Recap: "Beaches, Boats and Bates"

Bringing Up Bates "Beaches, Boats and Bates"...

• The Bates clan (everyone but Zach, Whitney, Bradley, Michaela, Brandon, Chad, and Tori) head down to Cape San Blas, located along the coast of the Florida Panhandle. “Let's just say, our family loves water,” shares Gil. “They like to get in the water, throw the water, play in the water.”
• When the family arrives at the rental condo, the kids are eager to head to the beach, but they must first wait for Kelly to assign bedrooms.
• At one point, the Bates vacationed in Cape San Blas four years in a row, but weddings and grandbabies have prevented them from taking their annual trip.
• When they finally hit the beach, Carlin helps the younger kids build a sandcastle. “Going [on a] vacation is not just getting away and relaxing,” says Nathan. “It’s building memories and investing in the little guys…”
• How do the Bates dress at the beach? The boys wear swim trunks, while the girls wear skirts made of swimsuit material that come down just above the knee. Both genders wear either a regular shirt or a swim shirt.
• Jeb throws a temper tantrum when his turn on the ocean kayak ends, so Gil takes him back to the condo to have a chat.
• Gil tells Jeb to look him in the eyes and asks him to apologize. Then he does what he and Kelly call Obedience Training. To make sure he is listening, father of 19 instructs his youngest son to clap once, then twice, and then three times.
• “There are always opportunities to help Jeb have a good attitude,” laughs Kelly. “He makes sure we get plenty of practice.”
• On another day, the Bates venture out on a boat to go snorkeling on a sandbar. The younger kids are wary of the creatures in the water and are shocked when their guide catches a horseshoe crab, which Kelly refers to as a “mega ocean roach.”
• While Kelly steps away to take Erin and Carson to the airport, Gil and the boys attempt to catch fish off the shore. 
• Meanwhile, the gals head to a grocery store to buy food for dinner. “For some reason, them girls ain’t got no faith in our ability,” says Lawson.
• The boys’ fishing excursion doesn't turn out to be as fruitful as they had hoped. They only end up catching one fish worth keeping. “Guys, we’re going to be some real skinny people if we live off our fishing,” Gil jokingly tells his sons.
• The week comes to an ends, and it's time to head home. “I hope the one thing the kids take away from the vacation is really the value of their relationships,” says Gil. “Make every moment count with every child every chance you get.”

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.

Recap: Training Wheels and Trick Saddles"

Bringing Up Bates "Training Wheels and Trick Saddles"

• Gil and Kelly surprise Judson with a bike for his fifth birthday. Warden convinces his younger brother to try riding without training wheels, but Judson doesn't like that idea. “I want my training wheels back on,” says the birthday boy. 
• Erin and Chad, along with Carson and Tori, head to Beech Creek Studios in Nashville to record Erin’s Christmas CD with professional fiddle player Andy Leftwich. (The Paines had been saving money to record a Celtic CD before Carson’s birth, their plans changed when Carson came early.)
• “Music is probably one of the biggest things in my life,” says Erin. “I enjoy it because I feel like it encourages other people.”
• Kelly, Callie, and Lawson stop by to visit Erin the studio. “When I hear Erin play, I feel like it was a talent that the Lord gave her,” shares Kelly. “And I feel like she uses it to try to encourage other people, and that really is what drives her.”
• “Erin is an amazing girl,” says Chad. “Just the fact that after she’s had Carson she goes out and records a CD. I was so proud of Erin.”
• If you watched the season two finale of Bringing up Bates, you may remember that one of the trick riders from the Dixie Stampede promised to pay a visit to the house to teach the boys a few skills. Well that day has finally arrived.
• Trick riders Ashley Cutshaw and Shadow Montag arrive at the ranch--the Bates’ 135-acre piece of property where they keep their horses.
• After learning a few tricks, the boys take Ashley and Shadow on a ride through their town of Rocky Top, Tennessee. “The Bates are very bold,” says Shadow. “I mean, they literally run that town when they get out there full-force.”
• “I don’t think I’ve ever run through the middle of a town before on a horse, like with traffic,” adds Ashley.

