Looking Ahead at 2018-2019

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Well, it's been a summer. There was a whole lot of nothing on television, aside from the Bates Family, the Duggar Family, the Roloff Family, and the newer addition to my reality followings - the Busby Family. Technically, there was also Trial & Error, but I'm behind in that because Spectrum is awful and we're on our third DVR box in two months. But, I spent some time last night going through the new shows for the broadcast networks and made some selections. because, you know, there's more to TV life than

ABC came in high, CW isn't even on the board, and FOX tanked. CBS and NBC are surprisingly equal, but we'll see how that pans out. I picked more shows this year than I did last year, but a few of them I really don't think will make it to Thanksgiving, so not much is lost in giving them a try.

What made the cut?
For ABC, I'm going with the soon-to-premiere Single Parents (a bit too much exposure, already, I think), A Million Little Things (it better be better than Friends with Better Lives), plus the farther out The Rookie (Nathan Fillion, anyone?), The Conners, Schooled, and The Kids are Alright (it seems that we're on an every-other-year-there's-a-Catholic-family-show module). As two of those are spin-offs, I'm not really feeling like my ABC selections are as high as they appear.

For FOX, the only thing I'm going to bother with is Rel, which starts tonight. It's about a guy who has to rebuild his life after a divorce, so it'll be a rough start, but Sinbad plays the protagonist's father, so that could be fun.

On NBC, the start dates are mostly soon. In September alone, I'll be checking out New Amsterdam (I'm a sucker for medical shows), I Feel Bad (I need more "mom shows"), and Manifest (it's going to be awful or amazing), plus later on there's Gilded Age (period show!), Abby's (this looks like a hot mess), and The Village (which, really, I'm only in to see Daren Kagasoff act again).

Rounding it out on CBS, there's the crazy (unscripted) Million Dollar Mile, the unlikely-to-work Happy Together, the reboot of Murphy Brown, the too-much-like-Living-Biblically-from-last-season God Friended Me, the is-this-Timeless-again? Blood & Treasure, and the Beth-Behrs-is-back The Neighborhood.

The bigger, scarier thing (if you can believe it) is that I have a TON of returning shows, which I don't think I realized back in Spring!
ABC: Fresh off the Boat, American Housewife, Speechless, The Goldbergs, Black-ish, The Good Doctor [only one new thing from last year remaining]
FOX: Bob's Burgers, The Resident, Last Man Standing (I don't think it'll be that good this time around, though...) [only one new thing from last year remaining]
NBC: This is Us, Superstore, A.P. Bio, Will & Grace, The Good Place (which I discovered online over the summer) [only one new thing from last year remaining]
CBS: Man with a Plan, How to Get Away with Murder, The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon [only one new thing from last year remaining]
CW: Jane the Virgin, Dynasty [one old, one from last year]
Other Networks: South Park (Comedy Central), Grown-ish (Freeform), Good Trouble (the Freeform spin-off of The Fosters), plus the aforementioned follow-an-atypical-family shows I enjoy. 

And, at some point, I still do plan to check out The Mick and Good Girls. So... yeah, there's a lot of television entertainment to be enjoyed this year. 

New Season, New Format

We're changing up our episode recaps and remarks for the new television season, mainly to shift our focus to covering new series and specials before they air rather than after. We believe this will help you make more fitting choices as to what to watch, and it will also help out our subscribers not to receive as many articles about shows they potentially have no interest in, as our current lineup is very broad.

But, we're not dropping recaps with remarks completely. We will still cover pilots we deem promising, and we'll be writing about holiday episodes of those and of our returning favorites. Plus, we are continuing to cover some series in their entirety, particularly cable shows that are tougher for you to catch up on elsewhere. What does this mean for your favorite show? For all of the series we were currently recapping, here are their fates:

