'Hit the Road Jack' Recap

Bringing Up Bates "Hit the Road Jack"

• Jackson just turned 16, so he and Gil head over to the DMV for the big driving test. “I’ll stand out here and pray for you, both of you,” Gil jokingly tells Jackson and the instructor as they leave the building.
• “Finding a car at the Bates house where everything works can be a challenge, admits Nathan. Thankfully, Jackson has a vehicle with working lights and brakes.
• The siblings describe Jackson as a cautious driver, but despite his nervousness, he passes the test.
• Jackson drives over to Zach and Whitney’s newly renovated house to discuss future plans. The two have always been close, and they have many of the same hobbies, including reading. “Man, I can’t tell you how proud I am of you,” Zach tell Jackson. “I want you to know, I’m always here for you.”
• At the Paine house, Erin and Chad are working on decorating the nursery. They know their hands will be full with three kids, but they are thrilled.
• “I’m nervous, I’m not going to lie,” admits Chad. “I’m worried about Erin, and I’m just worried about the baby. A lot of different thoughts cross your mind.”
• Erin and Chad cut out pictures of the kids, attach them to string, and hang them on a large, open-back frame. 
• “Chad is more of the functional guy, but my main thing is, the room’s gotta look good,” says Erin. “It can’t look like we just crammed three kids in here.”
• At the last minute, Erin decides she wants the frame painted pink. “You’re awesome,” Erin tells Chad. “I work you too hard.” “No, you don’t,” replies Chad, smiling. “This is fun.”
• Meanwhile, Nathan takes Trace to the airport for a flight lesson so Trace can see if being a pilot is something he wants to pursue.
• “There’s guys that want to be pilots for a career, and that’s great,” says Nathan. “For me, I fly airplanes so it can reach people with the Gospel and save people’s lives. So I want to see Trace reaching people with the Gospel and saving people’s lives.”
• Trace agrees but says he “might just do it from the ground.” Just like Jackson during his driving test, Trace is extremely nervous, but Nathan is impressed at how well he does.

'Seas the Day' Recap

Bringing Up Bates "Seas the Day"

• Gil and Kelly have nine children who are still in homeschool. The oldest, Katie, is finishing up her senior year, while Jeb is in first grade. “Carlin has become such a help,” says Kelly. “And she really makes school fun.”
• “This is so fun,” Judson remarks during a school session with Carlin.
• Gil and Kelly and some of the kids pile in the van and head down to Myrtle Beach to meet Mama Jane’s sisters. They rent a home with an in-ground pool.
• After they arrive, their first activity is riding their bikes to Mama Jane’s beach house. The Bates aren’t wearing helmets, but UP flashes a message across the screen to remind viewers to wear theirs.
• Gil loves introducing his aunts and uncles to his children, many of whom have never met them. “[Dad] was literally beaming,” says Erin. 
• The group enjoys a meal at Dockside Seafood House, which is a new experience for the Bates kids. “The Bates do not like seafood,” admits Erin. “Can’t stand the smell of it, don’t like it,” adds Zach. 
• “I eat seafood,” jokes Judson. “I see the food on my plate and I eat it.”
• At the restaurant, the kids take turns trying shrimp and oysters. They aren’t huge fans.
• It’s mid-February and a bit chilly outside, but that doesn’t stop the Bates from watching the sunset on the beach. Carlin insists that she and Evan take photos. “We finally got [Evan] out of there,” says Warden.
• While the guys play football, Carlin has a chat with Papa Bill. She is earning her bachelor’s degree in general education and is also taking music classes to help her with teaching. Carlin lets Papa Bill in on a secret that Gil doesn’t yet know: She will be moving to Nashville when she marries Evan.
• On another day, the family goes walking with Gil’s extended family. “As long as I can remember, my aunts have been walking machines,” says Gil. “Even though my aunts are like in their 80s now, they can probably still out-walk our kids.”
• Later, Gil and some of his children go fishing on Cherry Grove Fishing Pier, a world-famous pier that is known for being the place where a record-breaking shark was caught. Gil remembers spending time there as a child. “In the end, the weather was winning, and so we decided to call it a day and come home with no fish,” says Lawson.
• It happens to be Jackson and Addallee’s birthday, so the entire family gathers to celebrate. “The cake is fun, the presents are fun…but…the most special part for me is hearing the other kids say something praiseworthy about their sibling,” says Gil.
• The Bates dad shares the story of how Addee stopped breathing as a newborn and was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. “I can remember that day because Jackson had convinced himself that you were his birthday present,” Kelly tells Addee. “And when the ambulance went pulling out, we were crying because of fear. He was crying because he said, ‘They’re stealing my present.’”

