Bringing Up Bates"Love is in the Heir"
- Nathan, Jackson, and Warden return from spending Thanksgiving with Nathan’s girlfriend Ashley, who is from the Bronx. Because of the distance between them, Nathan and Ashley are not able to see each other very often, so they decide to spend the holiday visiting family and friends together.
- Nathan invites his parents on a lunch date at a local BBQ joint to have some “large talk,” which means he has a very important matter to discuss.
- Nathan shares that he has talked with Ashley and her parents and that he feels the Lord’s guidance in their relationship. He plans to ask Ashley to begin an official courtship, although the two have been boyfriend and girlfriend for several months.
- “For our family, courtship is kind of like what other people would call going steady,” explains Kelly. While Ashley loves New York City, she has said that she would be happy living in East Tennessee. Nathan admits that he would not want to move to the Bronx.
- That evening, everyone helps decorate the house for Christmas. Kelly and the girls decide to go with a more rustic, country theme, so Gil brings a rusted metal lampstand in from the barn. Using greenery and lanterns, the gals are able to turn it into a festive decoration.
- Nathan calls a family meeting and announces his plan to ask Ashley to begin a courtship just before Christmas. His siblings are ecstatic. “I do have some opposition, but that’s just for selfish reasons,” shares Lawson. “We’ve been free men forever, and I know how this thing goes…I’m going to be the lone survivor here at the house.”
- “[Lawson] told me that he’s read some studies that show that once a guy gets a girl, his career goes downhill,” says Kelly, laughing.
- Zach and Whitney head to Dr. Vick’s office to have their first ultrasound with Baby #2. At 1.5 inches long, Baby is very active, unlike Bradley, who, according to Zach, was lazy while in the womb.
- Whitney elects to do a blood test to find out the gender, as it is still too early to tell on the ultrasound. She guesses that the baby is a girl, and, as we know, she is correct!
- The kids prepare a special meal for Gil and Kelly in honor of their 28th wedding anniversary. They set up a small table in the master bedroom and serve salad with strawberries, blue cheese, and walnuts; rolled chicken breasts with ham and cheese in the middle; fries; and green beans.
- “My mom and dad’s marriage is very important to us because you don’t see many marriages that are that well off,” says Isaiah.
- According to Kelly, having the kids involved in their anniversary made it more meaningful than it would have been if they had gone out to celebrate.