                                                      16 & Pregnant: regular posting
                                                      19 Kids & Counting: regular posting
                                                      2 Broke Girls: holidays and special episodes only
                                                      Bob's Burgers: holidays and special episodes only
                                                      Buddy's Bakery Rescue: discontinued
                                                      Cake Boss: regular posting
                                                      Cake Boss: Next Great Baker: fate to be determined if series is renewed
                                                      Falling Skies: discontinued
                                                      Girl Meets World: regular posting
                                                      Hot in Cleveland: holidays and special episodes only
                                                      Instant Mom: holidays and special episodes only
                                                      Last Man Standing: holidays and special episodes only
                                                      Little People, Big World: regular posting
                                                      Melissa & Joey: holidays and special episodes only
                                                      Mistresses: fate to be determined if series is renewed
                                                      South Park: regular posting
                                                      Switched at Birth: regular posting
                                                      Teen Mom 2: regular posting
                                                      The Big Bang Theory: holidays and special episodes only
                                                      The Exes: regular posting
                                                      The Goldbergs: holidays and special episodes only
                                                      The Middle: holidays and special episodes only
                                                      Under the Dome: fate to be determined if series is renewed
                                                      White Collar: holidays and special episodes only

what do you think of the posting schedule? sad to be losing regular updates? excited for more new program coverage? 

19 Kids and Counting: Preparations

While most of the current season is centered around Jill's engagement and wedding preparations, many long-time Duggar fans are wondering if next season will be the same, only with Jessa as the center of attention. It's certainly possible, as I'm willing to wager that Ben's internet-famous scavenger hunt proposal was filmed, and Ben's family has a lot more in common with the Duggars than Derick's, but Jessa also seems like the type who will keep things simple, making television-worthy planning a failure. But, it's episodes like the two latest ones that continue to showcase the other elements to 19 Kids and Counting. The rest of the kids still enjoy learning, doing, and playing, health is a concern for the Duggar men, and Josh's family life in DC is about to become more interesting to watch, as Anna continues to homeschool Mackynzie while raising two younger children as well. But, for now, as Jessa continues to be lovesick over Ben, let's keep looking forward to the Duggars spreading their wings, ok?

TLC/DCL

Kids and Counting "Duggar Dirty Jobs" (S08E16): Jill and Derick are eight weeks out from their wedding, and Michelle accompanies them to go ring shopping. Michelle and Grandma then take some of the little kids to a paint-a-pot place to make wedding gifts for Jill and Derick, like a horse, a platter, a teapot, a heart-shaped dish, a plate, and a chips-and-dip tray. [these items were great in theory...]

Jessa realizes that she wants to look great every day now that Ben is around all the time, though he's plenty busy with the list of tasks JimBob gave him and JohnDavid. [I didn't really follow that doughnut side trip...?] 

19 Kids and Counting "Duggars Decorate & Diet" (S08E17): Josh and Anna have been in Virginia for a year now, but Josh has been slacking at eating healthy, so it's a shock when Steve shows up and disapproves of their pantry items. [I was a little surprised they had expired items, though.] Josh and Anna don't have a lot of fresh vegetables, so they head to a Farmer's Market to remedy that.

Jinger takes engagement photos of Jill and Derick. [how did they come up with that location on the side of the road??] Josh makes the wedding invitations.

It's been a few weeks since the soapbox cars were put together, and now they're being decorated.

RETURNING: 19 Kids & Counting: Planning Jill's Wedding

It should come as no surprise that the bulk of this season will be about the preparations for Jill's wedding, but I hadn't anticipated how anything else will be shown out-of-order to balance out the planning segments. The wealth of the Duggars is something that is often ignored at this point in the series (though it was a large point in the early seasons and the pre-series television specials), so it's interesting to be reminded that they own multiple properties that are going unused. Plus, there's the ever-present attempt to show Michelle paying attention to all of her offspring's needs, like taking just Jennifer to the eye doctor. Similarly, JimBob doing the soapbox derby cars with only about half of the kids is probably mostly an attempt to relax the family from the stresses of wedding planning while taking the time to do something together that most families don't do.

19 Kids and Counting "Duggars & Mothers" (S08E13): Jill, Michelle, the older girls, and Derick go to Venessa's house. [apparently she's Jill's boss and will be helping coordinate the wedding.] They're planning for 1,000-1,500 invitations, when the average is 140. [we ordered 170 for 330 potential guests, but only had 175 attend.] They want to plan it all in three months, so the workload will be intense. [apparently the average is a year. my engagement was 26 months.]

JimBob plans to give the house they cleaned up a while back to Jill until the family decides to sell it, but it needs some more work before it can be lived in. [haha that Jana talked about Jill delivering children in the bathtub! I could have lived without seeing James's giant splinter!]

