Bringing Up Bates"Surprise! Kelly Jo's Big 5-0!"
- When Kelly’s 50th birthday rolls around, Gil tells her he is taking her on a romantic overnight. Little does she know that the kids are planning a big surprise.
- “Mom is turning 50,” says Lawson. “That just doesn’t seem right.”
- “Old changes every year,” states Jackson, wisely. “When you turn 20, 20’s not old anymore. Fifty is. When you turn 50, 50’s not old anymore. Eighty is. When you turn 80, you’re old.”
- When Mom and Dad finally pull out of the driveway, the kids kick it into high gear so they can get out of the house quickly. “Now honestly, I think the only key to being on time places is leave Mom and Dad behind,” says Tori.
- Erin, the head planner, thinks Kelly suspects something is up, but when she receives a phone call from her mom asking where she thinks Gil might be taking her, she realizes her mom is clueless.
- Erin and Chad, Zach and Whitney, and most of the siblings arrive at the cabin, located near Chattanooga. Erin assigns bedrooms and starts decorating, while Zach makes pasta for dinner.
- Gil sends a text to the kids saying he is five minutes away, but the kids tell him to stall. “There was a cemetery off to the left,” says Gil. “I said, ‘Hey, I bet there’s some Civil War people buried in there!’” That gives Erin enough time to assemble all the kids in the kitchen. The owner of the cabin greets Gil and Kelly at the door and pretends they have arrived at a bed and breakfast.
- When Kelly walks in and hears the kids shout “Surprise! Happy birthday!” she is completely shocked.
- The Websters arrive later. The next morning, every wakes up early and heads to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum to ride a train. Kelly says she has loved trains every since she was little. When her parents got divorced, her dad moved to Chattanooga and would take Kelly to the Chattanooga Choo Choo when she visited.
- The family meets up with the Keilens and enjoys a picnic at a local park.
- Later that evening, it’s time for presents. Kelly is blown away when she receives a new wedding ring from Gil. (She lost hers when she let Jeb play with it.) Then everyone shares praises and tears of joy. “It just got really emotional really fast,” says Nathan.
- To top it all off, the kids show Kelly a video featuring Brandon’s drawings and praises from the kids.
- "It was special for us to see that we had been able to give back just a piece of what she's done for us over the years," says Michael.
- "It was definitely the biggest thing that's ever been done for me by anybody, and the fact that they all did it together..." says Kelly.