Recap: "Fly Fishin' Zip Linin' Honeymoon"

Bringing Up Bates "Fly Fishin' Zip Linin' Honeymoon"...

• After their wedding, Michaela and Brandon honeymoon in Flathead County, Montana.
• The newlyweds’ first activity is fly fishing on Flathead Lake. The Bates kids are not surprised to hear that Michaela ended up catching more fish than Brandon. “[Brandon] is not the fisher type,” says Carlin. “He’s more like the city, office desk, suit and tie kind of guy.”
• “Fishing was fun, but with her being at the back of the boat and me all the way in the front, I was ready for some time where we could actually be together,” says Brandon.
• The second activity is zip lining. (Michaela wears a dress and leggings under her harness.) The view is breathtaking!
• Michaela and Brandon also take a ride on the Alpine Slide, an attraction that allows you to ride down a plastic track in a sled.
• Back in Tennessee, Gil takes Addee, Ellie, and Callie on a date to Rickard Ridge BBQ in Caryville. “Watching Michaela get married and looking around at all the other girls who are quickly growing up, we decided to take a little date night, just for fun,” says Gil.
• According to Kelly, the week after Michael’s wedding was very emotional for the little girls, who miss their sister older very much. “Just spending time with Dad has a way of just making everything seem like it’s all okay,” says the mom of 19.
• Gil, who is supposed to be on a diet, orders sweet tea, but the girls confiscate it. They give it back and tell him he can only have one glass, but he accepts a refill while his daughters are in the bathroom.
• After having worked in the sheriff’s department reserves for a few years, Zach begins an 11-week training course at the Police Academy. The first part of the program forced him to be away from home for an extended period of time, but now he is able to commute each day.
• “I ain’t going to lie, I called home crying a couple times,” says Zach. “Every night,” shares Whitney.
• “I was going to sound tougher than that, but yah, I called home crying every night,” admits Zach. “I missed my wife.”
• Whitney says that the support she has received from her parents and Zach’s family has been a lifeline. She and Josie, who used to chaperone Zach and Whitney before they were married, prepare a meal for Zach.

Recap: "Wedding Bliss and a First Kiss"

Bringing Up Bates "Wedding Bliss and a First Kiss"