TLC

Derick's mom has been diagnosed with lymphoma, so she can't attend the Mother's Day lunch Michelle plans for Derick and Ben's families. Derick's brother and his girlfriend come over, though, as does the whole Seewald clan, and they enjoy lasagna, salad, (overdone) rolls, and strawberry shortcake. During the meal, JimBob invites Ben to live in the guesthouse. [awkward that he did it to speed up the marriage timeline!] The room they're planning for him doesn't have carpet or windows, so there's a lot of preparation to do. [what's with the red rectangles painted on the walls? also, I bet the Duggar siblings were excited to hear about Ben's new proximity, since they apparently charge $5/hour to chaperone!]

19 Kids and Counting "Duggar Daughter Dates" (S08E14): Jill and Derick go hiking on her birthday (May 17th) with James while Jessa and Ben go to the shooting range with Jason.

Six-year-old Jennifer strains to see during schoolwork and gets headaches, so she gets glasses with purple frames. Michelle, JimBob, and Jill also wear glasses. [I thought one of the middle boys did as well?]

19 Kids and Counting "Duggar-Sized Wedding Planning" (S08E15): Jill and Derick taste some cakes baked by a former midwife client, Amanda. There's Traditional Pound cake with a strawberry filling, French Vanilla with a vanilla custard filling, Golden Butter, and Classic White. They decide on French Vanilla with strawberry filling, iced in an off-white shade. [apparently Jessa wants ice cream at her wedding.] They'll do four tiers (16"-14"-12"-6"), plus sheet cakes. The couple also checks out wedding venues, and settle on the same church where JimBob and Michelle were married.

Some of the kids want to build Soapbox Derby cars, but the wheels weren't included in the kits, and they struggle to build them correctly.

Over in Washington, DC, Anna has Mackynzie and Michael work on making paver stones for the yard. [how messy!]

Fun Friday: Jill Duggar's Wedding Registries

Registering when you get married is a lot of work. You have to figure out what it is you really need, then determine which make/model/color works best... for at least the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen! And then you have to have enough items at different price-points for different guests, make sure there's still enough items left after your shower(s), and that you're not getting duplicates. Still, it's a lot of fun, though overwhelming at first. In different stages of life, however, it gets easier and harder... older couples have lived in apartments and maybe houses, and likely have most of those basic items like pots and pans. Younger couples who have never really lived outside their parents' homes need much more, and it's very apparent Jill and Derick are in that situation.

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The couple registered at Walmart, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Amazon, and the number of items on those lists is rather overwhelming. Of course, they're having a large affair and all, but I can't imagine finding room in a small place for the amount of stuff they may find themselves with! It is nice to know that the items they have chosen are not extravagant, though, and they're sticking with their simple roots.

I've checked in on the registries a couple of times now, and they have been updated, so it's nice that Jill and Derick are taking the time to monitor that stuff in the midst of their other wedding plans. The wedding is tomorrow, so let's look at the types of items the couple is hoping to receive...

Walmart (the biggest list)
We can tell the couple will have two bathrooms by registering for two toilet brushes, and they won't always eat in the dining room, as they have a set of TV trays on there as well. They'll spend time indoors (ping pong and foosball tables, plus an iPad) as well as out (two bicycles, a basketball, and four lanterns), and maybe even hunt (gun cabinet). Jill might get into canning (a few dozen mason jars of different sizes), and they'll have dinner guests as well (16 plastic dining bowls).

Other items of interest include tools, sewing supplies, twelve six-piece bath towel sets, several clocks, three area rugs, a friendship bracelet kit, and three rolls of duct tape. Some of the more surprising things on there are a $2400 lawnmower, five boxes of cereal, and gift cards to Burger King, Taco Bell, Olive Garden, Starbucks, IHOP, Outback, Subway, Brinker (Chili's/Maggiano's), and Cracker Barrel.

Bed Bath and Beyond (the most-shopped list)
Here's where they're getting basics like salt and pepper shakers, bakeware, flatware, servingware, pots and pans, knives, small appliances, and dishes (one table setting for 12 and another for 8). They're also registered for luggage and a vacuum... and then a TON of linens. Seriously, there's 20 kitchen towels, 32 hand towels, 38 washcloths, 32 bath towels, and 8 tubmats on there! Oh, and for good measure, a Toblerone. 

