• Kelly jokes that the boys are so proud of their work that they might decide to move into the finished fort. “After seeing their room, we might let them,” says Gil, chuckling.

Recap: "A LOVEly Day"

Bringing Up Bates "A LOVEly Day"...

• "As the family grows, its harder and harder to get everyone together, but the whole family will be coming home to celebrate “I Love You Day," and we’re excited about seeing everyone and being together” says Gil.
• It’s Ashley’s first visit to the Bates home since she and Nathan started courting. Gil and Kelly take the couple out to eat. Nathan and Ashley take the opportunity to speak to Gil and Kelly about concerns with their relationship. “Over time it is clear that there are some opposites in personality, and I think at first we kind of overlooked it, and although I am confident in Nathan and I love him, these differences have concerned both of us I think” says Ashley, “We want to act appropriately, and we don’t want to just make a decision based on our emotions because it’s for life.”
• Kelly and Gil encourage the couple and let them know that communication is key. “The courtship goal is to keep the physical and other parts on a check so you can really get to the deeper issues that relationships are really built on”, states Gil.
• Tori has her eye on Bobby, a fellow who attends college in Florida. He is joining the Bates for Valentine’s Day. “I kind of felt sorry for Bobby, coming into this blindly, especially since he has two sisters and there’s like 20 of us," says Tori.
• Alyssa, John, and baby Allie arrive from Florida, and Michaella and Brandon are in from Chicago. “I like being here and being married," states Michaella. "It’s better than being here and being single." Grandma and Grandpa Bates join the group, as well.
• This year for Valentine’s Day the guys are cooking for the gals. “This is Sunday dress, so everybody put on your best," announces Kelly. "We’re going to have a lots of games; it’s going to be fun.  Oh It’s going to be sweet."
• The kids draw names and exchange gifts with their siblings to help them connect which each other.
• Erin and Chad come up with a unique way to let their family in on a secret.  They add a new name to Kelly’s handmade grandbaby quilt...Brooklyn. They are expecting a girl!
• After a delicious Valentine’s dinner served by the males, the ladies of the family are serenaded with original Valentine’s songs.
• “This, I Love You Day has topped every I Love You Day in the past," declares Nathan. "I can’t wait ‘til next year."

Recap: "Bates Boys Birthday Bash"

Bringing Up Bates "Bates Boys Birthday Bash"...

• Jeb and Trace have a special bond. They were born on the same day 15 years apart. “Jeb was
  born on my birthday," says Trace. "I prayed for it, and he came a little bit early, and that
  was awesome."
• Trace plans a birthday party for himself with the older boys. Jeb assumes that the party is for
  the both of them and starts planning the event. Trace is totally okay with that. “Jeb thinks it’s his party," Trace says. "So it’s going to be his party and mine now. It’s going to be really special and fun for him.”
• On the day of the party, all the guys go go-kart racing. No girls allowed, per Jeb’s rules. Jeb rides with Gil, but the ride is a little too fast for him, and he states that he is "never going again." But it doesn’t take long, and Jeb is cruising again with his best buddy Trace.
• The party continues at Zach’s house. Warden makes a delicious pink cake with white icing (also Jeb’s request). Warden is learning the art of cooking from Erin.
• Erin and Chad attend an all-girls Valentine’s banquet to help an American Heritage girl scout named Micah earn her Stars and Stripes award. Micah begins the banquet by saying, “No girl should be depressed on Valentine's Day. I think we all should be just celebrating God’s love for us and really enjoying fun together. We do not need a guy to be happy, especially when we have a God that loves us more than any human is possibly capable of."
• Erin is nervous about speaking: “It’s funny, if I was playing the piano, I would be comfortable
  playing in front of 10,000 people, but when you say I am going to say something, I get scared to death. I really do.
• Erin speaks to the girls about finding contentment in who you are. Find a cause, encourage
  somebody, and you will be the benefactor. 
• Chad shares with the girls that he was drawn to Erin because of her heart for people.
• Erin and Chad say they went to the Valentine's banquet for the purpose of encouraging the young girls, but Erin says that she and Chad "were the ones that really left encouraged that evening."

Recap: "Big Family, Big Changes"

Bringing Up Bates Season 4 Premiere, "Big Family, Big Changes"

• “It makes you real nervous, with everybody growing and moving and shaking,” says Gil,  as he and Kelly discuss the changes that are happening in the Bates family.
• Gil is preparing for surgery to correct his diverticulitis, a problem with the intestines that causes pockets to form.
• Before his surgery, Gil helps the boys fix up the swing set fort, but the father of 19 ends up at an urgent care facility when he slides down a 2 by 4 and gets a huge splinter lodged in his arm. 
• "I knew he was in a lot of pain because Gil doesn't deal with pain really well. He gets a little moody when he's in pain,” says Kelly Bates. 
• "I’m allergic to two things,” jokes Gil. “Paying and pain, and I’m afraid that that day, I got to do both.” 
• Lawson heads to Nashville, Tennessee, to work with producer/writer Matt Rovey and singer/songwriter Jason Wyatt. He is planning a small tour for this fall, during which he will perform in a number of cities, predominately in the Southeast. 
• The Bates kids, who think of their dad as “invincible,” are sad to see him have to endure major surgery. “He’s always been the biggest kid in the family,” says Zach. 
• While Gil is recovering, Nathan, Gil's right-hand man, along with Lawson and Trace, head out to do a tree job for Bates Tree Service.
• Gil says he could climb trees until at least age 65, but Kelly doesn’t agree. “He’s in denial,” she says, laughing. 
• While Gil and Kelly are away at the hospital, Carlin, Tori, and Josie help the little kids make cards for Dad. 
• Whitney shares an update on her pregnancy, which she says has been "awesome." “I’ve actually been able to go several days without getting sick and not having to take any medicine,” says the expectant mother. “I’m still pretty tired, but other than that, it’s really been good.” 
• Zach and Whitney stop by the house to announce the name they have chosen for their baby girl: Kaci Lynn Bates. Her first name is in honor of Kelly, as it starts with a “K” and sounds similar. Whitney’s mom’s name is Lynn. 
• Later, the kids FaceTime with Gil, who is on strong medications while recovering at the hospital. “He sounded like a very sick frog,” says Ellie. 
• Although he is still in great pain, Gil says that coming home to his family jump-started his recovery. 
• A short while later, East Tennessee receives a big dump of snow, and the kids head outside to go sledding. Gil, who is still on the road to recovery, has to sit this one out.
• For those who are wondering, the song playing in the background towards the end of the episode is "Give Me Some Love," written by Jesse Epstein and David Choi.