• As Michael packs up her stuff at home, the girls beg her to reconsider moving out. “The Bates name is diminishing!” says Tori.
• “Y’all make it sound like it’s the end of the world,” says Michael. “It is!” replies Carlin.
• With only 30 hours to go before the wedding, dozens of family members and friends—including the Duggars—work together to decorate Wallace Memorial Baptist Church.
• Michael and the bridal party head to a local nail salon, while Brandon and his groomsmen stop by Prestige tuxedo to pick up their fancy attire. (Click here to see a list of the wedding party.)
• When the topic of the getaway car comes up, Brandon says he has taken precautions to prevent the decorating from getting out of hand, although Lawson, Nathan, and Trace Bates promise they won’t do anything too destructive. “No pepper down the air condition vents,” says Nathan. “No sardines in the floor board.”
• Michael and Brandon decided early on in their relationship to save their first kiss for the altar. “We haven’t practiced it, but we have talked about it,” says the groom.
• "Saving our first kiss was definitely not just an easy thing to do,” shares Michael. “And just looking forward to it tomorrow and knowing that it’s the first for both of us, it totally makes it worth all of the difficulty times that we have wanted to kiss.”
• The girls are running a bit behind schedule, but Kelly isn’t phased. “Michael may want to be on time for the rehearsal, but until tomorrow, she’s still a late Bates, along with the rest of us,” jokes the mom of 19.
• Michael admits she is stressed out, but her wedding coordinator—a family-friend who has coordinated all of the Bates kids’ weddings thus far—puts her at ease. 
• “I guess I have always had a little bit of an organized tendency to me, but learning how to organize Bates weddings has taken time and prayer,” says wedding coordinator Kim Nafziger.
• When everyone meets at the church for the rehearsal, Carlin breaks down crying, and Michael tries to console her. “Everything hit me all at once, that this is really it,” says Carlin. “The dynamic of our family is going to be different.”
• On the morning of the wedding, Michael is eager to tie the knot. “This is the day of my wedding, and I have never been so excited before,” says the bride.
• With four hours to go, both the guys and gals are running behind. “I’m super excited, but I’m hoping everything comes together in time,” says the groom.
• As the seamstress laces the back of Michael’s dress and fits the veil on her head, Callie starts bawling. “This breaks my heart, Mom,” says Michael, as she scoops her little sister into her arms.
• Michael had made it clear that she does not want flower petals to fall during the kiss, so Brandon purchases two confetti cannons for the younger boys to set off.
• Pictures begin, and Gil tears up when he sees his daughter in her wedding gown. “Michaela has never seen herself as someone that wanted to be in the limelight,” says the proud father. “And she has never viewed herself as lovely as we see her. And yet today, on her wedding day, she’s the perfect picture of what we would all consider a lovely bride.”
• Michael and Brandon decide to wait until the ceremony to see each other in their wedding attire, but they snap a picture of the two of them on either side of a door, holding hands and praying together.
• Despite all the delays, the wedding starts at 2:00 sharp. Just before walking Michael down the aisle, Gil shares a special time of prayer with his daughter.
• The grandparents and Brandon's parents enter the auditorium to a live performance of Lawson’s new song “I Will Always.” (Click here for information on how to purchase.)
• The wedding party, starting with matron of honor Kelly Bates, walks down the aisle to Canon in G. “It was an honor that Michael asked me to do that,” says the mom of 19. “Although I enjoy the role of mom…there is nothing like knowing that they’re one of my best friends and I’m one of their best friends.”
• When everyone else is in place on stage, the doors open, the guests stand, and Michael and Gil enter. When asked “Who gives this woman in marriage to this man?” Gil responds: “Her Mother and I and her 18 siblings.”
• A professor from the Bible college that Brandon attended gives the sermon, and Gil officiates the rest.
• After reciting their traditional vows, exchanging wedding rings, lighting a unity candle, and praying with their parents, Michael and Brandon are pronounced husband and wife. “And after I kiss her on the cheek, you can kiss your bride,” says Gil, smiling with pride. 
• The elated newlyweds share their first kiss and then embrace in a romantic hug, as the confetti cannons are set off from the audience. 
• “Knowing that I was his only girlfriend and the first girl he had ever kissed and being able to give that back, it was priceless,” says Michael. “Definitely worth waiting for,” adds Brandon.
• The couple drives away in a tactfully decorated getaway car, which Brandon successfully kept away from his brothers-in-law.

Recap: "Headed to the Altar"

Bringing Up Bates, "Headed to the Altar"...

• Michael met Brandon several years ago at a homeschool conference. Between their first encounter and the start of their courtship (December 30, 2013), Michael prayed every day that she could be Brandon’s wife.
• The show opens with a flashback to September 2014. Michael makes a surprise visit to Brandon’s Bible school in Texas. Although the couple waited until their engagement to hold hands, they showed affection throughout their courtship by hugging.
• In November 2014, Brandon pays a visit to the Bates’ house just outside Knoxville, Tennessee, to get to know Michael’s family. They spend Thanksgiving with Gil’s side of the family.
• In February 2015, Brandon takes Tori, Carlin, and Josie to a local jewelry store to get a feel for Michael's taste in jewelry. He ends up designing Micheal's ring himself.
• Also in February, the older Bates boys take their future brother-in-law out for a guy’s night at a bowling alley. “They’re very intense,” says Michael of her brothers. “I guess in a way it makes me feel loved that they care that much about me, but at the same time, I felt for Brandon, knowing what he was going to go through.”
• In March 2015, Gil, Kelly, and Michael meet with Brandon and his parents in Chicago, where Brandon has worked since graduating from Bible college.
• Over a delicious dinner of Chicago style deep dish pizza, Kelly starts fishing for information. “Not trying to be nosy or anything, but just wondering: Have y’all talked about maybe a time?” pries the mom of 19. “Are you thinking a season, a particular season?”
• The next day during lunch, Brandon holds a secret conference with Gil in the men’s room to discuss the engagement.
• In April 2015, Brandon tells Michael that he will be traveling to Washington D.C. To ensure that Michael doesn’t suspect anything, Gil and Kelly encourage their daughter to “surprise” Brandon while he’s there. 
• Brandon plans a scavenger hunt proposal, with help from his sisters Angie and Becky.
• On April 13^th, Michael spends the day traipsing around the city, as she follows Brandon’s clues. At each stop, Brandon has left a video and a piece of a cardboard replica of Michael’s ring. At the end of the scavenger hunt, Brandon is waiting to propose, as both sets of parents watch from afar. 
• “The whole day was kind of like an emotional roller coaster,” says Michael.
• With a lot of help from their families, Michael and Brandon’s wedding preparations go very smoothly. The couple’s four-month engagement is an emotional time for the Bates family, as they prepare for their beloved Michael to tie the knot and move to Chicago.