Amazon (the leftovers list)
This seems to exist solely so Jill can get the same mixer that her mother has, and then they added on a juicer, a blender, a grain mill, and a tent. Plus some instant noodles and some more gift cards, this time to Buffalo Wild Wings, Domino's, Qdoba, PF Chang's, Papa John's, Panera, and Applebee's. 

19 Kids & Counting: Cousin Amy Goes to Nashville

I've known a lot of people who have gone out to New York or Los Angeles to "make it" as actors, but somehow it never occurred to me that musicians might do the same thing in Nashville. I don't know that Amy has much of a chance, but I am glad that she gave it a shot. It would have made more sense to look at what else she did during her two weeks in Nashville (what the episode covers seems to only be about three days), but maybe that'll be shown in some future installment, or saved for a "record label announcement" episode. Regardless, I don't want to have a season following Amy... she's just not that interesting.

19 Kids and Counting (& Amy) "A Big Announcement" (Special): Cousin Amy talks about life growing up with many cousins - she used to come over to the Duggar home during recess, and later skipped classes and brought friends over there, going through a barbed wire fence. [the Duggar parents were okay allowing Amy to skip school and be there?] The kids in the family guess what Amy's big announcement will be, with nobody nailing it. [though I question if a few (like Joy) really knew...] Amy tells everyone that she is moving to Nashville to try making it as a singer, though she hasn't written much yet. [seriously? that's what I'd be working on!] JimBob mentions the obvious - that there are tons of people in Nashville trying to do the same thing.

19 Kids and Counting (& Amy) "A Duggar Leaves Home" (Special): Amy has been nannying and babysitting for about 30 families in the area over the past six years, and has saved enough money to stay in Nashville for two weeks. [it doesn't seem like she's researched the steps, though...] It's 9 hours away, and her mother and grandmother accompany her.

Once there, she meets with music producer Jamie Slocum, who takes her to meet Pete, the GM of the Grand Ole Opry. Then, she meets with an old friend, David Adam Byrnes, who has been trying to make it in Nashville for seven years. [ouch.] He suggests she try singing on a street corner, but it takes some convincing before she warms up to "Amazing Grace." [that the amount of work surprised Amy was worrisome.]

Later, Amy practices at the hotel, but her mother suggests warm-ups, then tries to harmonize, frustrating her. Then, Grandma also sings along. [this was just a weird segment.] Then, it's off to Jamie's studio to work on a couple of songs that she'll sing at an open mic night. The first is a power ballad she knows well, but Jamie doesn't think Amy puts much emotion into it, and tries to give her suggestions. [he called it awful, actually.] Grandma tells Jamie that he's being too hard on Amy, but at least her next attempt is "not bad," though she has pitch and timing issues. [you know, she's never mentioned taking private voice coaching... she really should consider some true musical training.] They move on to the second song, which is an upbeat number she doesn't know, and causes her some strife. It trips her up at the open mic event, too, and she has to re-start very painfully. [she didn't seem prepared AT ALL.]

TLC

 The exec thought Amy was nervous, but is interested in possibly hearing more from her. [meh.]

19 Kids & Counting: Jill Gets Engaged

No, I don't see the title as a spoiler, as news broke quite a bit ago that Derick and Jill will be married soon, plus the title of the episode is "The Proposal." Plus, this season has been a mess with a skewed timeline of events and many of the kids' storylines obviously being edited out. I mean, the idea that Michelle hangs out with each kid individually was cool, but we only ended up seeing James, Joy, Jessa, and Jeremiah. Plus, the editing for the dinner theater could have been done differently, and maybe changed how the various trips to DC and Tennessee were presented, too. I understand the emphasis on Jill and Jessa this season, and undoubtedly the next season, should the show be so lucky to get yet another renewal. In the meantime, we'll have a nice feature on Cousin Amy coming up, which might be a breath of fresh air for this aging series.

19 Kids & Counting "The Proposal" (S08E12): The Duggar family heads to New York City to start the girls' book tour, and they start with an announcement on Good Morning, America, though the whole family can't be there, as Michael gets sick and Anna has to stay at the hotel with him. [plus, someone else was missing from the trip (given the headcount) but there aren't enough group shots to figure out who... I'm guessing John-David or Josiah. also, not the Today show??] Somewhat notably, Jill is wearing her emerald heart necklace.