'Eye Love You Day' Recap

Bringing Up Bates "Eye Love You Day"

• Kelly is in bed recovering from vision correction surgery, so Carlin is in charge of homeschooling, and she runs a tight ship. She wakes the kids up earlier than usual, and the ones who won’t get out of bed get water sprinkled on their faces. “Half the time I’m not awake until she dumps the water on me,” admits Jackson.
• Gil loves pampering his wife, saying that he finally has her all to himself. Michael comes down from Chicago to cook and help with the children.
• One week after her surgery, Kelly is back in the swing of things. It’s time to start planning for I Love You Day (Bates Valentine’s Day). The theme is Growing Old Together, and the Bates mom is awarding a monetary prize to those with the best costumes. The goal of the theme is to honor Gil’s parent’s (Papa Bill and Mama Jane) and Kelly’s mom and new stepfather (Meema and Tom), as well as to express a hope that Gil and Kelly have for their married children. “That was all in fun, but at the same time, my prayer is [that] they will be able to grow old together,” says Kelly.
• Kelly and some of the kids go to Karm Thrift Store to find outfits for the party. “It was neat to see how everybody kind of envisioned what an older person dresses like,” says Erin.
• While searching for a costume, Kelly ends up finding something that she wants to wear on a regular day. Her kids poke fun at her, but she doesn't mind. “I am older,” says Kelly, laughing. “I’m not going to apologize.”
• “This is our biggest family holiday,” says Erin. The Websters arrive, and the older girls help the little kids make gifts, like bath scrub and body wash, to give to family members (in addition to the big gift exchange). While they work, Erin and Alyssa discuss their pregnancies. Erin says she “feels so successful” to be in her third trimester, while Alyssa says she is “so done.”
• The topic turns to Carlin’s relationship and possible engagement. She and Evan have been talking about timing. “As an older sister, it’s just really sweet to watch your younger sister go through a relationship,” says Erin.
• “Don’t talk about getting married,” cautions Gil. “We done got enough people married.” “Dad, you shouldn’t have had so many girls!” replies Alyssa.
• “I tell you, I can’t give away the boys, but everybody wants to get the girls,” says Gil.
• The night before the big celebration, the Websters and Paines decorate a big table at a local lakeside restaurant before the couples (both married and courting, including the grandparents), arrive. “This is not just any old date at the fast food,” says Kelly. “This is special.”
• “They’re excluding us from a lot of good fun and food,” says Lawson. “So this must change.” He arrives at the dinner in a suit, and Kelly tells him he is only welcome if he has “got a girl.”
• “Well I actually did bring somebody special here that I wanted to introduce you all too,” says Lawson. “You did what?!” exclaims Gil.
• Out comes Nathan, wearing a nightgown, curlers, and a gray wig. The room erupts in laughter. “Those two boys, it’s amazing what they’ll do to come to a good dinner,” says Gil, chuckling. “If he was dating somebody, this mama would know it,” states Kelly.
• During dinner, everyone shares their first impression of their significant other. Kelly was attracted to Gil’s athleticism and his “strut.” “Let’s just say he strutted his feathers, and this bird came running,” says Kelly.
• “I remember thinking, the guy that gets to marry [Michael] is going to be a very blessed guy, and I didn’t think I had a chance, but I’m the blessed guy,” shares Brandon.
• The next day, everyone arrives at the big house for the main celebration. Erin, Chad, Carlin, and Evan go all out. For contrast, the grandparents come dressed like young people.
• The winners of the costume contest are Evan (best adult male costume), Carlin (best adult female costume), Erin and Chad (best dressed couple), and Judson (best child costume).
• After a few games, it’s time for the gift exchange. “Honestly, the best thing about I Love You Day…is watching the other people open the gifts that you got them,” says Tori.
• Jackson’s gift for Katie is a pizza (delivered during the gift exchange), Ramen noodles, and a pair of shoes. Katie is thrilled, although she is only able to eat one piece of pizza before her siblings devour the rest.