Details of Zach & Whitney and Erin & Chad's engagements are coming soon. Stay tuned next week for the wedding episode!   

Recap: '15 Kids and an Empty Nest'

Bringing Up Bates "15 Kids and an Empty Nest"...

• Brandon arrives in Tennessee, and the wedding week begins! When asked if he is ready to get married, the groom-to-be responds: "I don't know if people would say I'm ready, but I'm wanting to get married."
• "It hasn't been too stressful, with all of the people that have been helping out," says Michael.
• Gil accompanies the couple to purchase their marriage license at the courthouse. "Do you have other children?" the clerk asks Gil. "Oh yes ma'am," Gil replies. "We're going to be down to a manageable size I think. We're only going to have 15 kids at home." The clerk drops her scissors in shock.
• Before transferring their attention to wedding preparations, Gil and Kelly take the little kids on a special rollerskating outing at a local park. "Everybody's a good skater but Mom," says Kelly. "I'm the only one." She hangs on to Gil for dear life as he takes her around the park. "This is fun," says Gil. "No, this is not fun," replies Kelly."
• While racing with the boys, Gil takes a few tumbles but doesn't sustain any injuries.
• Meanwhile, the older boys take Brandon on an outing of his choice. He picks the Knoxville Ice Chalet. "We have done very little ice skating," admits Lawson. "We love rollerblading and [we are] decent at that, but when it comes to ice, it's a total different ballgame."
• Just when the boys start feeling comfortable on the ice, they are faced with some competition. "I was getting good at it, and then these two girls came out," says Lawson. "They started doing this stuff that, hey, I ain't seen nothing like that except in the Olympics."
• The girls attempt to teach the boys a few tricks. Brandon elects to play it safe and not participate, but he ends up skating over a puddle of water and wiping out. Although he bleeds quite a bit, the gash to the head that he sustains could have been much worse. The staff members bring out first aid supplies and help Brandon off the ice.
• "It wasn't as bad as it looked, but I will say this: Nobody wants to have a big bandage on their head on their wedding day," says Nathan.
• "I really think Michael is going to kill us, Nathan," says Trace. Lawson buys Brandon a cowboy hat to hide the injury. 
• "We are all cowboys," says Lawson. "It's just who we are. Brandon is not a cowboy. He's a Yankee, all the way. And I thought, 'Man, what better gift to get him than a cowboy hat?'"
• Michael hears about the ordeal before Brandon returns to the house and says she is "beyond panicked." She is relieved to find out that her husband-to-be has only sustained a minor injury.
• The sisters and bridesmaids, including Jana Duggar, gather at Erin's house for girl talk and candle making. The gals are surprised to hear that Michael is not nervous about the wedding or the wedding night.
• Later, Gil and Kelly, Erin and Chad, and Michael and Brandon enjoy dinner at Calhoun's on the River. "There is no way to put into words the emotions that I have been through this week," says Michael, as she balances the sorrows of leaving her family with the thrills of starting a new adventure with Brandon.  

Recap: Sweet Tea and Sit Ups

Bringing Up Bates "Sweet Tea and Sit Ups"...

