Bringing Up Bates"Two By Two, I Love You"
- Tiffany comes as Lawson’s guest for Valentine’s Day. She and Lawson have been talking for five months. “We have a lot of the same life passions, and she has a lot of different things going on in her life,” says Lawson. “She’s finishing up her Master’s degree. We had first started talking over global missions work.”
- Esther comes as Nathan's guest. Both Esther and Tiffany join in on the first photo shoot at the new Bates Sisters Boutique location, and Nathan and Lawson come by to watch. “I am like pumped because there’s actually a solid chance of not just getting one sister-in-law, but two more sisters-in-law,” says Whitney, who is currently Gil and Kelly's only daughter-in-law.
- “I never thought that I’d see Lawson the way that he is with a girl,” says Carlin. “It’s like this whole new side of Lawson I didn’t know existed."
- Tiffany is very comfortable around the camera, but Esther is shyer and more reserved. Everyone agrees that both ladies do a wonderful job posing for photos.
- Back at the Bates house, the Keilens decorate for the big weekend, which has a Noah’s Ark/animal theme. Some of the decorations are homemade by Brandon. Meanwhile, Nathan and Esther cook stuffed chicken with cream cheese and spinach for the couples’ dinner. Esther also comes from a big family and is used to cooking for large groups.
- When Nathan and Esther leave for the church, they give Katie and Travis the job of taking the chicken out of the oven. Katie is nervous, admitting that she doesn’t know how to cook. “Some of my sisters are really into cooking, and some of them aren’t,” says Nathan.
- The church is decorated beautifully for the couples’ dinner, thanks some attendees who volunteered to help the Bates. During dinner, Gil does a devotion about love and marriage.
- Later, Nathan and Esther go ring shopping, with Katie, Travis, Tiffany, and Lawson along for support. They don’t buy a ring, but Nathan now knows exactly what Esther likes. “If you propose with that one, there’s no way you’re getting a no,” says Esther.
- Before the big party, Travis steps outside with Gil and asks for permission to propose to Katie. Travis promises to take care of her and be faithful to her. Gil gives his blessing, saying that he and Kelly have already discussed it.
- The costume party begins! Zach and Whitney had planned to be a dinosaur family, but most of their costumes didn't arrive. Zach puts on a wig and calls himself a “party animal.” For the first time this year, they choose winners by having everyone cast a ballot.
- Bobby, Kelton, Evan, and Travis perform a song for their valentines. “Something about it, these guys that my sisters have picked, almost all of them sing,” says Nathan. “And they’re recruiting Travis, who may be the next brother-in-law, to get in their little boy band together.”
- This year, the Biggest Heart Award goes to Michael. “Michael drops everything to be at every person’s house,” says Kelly. “It doesn’t matter what they need.”
- Gil and Kelly announce the winners of the costume contest. In the grandkids category, the winner is Bradley the T-Rex. In the singles category, the winner is Ellie the cow. And in the couples category, the winners are Tiffany the bee and Lawson the bear.