'Tis the Season for Surprises' Recap

Bringing Up Bates "'Tis the Season for Surprises"

• Katie gives Ellie, Addallee, and Callie a hair curling tutorial. “When Katie leaves, it’s going to be very sad,” says Addee. “I’m just going to cry the whole week after.”
• Zach comes over to help Gil and some of the boys hang Christmas lights. Nathan arrives and introduces Esther to the family.
• “She seems like a very sweet girl,” says Zach. “Seems like she loves Nathan a lot, and it definitely seems like Nathan loves her, so super excited to watch them come rolling in.”
• Esther is also from a big family, so she is right at home with the super-sized Bates crew. “The more, the merrier,” says Esther. “I love it.”
• The couples get together for a bonfire. The Websters are in town, so everyone is together. Nathan and Esther tell the story of how they met at a mutual friend’s wedding. Nathan says Esther had the bluest eyes he had ever seen. They started texted and calling, and about a week later, Nathan told her he wanted to be more than friends. That was a year ago. “Going public with my family is kind of like going public with the world,” says Nathan.
• Later at Zach and Whitney’s house, the kids help decorate gingerbread men (or, rather, “genderbread” men). Josie, Kelton, and Willow have a photographer take their photo as they release confetti cannons with either pink or blue.
• The Bates family gathers for their Christmas celebration. Everyone but Tori and Bobby’s family is healthy and able to attend. Taryn takes outdoor family pictures. After the group photo, the reveals start. Josie and Kelton hand Kelton’s father an ornament that says “Baby Girl: Hazel Sloane Balka.”
• Zach hands his parents and Whitney’s parents a box of gingerbread men with no icing. “Wait, where’s the color?” screams Kelly. Zach jokingly apologizes and brings out the blue gingerbread men.
• Erin makes a big announcement on behalf of Tori and Bobby. She gives Gil and Kelly a placard that says “Making room for a new little one: Charlotte Raine.”
• “[Bobby] will be a good girl dad,” says Tori. “I can’t say I’m going to be a good girl mom, but I will try my hardest.”
• “Christmas is a magical time of year,” says Nathan, “And I can’t wait for every Christmas to come, from here on out. And I’m very confident they’re all going to be with Esther.”

'Nathan's New Romance and a Secret Birthday Bash' Recap

Bringing Up Bates "Nathan's New Romance and a Secret Birthday Bash"

• Before Kelly’s surgery, the entire family gets together to surprise her with a birthday celebration. “Now that I’m in my 30s and I realize that time with family is truly one of the most special gifts,” says Michael. “And I think to my mom, it’s more special than anything we could ever purchase for her, is just to be together as a family and share memories.”
• Instead of sharing praises about the birthday person, which is a Bates family tradition, Michael suggest that they share childhood memories. Zach remembers being taught how to read while the little kids were napping. Erin remembers her mom eagerly listening to her practice music, even when she wasn’t very good.
• Callie cries as she recounts how her mom makes her feel special and gives her the encouragement she needs to try new things. “Callie has such a sweet personality,” says Josie. “She just has such a sweet heart, always trying to say good things about other people.”
• “It’s really the most heart-warming and the most sensitive thing that you can imagine, to have that connection with your kids and to be listening to them share things that were meaningful to them,” says Kelly.
• Everyone lays hands on Kelly as Gil prays. Alyssa and John FaceTime in to join the special time. “I know the birthday party meant a lot to my mom,” says Erin. “She had such a personal relationship with each of her children, and they all just adore her.”
• Forty-eight hours post-surgery, Michael comes by to check on Kelly. She is in pain and will have a two-to-four-week recovery with only liquids and purees. But she is very much looking forward to a better quality of life.
• Lawson adopted a dog named Duke and has a K9 trainer come over to the house. Lawson hopes to train him to be a law enforcement dog, but Zach is skeptical. “With a dog at the Bates house, there’s 70 people running around you 24/7,” says the eldest Bates. “Everybody’s dividing your attention, scratching you behind the ear. Mom’s going to curl you up on the couch and read books to you. This dog is not going to be a police dog. This dog will be a police emotional support dog.”
• Tori and Bobby had a big bash planned for Kade’s second birthday, but when some of the family was exposed to COVID, they decided they would just celebrate with Bobby’s parents. They decorate cupcakes at a park pavilion. Kade isn’t too interested, but Kolter loves it. When Kade opens Alyssa’s gift, a golf set, he gets a little more into the party mood.
• Later, Nathan tells his parents about his relationship with Esther from Pennsylvania. They are officially boyfriend and girlfriend. Nathan plans to have Esther come to Tennessee for the Bates’ early Christmas celebration, and then he will go back to the East Coast for Christmas with Esther’s family.
• Nathan asks for advice, and Gil and Kelly encourage him to take it slow. “It means so much to me to have my parents who are excited about being involved in our lives,” says Nathan. “They’re excited about sharing their past experiences. They’re always honest, but they’re very kind and tactful, and they find the best ways to help us navigate things like this.”

'Smitten in the Smokies' Recap

Bringing Up Bates "Smitten in the Smokies"

• Travis arrives in Tennessee to celebrate Katie’s birthday. “Katie loves to remind me that she’s five months older than me,” says Travis, smiling. “She loves to say I love older women…” When he arrives, he surprises Katie with a new dress and plans for a dinner date.
• “The problem is, we’re running out of chaperones,” laughs Kelly. Katie and Travis end up choosing Addallee and Ellie.
• Whitney and Carlin pick up the key for their storefront in Rocky Top. With help from Zach and Chad, they make plans for the space. “Honestly, the thought of a storefront baffles me,” says Carlin. “Like, no way we’re already here.” The ladies are concerned that they will grow out of this space as quickly as they grew out of the warehouse in Zach and Whitney’s backyard.
• Later, Gil, Kelly, Lawson, Katie, and Travis take the younger kids to Gatlinburg. They ride a bus up to the ziplines at Anakeesta. Unfortunately, Judson, Jeb, and Callie don’t quite meet the 70-pound weight requirement.
• While the rest of the group enjoys the ziplines, Kelly, Katie, and Travis take Judson, Jeb and Callie gem-mining. “Is there one that has like a ring in it?” Katie asks the employee. “I think Trav wants that one.”
• “We all thought there was going to be a ring in Katie or Travis’,” says Callie. She and Jeb agree that that would be the perfect proposal plan. Travis says he has a year and a half left of school, but Katie hints that he might propose sooner.
• “For me, when I’m thinking about Katie and Travis, the word engagement is something I’m just trying to pretend is way down the road, so we’ll have to see,” says Gil. “We just pray it’s a long time down the road. Let’s just say, nobody’s talked to me about it yet.”