• Gil, Kelly, Michael, Erin, and Carson stop by Vol Market #3, one of the family's favorite Knoxville restaurants. The Bates’ friendship with the owners started when Michael was a child and eventually led to her becoming a full-time nanny for the owners’ children.
• Like Erin, Michael has asked Vol Market #3 to cater her wedding food. “Her menu is going to be y’all’s chicken salad sandwiches, some sub sandwiches and chips and cake,” Kelly tells the owners.
• Everyone has a different estimate of the number of guests that will show up to the wedding. Michael predicts 500-600, Kelly thinks 600-800, and Gil guesses around 1,000.
• Up next is a meeting with the musicians, Emily and Natalie Raynes, who will play as the bridal party enters and leaves the sanctuary. During the ceremony, Brandon is arranging to have a few songs performed that he wrote for Michael.
• Back at home, Kelly tells her family that she needs to lose weight before the wedding. “I need some incentive, so if it’s like a challenge or competition, I’ll be more motivated.”
• The mom of 19 announces her plan: She and Gil will compete, with Tori as her trainer and Lawson and Gil’s trainer. But Kelly doesn’t want to judge the competition by the amount of weight lost, as she is embarrassed to step on the scale. So she suggests that the winner be the person who looks the best in the end. Gil says that Kelly will win.
• “I said, ‘Dad, you want a real coach who knows what it takes to get in shape and look good? I’ll be your man,’” shares Lawson.
• While Tori works out alongside her mom, Lawson’s approach is more hands-off.
• Tori and Kelly spend their time walking and doing toning exercises for abs and upper body. Meanwhile, Lawson drives to a deserted road, pushes Gil out the door, and tells him to run alongside the truck. Lawson sits at the wheel enjoying air conditioning and a cold bottle of sweet tea.
• The little kids pick two bowls of blackberries and beg Michael to make her famous blackberry cobbler. It’s a bittersweet moment, as everyone realizes that they won’t have Michael (or her cobbler) for much longer.
• “Michael, she never wants to be in the limelight,” says Gil. “She wants to be behind the scenes helping somebody.” “She’s always thinking of others more than herself,” adds Kelly.
• A seamstress friend brings over Michael’s finished wedding gown, and the Bates gals break down in tears as she models it. “I’m like the happiest girl ever,” she says. Her sisters and sister-in-law are thrilled for her, but they are all very sad to see her move to Chicago.

Recap: "Welcome Back Bates"

Bringing Up Bates "Welcome Back Bates"...