While in New York, the older girls and Michelle decide to stop in a bridal shoppe and look at wedding gowns. [haha at the girls answering "3 months" and "6 months" to the length of their relationships, as most people wouldn't think that definitely means wedding bells!] Jessa won't try on anything (until she's actually engaged), but Jill gives a dress a try. 

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Derick asks JimBob for his blessing and approval for entering an engagement with Jill. JimBob was expecting this for a while now, and says it's fine, then fills in Michelle. Derick is starting a new job, but we don't know what it is. [will they live in Josh's old house? or closer to Derick's family where his new position likely is?]

Derick commissions a songwriter in Nashville to write and sing the story of his relationship with Jill. [is the guy from Arkansas originally?] He then asks her for a lunch date. [but he makes it weeks in advance, LoL. how random! also, I'm a bit surprised she stepped away from the book signing to take the call...] Then, Derick and his mother go to have a ring cleaned and re-sized from a 5.5 to a 7. [was it an heirloom ring? they don't cover how Derick came about it...] it re-sized from 5.5 to 7. Derick is nervous the morning of the lunch date, and asks his mother's advice on how to carry the ring. [I liked how Jill wore her scarf.] Jana and Joy act as chaperones, and Derick told them the plan the night before. [who pays for the meals of the chaperones?] After a Mexican lunch, the group goes for a walk, and stumble upon a guitar player in a park who asks them if they want to hear a song. [are they actually the kind of people who would say "yes" to such an oddball thing??] After the song, he proposes, and her response is "yes, totally." [I literally said "oh my God, this is adorable!" as the other musicians strolled up.] Then, they begin holding hands and arrange to announce their engagement to their families. [ha, the shock on Michelle's face when she realizes that Derick's mom doesn't have any daughters!]

19 Kids & Counting: Moving Along

This is a short season for 19 Kids & Counting (no doubt due in part to how many double-length episodes there have been, how many trips are being taken, and the fact that they're not doing a good job of keeping up with the press), with only one more episode to go. It's being bills as if Derick will struggle to deliver a memorable proposal for Jill, but let's face it... that girl is head-over-heels for him and it doesn't matter to her how he does it one bit! Jessa might have some expectations for Ben, but that's something different entirely. I do look forward to hearing about how the couple plans to make a living (Jill is not quite a midwife yet, after all), and where they will reside. Plus, it looks as if there will be plenty of wedding preparations, so I'm hoping that we'll get a lengthy special focusing on that before long. In case you're not aware, the couple plans to wed on June 21st, so hopefully we're not waiting around until November to see the nuptials! Here's the happy couples now:

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19 Kids & Counting "The Big Question" (S08E08): Still in Nepal, JimBob and Jill go shopping for souvenirs, and Derick orders a customized emerald heart necklace for Jill. [the conversation in the purse/scarf shop was really forced and circular. also, we don't see what souvenirs they actually get!] Then, the trio take a tuk-tuk to Monkey Temple, where JimBob enjoys passing out bananas, but misses the family.

Next, they part ways as Jill volunteers at a birthing center, using tools that are outdated in the US, and the guys enjoy a Nepali shave, which Derick finds relaxing but JimBob finds painful. But the big moment comes when Jill and JimBob go to leave, and Derick officially asks Jill to enter a courtship with him. [they were there a week?]

Back at home, James and Michelle shoot slingshots, and Michelle talks about how she has "good" and "bad" stories from her childhood. Plus, Jinger teaches Joy how to bake the family's bread, as they go through 24 mini-loaves each week. [Jinger might have learned from John-David?]

19 Kids & Counting "Something New" (S08E09): Joy teaches Michelle "Amazing Grace" on the violin, but it has been a long time since the Duggar matriarch held the stringed instrument, plus she can't read music.

Jessa spends some time with Ben's family, and his sisters teach her some of Ben's favorite recipes: chicken alfredo and apple pie. Jinger goes too, as her first chaperoning experience. [that Ben is trying too hard.]

Jana and Joseph go to visit Josh & Anna, and they head to Whitetail Resort for a day of skiing. Anna and the kids have never been before, and Jana sits out and plays with Marcus. [I don't really understand why they went to visit?] Joseph and Josh skied together.

19 Kids & Counting "Couples' Weekend" (S08E10): Jill, Jana, and Jessa go to a delivery, where Jill is the midwife under supervision, which she has done about 30 times. The client goes to the tub to relax, but winds up delivering there. [Jessa is just there to take pictures for the family.]

