'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 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). Erin says she “feels so successful” to be in her third trimester.F
• 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.”
• “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, some of the couples 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.

'The 'Cubs' Land in Chicago' Recap

Bringing Up Bates "The 'Cubs' Land in Chicago"

• It’s January, and the five youngest Bates boys are staying with Michael and Brandon in Chicago while Gil, Kelly, and Carlin are in Australia and New Zealand for speaking engagements. “Mom said she was leaving the country, and I said, ‘Can I have all the little kids?’” shares Michael. “And she said I could have half of them.”
• It takes the boys a few days to adjust to the Keilens’ house rules. They aren’t used to going to bed at 9:30 and waking up at 7:30, nor are they used to healthier food choices.
• Jackson’s reaction to Michael and Brandon’s breakfast crepes is priceless: “Michaela fed us pancake looking things, like a taco pancake with fruit in it.”
• Michael bakes gingerbread and leads the boys in a gingerbread house decorating contest. She makes a rule that they can’t eat any candy while they are working, which is a difficult concept for her brothers to grasp. “At our house, when you’re making the gingerbread house, you can eat the candy as you’re making it,” says Jackson. “Here…if you eat the candy, you lose the privilege of eating the gingerbread house.”
• Michael and Brandon also tell the boys the medieval story that they wrote and are in the process of turning into a picture book. Later, they take the boys to Medieval Times, a medieval-themed dinner theater that features a jousting performance.
• Although her brothers have tested her patience, Michael has had a blast and says she will cry when they leave. “They’ve been so fun, but it’s like having a full-fledged family, suddenly,” says Brandon. “They’ve been a lot of fun, but I’m not going to lie, I’m going to have a sigh of relief.”
• Back in Tennessee, Josie takes the film crew to her cosmetology school. “…It’s a very practical thing,” she says. “I could use it after I got married and do it from my home.”
• “…Being homeschooled and then going to college is a world of difference,” says Josie. “The social aspect is very different…and I guess being by myself was very different…” Courtney Green, a family-friend of the Bates, is also in cosmetology school with Josie.
• Later, Josie styles Carlin’s hair at home. Tori comes in with a bob cut died black and freaks Carlin out. It turns out to be a wig.

Recap: "Windy City Newlyweds"

Bringing Up Bates "Windy City Newlyweds"

• Soon after Michaela and Brandon return from their honeymoon, Kelly, Carlin, Josie, Callie, Judson, and Jeb travel to Chicago for a visit.
• “When I first got to Michael’s apartment, it was a perfect little place, but it’s really, really small, which is fine; we started out small,” says Kelly. “But it was very crowded. They have a lot more stuff than they have places to put it, and it was too cute of a place to be cluttered.”
• The gals immediately start reorganizing the living room. 
• “What have you been doing since I’ve been gone?” says Brandon when he returns from work.
• “It took like an hour to decide if he liked it,” says Carlin.
• The next day, Michaela and her mom and siblings take the iconic architectural boat tour through downtown Chicago.
• “What a neat place to visit!” says Kelly. “Emphasis on Visit,” adds Gil, chuckling.
• After the tour, it’s time for Kelly and the kids to head home. “It’s always hard to say goodbye to any of the children, no matter what their age is,” says Kelly.
• Back in Tennessee, Erin and Chad discuss ideas for restoring an old hutch. Woodworking and restoring dilapidated furniture are currently just hobbies that Chad pursues in his free time, but he hopes to start a business in the future.
• “Restoring furniture, doing any project really, is a way to relax for him,” says Erin, as she and Carson watch Chad work. The finished product is incredible!
• The Bates family gathers to celebrate Zach’s graduation from the Blount County Regional Training Academy. The ceremony is delayed when Zach shows up late.
• One of the speakers at the graduation ceremony reminds the recruits that nothing is more important than their partner, both on the job and at home.
• It is an emotional day for Whitney and the rest of the Bates clan. “I was a proud wife because not many guys put their life on the line for people they don’t even know,” says Whitney.
• “We are all super proud of Zach,” says Nathan.
• The Bates family members, especially Whitney, admit that they worry about Zach as he works as a enforcement officer. “It makes me pray for him a whole lot more often,” says Kelly.
• “[Zach] has become the kind of man I think…everybody wants their son to grow up and be like,” says Gil.

Bates Home Makeover

Last season on Bringing Up Bates, Gil and Kelly Bates accompanied Michael, who was not yet engaged, on a trip to Chicago to spend time with Brandon Keilen and his parents. While they were away, Chad and Erin Paine stayed at the house and enlisted the children to help with a special surprise for Mom and Dad.

When Gil and Kelly walked through the door of their bedroom after the trip, they were shocked to see what the kids had been up to: an extreme home makeover.

"...Just the thought that our kids would want to do something like that for us, it was really sweet," shared Kelly, after the initial shock of the surprise had passed. Check out this video:

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. 
• 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.