• With three (soon to be four) kids married and two (Nathan and Tori) taking college classes, Gil and Kelly Bates joke that they are having empty nest syndrome.
• “It’s just starting to hit me as it gets closer, that this is actually my wedding and I’m the one moving away,” shares Michael.
• As the big day approaches, Gil and Kelly take Michael to Petals & Lace in Nashville, Tennessee, to find her dream dress. “It’s worth anything to find the dress for Michael,” says Gil. “I hate seeing [her] feel the pressure trying to find something [she] can’t.”
• Several of Michael’s sisters (and brothers, surprisingly) come along. “When Lawson and Nathan caught wind of it, they were not going to be left out of something fun,” says Kelly.
• “Girls think they know what looks good, but the truth is, you have to have a guy’s opinion to know if something is really good,” says Nathan.
• Petals & Lace has many styles of dresses, including strapless. Gil's comment makes his wife and daughters laugh: “Most of these wedding dresses, they’re missing all the tops!”
• “Most people don’t wear them, Dad,” responds Carlin. “He’s not been to many modern weddings has he?” says Kelly, chuckling.
• Everyone takes a seat, and the fun begins. Lawson and Nathan, who just want to finish and grab pizza, keep things interesting with their witty remarks.
• “That looks like my grandma’s wedding dress.” (Nathan)
• “Do y’all ever want to get a dress, or y’all just want to keep talking about dresses?” (Lawson)
• When Michael walks out of the fitting room wearing THE dress, Gil starts bawling. “I can’t think about it,” says the dad of 19. “We’ve kind of grown up together. She’s always been here. It really is sad.”
• The proud father braces himself as the attendant prepares to announce the cost, but when she informs him that it will be $600 including tax, he is incredibly relieved.
• One month before Michael’s wedding, the Bates family travels to Mebane, North Carolina, to watch Kelly’s sister Beth marry her long-time boyfriend.
• The wedding is outdoors in the middle of summer, and as Gil says, it’s “H-O-T.”
• Kelly and Michael take note of Beth’s decorations as they plan for Michael’s big day. “Mom is amazing,” shares the bride-to-be. "She’s best mom, matron of honor, best friend, all in one.”
• Kelly, Michael, Addallee, and Ellie head inside to give Beth a pep talk before the ceremony.
• The guests are nervous when they hear thunder, and although it starts to sprinkle during the vows, the wedding still ends up being a beautiful occasion.
• For the next big Bates adventure, the family drives down to Honea Path, South Carolina, for Papa Bill’s 4^th of July birthday party. (Papa Bill and Mama Jane are Gil’s parents.) 
• Zach, who is in the middle of his training at the police academy, isn’t able to attend the party. Michael, accompanied by Callie, stays home so she can go to her scheduled dress fitting.
• Mama Jane loves having her grandchildren over, but the lack of organization is hard on her. Every year, the kids manage to break Mama Jane’s hammock, and every year Mama Jane mends it. “The year before last when it broke, she took her shoe off and took it to a few of them,” shares Gil. “This year, she responded a lot calmer.”
• Papa Bill, 77, has been having heart problems, so the extended Bates family cherishes every moment spent with him. During the party, the guests take time to share how Papa Bill has influenced their lives.
• Whitney’s genuine comment brings everyone to tears: “…It’s really encouraging to watch all y’all as a family, how tight y’all are. [Zach] respects you, and he thinks a lot of you.”
• Later, Kelly and Tori impress everyone during an all-generations kickball game.
• During a commercial break, viewers find out which Bates couple is expecting a baby. It's Zach and Whitney!

Recap: "Best Bates Moments"

On this New Year’s Eve special, the Bates review the best moments from the first two seasons of their show.

• On Valentine’s Day, Zach surprises his wife by arranging to have “Three Nice Guys,” an acapella quartet, stop by to perform two love songs. 
• Erin and Chad share their pregnancy news with Gil and Kelly during a double date. 
• While Mom and Dad are away, Erin and Chad and the kids remodel the master suite. 
• Kelly and the children throw a surprise 50^th birthday party for Gil, to which they invite friends he hasn't seen in many years. The kids give speeches and perform skits that bring their dad to tears. 
• While helping Zach finish Bradley’s nursery, Gil reminds his oldest son that “Bradley and Whitney are more important than anything else you’re trying to do.”
• To celebrate Carlin's entry into womanhood, Gil and Kelly take their fifth oldest daughter out for a dinner date. Carlin is overjoyed when her parents give her a beautiful purity ring. 
• The older boys attempt to take over their younger brothers' fort using air-soft guns, but they don’t end up succeeding.
• The Bates make memories on a family camping trip.
• Gil and the kids convince Kelly to ride the Wild Eagle roller coaster at Dollywood. “That by far is the scariest thing I’ve ever been on,” says the mom of 19, who screams the entire time.
• Lawson turns up the drama after his wisdom teeth extraction, and the family enjoys teasing him.
• Erin is touched when her friend Kelsey not only throws her a baby shower but also organizes a balloon release in memory of the babies that Erin and Chad miscarried before becoming pregnant with Carson.
• Kelly brings the family to tears when she shares how thankful she and Gil are for their children. “Many times we look back, and we feel like failures as parents…and y’all are the greatest kids in the world,” she says. “Y’all encourage us so much.”
• Kelly and the girls take Whitney on a walk to jump-start labor. When Whitney is admitted into the hospital to give birth to Bradley, so invites her mother, mother-in-law, and oldest sisters-in-law to join her during labor. 
• After a difficult pregnancy, Erin endures an especially painful labor, but the new mom says Carson is more than worth it.
• Brandon organizes a complex scavenger hunt through Washington D.C. for Michael, which culminates with his proposal. 

Tune in to UP on Thursday, January 7th, for the season three premiere of Bringing Up Bates. (Click here for episode summaries.) We wish you a blessed New Year!