JimBob and Michelle go to a fertility specialist, who orders a blood test done to check if Michelle is in menopause. At her age (48), there's really only a 5% chance that a sperm will fertilize an egg. [those odds: 1 in 350 at age 35; 1 in 100 at 40; 1 in 10-15 at 45.]

Ben, Jinger, and Jessa fly to Washington, DC. [why is everyone visiting Josh and Anna again so soon?] The couple has been together seven months (official for four), so Josh really grills Ben. Ben likes to work out, so he and Josh head to the gym, though Josh hasn't been in the nine months he's lived in DC. [haha.] The group enjoys a trolley tour.

19 Kids & Counting "A Toast to Love" (S08E11): It's two months after Jill was in Nepal, and the entire Duggar clan goes to meet Derick at the airport, bringing along posters and balloons. [I loved Jill repeatedly asking at Jana to count heads! oh, and everyone commenting on the frontal hug!]

Michelle and JimBob learn that conception isn't likely, but not impossible, according to their bloodwork. But that's okay, it's time for the dinner theater. Joy gets Amy's help with the five youngest kids' song. [odd that Joy takes credit for the idea to call Amy when Jana suggested it earlier.] Derick and Ben help with the building of the stage, though Ben would prefer to assist Jessa in the kitchen. [Ben racing Derick to engagement? awkward!] Jill and Jana's harp concert opens the night, then some of the boys do a heartfelt skit, then the little kids' songs, Josh's video, and Jeremiah's poem. [the steak is a bit tough. oh, and did Joy not actually perform?] It ends with a "We're a Happy Family" chorus with all of the kids, plus the two courting men.

And, speaking of the courting Duggars, Michelle has a triple-date planned, where she, Jessa, Jill, and their respective men, go for an etiquette dinner at someone's house. [an odd event, but probably nice for everyone to get to know one another a little more in a new way.]

19 Kids & Counting: Adventures in Washington, DC and Nepal

TLC should really be running multiple episodes of this show every week because it's ridiculously behind real-life, and it shows. Plus, all of the "will they or won't they" between Jill and Derick is pointless and fluff as well. Still, I'm interested in seeing more of the trip to Nepal, even if nothing else interesting is happening. Michelle just looks too "forced" talking to Jessa about Ben, and I don't know why the inclusion of Josie learning the rules of sharing made it into the cut. Plus, the timeline is REALLY skewed. Previously, it was made to seem like the Duggars took off for Washington, DC only a week or so after Erin Bates' wedding (November 2nd), but Michelle mentions they were there for Jordyn's birthday (December 18th) but the on-screen pop-up said they only visited for about a week. Even if Michelle had meant it was Josie's birthday (December 10th), it still would have been conflicted with the parameters of the trip. At least it was cute to see the girls enjoying a fun project together!

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19 Kids and Counting "Duggars Reunited" (S08E06): Josh doesn't really know how to carve the turkey, but they make it work. Later, a few of the Duggar boys ask Josh for help in doing a Good Samaritan skit for the big "parents gift." [I'm kinda already over that whole thing, so I hope it's not going to end up taking large parts of future episodes as well.] 

The four older girls record their audiobook, with each reading their own stories, and Jill doing the more objective sections.

It's Jordyn's birthday, so Anna and Michelle take her, Josie, and Mackynzie for a birthday celebration with Jennifer and Johannah. They go to a candy shoppe to make truffles. [cute name! "Visions of Sugar Plums"] Then, the whole family goes ice skating... on plastic. [ugh. I mean, I know it tends to be cheaper to go skating in places like that makeshift rink, but the experience just does not rival the real thing!] 

19 Kids and Counting "Going the Distance for Love" (S08E07): Before the trip to Nepal, Jill receives a handwritten letter from Derick. [Jessa's impersonation of Jill talking about Derick was cute. also, what was that huge poster on the wall in the hallway?? history stuff, I think?] It takes JimBob and Jill 36 hours to get from Fayetteville, AR to Chicago, IL to Doha, Qatar to Kathmandu, Nepal. [Jill did her hair in the Qatar airport, haha!] Derick has been in Nepal for two years, and went to college at Oklahoma State. [I didn't know that the driving conditions were so crazy in Nepal!] The next day, they take a tour around a World Heritage Site, Bhaktapur, and get some Nepali clothes. [Jill goes ahead and tells strangers that they're a couple after the first day, LoL.] JimBob resorts to using his Spanish when he doesn't know how to say something. [I loved how Jill and Derick were wearing similar patterns.] They also eat some traditional foods, which Jill is more excited about than her father. Another day, Jill talks with a local artist while Ben asks JimBob about formally courting Jill. [JimBob seemed way more cautious in giving his approval here than with Jessa and Ben.]  

