Bringing Up Bates"Plans, Bands and Mashed Potatoes"
- Erin gathers her siblings to discuss a surprise weekend getaway for Kelly's 50th birthday. "This is going to be a complete surprise, so the main thing is that nobody talks about it," Erin tells the little kids. Judson and Jeb claim they can keep a secret, but that remains to be seen.
- A few weeks ahead of Lawson's concert tour, he has the band over to rehearse. Some of the members don't know the songs, so the practice is a bit rough. "I'm sure that the pressure is setting in and that Lawson is starting to feel nervous," says Kelly.
- Later, Gil and the boys discuss building a "basketball goal" in the yard. They have been playing on gravel for more than 10 years and have been saving money to pour a slab of concrete.
- "When you learn how to play basketball on gravel, you have home court advantage over anyone that comes to your house because most people don't have that talent," says Nathan.
- Everyone has their own idea about where the court should go. "Lawson always has the perfect plan, no matter what anyone else says," says Erin. They decide to shoot for it. Whoever makes a basket makes the final call.
- "I know one thing for sure," says Kelly. "You boys definitely need a court. You need some practice. How about y'all take up a different sport."
- Kelly suggests the guys tear down the junk shed and use that concrete slab for their court. Gil says that will cost too much money. "That doesn't cost a dime, darlin,'" says Kelly. "One match."
- So Kelly decides to shoot a basket. "I've never even seen my mom throw a basketball, in her life," says Zach. And she makes it!
- "When I saw my wife make that shot...I'm kind of shaking in my boots," says Gil. It still might be a while before the actual project goes down though. The Bates do operate on Bates time, after all.
- Warden heads over to Erin's house, which is about 30 minutes away, for a cooking lesson. He makes chicken, mashed potatoes, rolls, salad, and cookies.
- "In a lot of households, the guys kind of do these things and the girls do these things, but in our house, it's not really that way," says Lawson. "It's all hands on deck." Zach jokes that he is the best at everything because he is the oldest.