'A Heavenly Honeymoon & A Courtship Countdown' Recap

Bringing Up Bates "A Heavenly Honeymoon & A Courtship Countdown"

• The wedding is over, and Tori and Bobby are off on their honeymoon. They fly into San Francisco and immediately grab a car and head to the Pacific Coast Highway. They stop at the Natural Bridges State Beach to eat sandwiches. “The first few days of our honeymoon, it really felt like we had snuck off somewhere and we were about to get caught at any second,” admits Bobby.
• Back home, Carlin and Josie discuss how odd it is to be the oldest sisters in the house.
• Tori and Bobby go on a private boat ride in Monterey Bay, and they sail past a large group of sea lions. After the excursion, the newlyweds have a FaceTime chat with Gil and Kelly, who are a bit down in the dumps now that Tori has left the house.
• To celebrate Tori’s birthday the following day, the Smiths check out beautiful Yosemite Valley. Bobby arranges for them to take a sleigh ride through a pine forest, complete with hot apple cider. “Going from courting and being engaged…always being careful that you’re not too close…to all of the sudden, in a split second you’re married and you can do whatever in the world you want, it’s just a really big difference that happens in a second,” says Tori. Bobby brings the birthday to a close with Tori’s favorite meal--steak--cooked together at the couple's mountain condo.
• Meanwhile, Kelton meets his dad, Michael Balka, for lunch to discuss the courtship proposal. The plan is to spend the day in Gatlinburg.
• When Kelton was 13, his mother passed away while giving birth to his youngest sister, Kerstin. (Kelton is the oldest of five.) “That was a really, really difficult time for our family, the hardest thing I’ve ever been through,” says Kelton. “My father has literally dedicated his life to pouring into me and his other four kids, and that’s part of the reason that me and him have such a close-knit relationship where we talk about everything. My father has built his whole life around carrying out my mother’s wishes in raising us.”
• To prepare for the big day, Kelton gets permission from the city to string lights on Emerets Cove Covered Bridge in Sevierville. His father and brother Carson help him.
• Next, it’s time for Kelton to surprise Josie. He shows up at the house with roses a few days before Josie was expecting everything to go down. “I was super nervous walking up,” says Kelton. “I have never done a courtship before.”
• Josie, Kelton, Gil, Kelly, and Michael head down to Gatlinburg. They take an aerial tram up a mountain to the Ober Gatlinburg Ski Area.
• They go ice skating, and Kelton jokingly gets down on one knee. “I told him we should skip courtship and propose,” says Josie. “If it had been in my pocket, it would have happened, but I didn’t have it,” explains Kelton. “But it’s okay because it’s coming,” replies Josie. “It’s coming soon.”
• After ice skating, they drive over to the covered bridge. Josie and Kelton get out and walk under the bridge, while the parents watch from the car.
• Kelton shares some heart-felt words with Josie: “You know that I have had very strong feelings about you for a long time, and today one of the things that I love most about you is that you absolutely are my best friend. I love your sweet spirit and your tenderness for other people. I love your diligence and even your determination to succeed, that those who don’t know you well might not even see. I really love your green eyes though, and I love this little beauty mark that you try to tell me that you hate because it’s beautiful. But above all, I love your heart. I want to make a commitment to you tonight to pursue your heart, and I brought you a gift tonight to help remind you of my commitment to pursue your heart. I love you, Josie Bates. Can I have your heart?”
• Kelton pulls out a diamond heart necklace, and the two of them enjoy a romantic hug.
• The parents are elated. “Twenty-five years ago, two days ago, my wife and I got married, and then we came to Gatlinburg for our honeymoon,” says Kelton’s dad. “It was just amazing that it all just kind of lined up like that, and it made it seem somewhat surreal.”
• “My father and mother were truly, deeply in love,” says Kelton. “My father has told me my whole life that his prayer and his dream for me would be for me to find someone that meant as much to me as my mother meant to him, and I don’t know how anyone could mean more to me than Josie does.”