We see Michelle discipline Josie, then take out Jessa for coffee and to talk about the four-month courtship the young lady has been in. The couple usually sees one another every other weekend, but his deep emotions are still very boring to her. Her sisters are helping her respond better so that she can express the love language which Ben would enjoy. [aww, yay, Gary Chapman's book!] 

19 Kids & Counting: Josiah's Future, Anna's Thanksgiving

The episode wants to bank itself on Josiah's graduation party, but it has surprisingly little coverage in comparison to Josh and Anna preparing for the rest of the family coming to visit for an early Thanksgiving. And even that was really only a lead-up for the next episode, making this installment a bit of a dragging disappointment. Josh tries to renovate a room in a day while Anna has to whip up a holiday meal for 25 people. The whole situation made me wonder if Jim Bob purposely didn't call ahead and tell his eldest the change in travel arrangements, or if the producers wanted to see what they could milk out of the scenario. Regardless, I'm interested to see how the dinner goes over, and where everyone will sit! 

19 Kids & Counting "Graduation & a Surprise!" (S08E05): Josiah celebrates his high school graduation just a few days after the family returns from Erin Bates's wedding. Josiah sent out 300 invitations, and 400 people showed up. [but we don't see any of the "expected" families.] Ben's whole family attends, as do Derick's mom and stepfather, who drop off a care package for Jill and Jim Bob to take to Nepal. In January, Josiah will be going to the ALERT Academy, just like Joseph. [semi-expected.]

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After the party, the Duggars head to Josh & Anna's, so she takes on the huge challenge of making a holiday meal... when she hasn't made a turkey before. [that also didn't look like a big enough turkey!] To make more space for everyone at the house, Anna suggests Josh clean out the downstairs bedroom and paint it... but they don't have a lot of time. [exactly where are they putting all of the stuff that was "in storage" down there?] They think they have a day and a half, so Josh has a family friend come over to assist, but it turns out that the family drove through the night to beat some bad weather, and will arrive 19 hours ahead of schedule! [when did they buy the bunk bed? Anna made a turkey, 6 casseroles, 16 ears of corn, 3 pies, and 24 rolls. scraping by in a few of those areas, no?]

RETURNING: 19 Kids & Counting: Courtships & A Wedding

The Duggars are back - and they have a lot to catch up on! Erin Bates got married last fall, then Zach Bates in December, and with Jill Duggar already engaged (but has not yet even met Derick on the series), it'll be a busy season! Over in Washington, D.C., Anna is homeschooling four-year-old Mackynzie, and it looks like the rest of the Duggars will be heading East for another visit - perhaps even Thanksgiving or Christmas! Still, each family member takes life at his or her own speed, and there are bound to be little moments that are just as important as graduations and weddings!

TLC

19 Kids and Counting "A Duggar Says Yes" (S08E01): Ben started going to the Duggars' church back in the spring, and five months later, began courting Jessa. Ben is 18, the oldest of seven kids, and lives in another part of Arkansas where he is a freshman at a community college and is also doing auto glass windshield repairs. [I love how Michelle stared at Jim Bob as Ben leads up to asking to court Jessa. but was Jim Bob seriously videotaping it?? it does sound like other young men have come along!] Jessa is 20 and has been strong-willed since childhood. She's opinionated, not overly emotional, and loyal, so the couple thinks their personalities complement each other. Ben helps out with family projects, and Jessa's brothers have a chance to interrogate the young man. Jessa takes up a larger interest in cooking, so she helps with more dinner. [does she really strike up an interest? or is she told to have that interest?]

Michelle and Jessa go to check out Ben's family for the weekend, and in preparing, the older girls (plus Joy for once!) talk about what will be changing in the household. John-David flies them down there, and the 200-mile flight takes them 40 minutes. [John-David really does try so many different things!] Jessa and Ben go on a double-date with his parents while Michelle watches the other kids. [normally, you'd think it woudl be awkward to watch a bunch of strangers' kids, no?] The Seewald extended family comes over for a potluck meal as well. [it was very cute that Jessa thought Ben genuinely wanted to discuss theology at first.] Meanwhile, JimBob takes the kids out for a pizza buffet.

19 Kids and Counting "Double Dating Duggars" (S08E02): JimBob and Michelle take Ben and Jessa to play mini-golf and talk to them about the expectations of their courtship.[purposely being sensual around your child and hoping they don't have the same type of desires is ridiculous.]

Jill and her group (JoyAnna, James, and Jennifer) make pickles.

Anna puts together a playhouse for the kids, and has started homeschooling Mackenzie.

19 Kids and Counting "Another Courtship?" (S08E3): Jill talks to Derick online, who is in Nepal. She asks JimBob if the two of them can go to Nepal to meet him, and he's open to the idea, having been the young man's prayer partner for some time. Michelle plays chess with Jeremiah, but struggles. [we've looked at Jeremiah's hobby before, so it's nice to see he's sticking with an interest.]

Anna demonstrates worksheets with Mackenzie.

The Duggar kids decide to put on a dinner theatre night for JimBob and Michelle, so Joy-Anna puts together a song with the little kids, and other groups have performances planned, too. [guess this will be the ongoing project this season!]

The four oldest girls work on the book they've been authoring for the past two years, and
Jinger suggests Jessa write about her own relationship, but she doesn't want to. [that answers that!]

19 Kids and Counting "Wedding Bells?" (S08E04): Ben and his mother join the Duggars on a road trip to Tennessee for Erin Bates' wedding. [is "Chad" normally a nickname for "Charles" ?] Because Erin isn't the greatest cook, the older Duggar girls (sans Jessa) decide to put together a gag gift about the woman's poor skills in the kitchen. [the fire extinguisher was a funny touch!] Jinger starts taking over the packing, which Jessa used to help with, but at least the number of kids is a little smaller - Joy Anna has started packing for herself now.

Kelly Bates isn't sure how many people are coming to the wedding, so they plan for 1,000 people. [do they not require RSVPs?] Erin ordered bridesmaid dresses online, but they didn't fit the girls right so they bought fabric and Michaela went to work making them! Erin bought a dress from a store and had it altered to be more modest. [sounds like money was no object for this ceremony, eh?] With Zach engaged to Whitney, the Bates family is very busy with upcoming nuptials. Erin shows Jessa and Ben her new home, which has a pink master bedroom. [I agree that it's a bit odd. I understand that Erin never got the dream room of a six-year-old as a kid, but as an adult it's a bit much.]

JohnDavid is in charge of trashing the getaway car, which is actually a rented vehicle. [why? also, haha at Michelle taking paint of the walls at the church with tape! and where were Josh and Anna?]

Fun Friday: Jana, Jill, Jessa, and Jinger Grow Up Duggar

The four oldest Duggar girls from the well-known TLC reality series 19 Kids and Counting released a book this week that features their perspectives on how life is all about the relationships you have with family, friends, God, and potential mates. Growing Up Duggar: It's All About Relationships also looks at how the Duggar family approaches fashion, teamwork, and more, and includes anecdotes by Jana, Jill, Jessa, and Jinger (parenthesis notate who is talking each time). As I've read the past Duggar books and am well-versed in their nearing-200-episode reality show, I found this text to be only semi-interesting, with many larger questions left unanswered.

Sure, some of the family's processes could have been guessed by the informed fan, like Michelle and Jim Bob's "what things can I pray about for you?" question when having catch-up discussions with their daughters, but others were surprising, like Jim Bob providing vehicles for his girls but expects his boys to "save up and buy a car of their own." While the Duggars live out many traditional values (a story about Justin and James being chivalrous and pouring the family ice water comes to mind), this "extra expression of a dad's love and care for his girls" certainly stood out, and readers may find similar tales (i.e. parents discussing how a 12-year-old should start growing into "the kind of woman a godly guy would desire to marry," or the volunteer firefighting Jill leaving "going into burning buildings" to the men while running the pumps on the trucks) off-putting in 2014.

Yes, the Duggars who authored this book are all over 18, but Joy-Anna, who turns 17 this year, probably felt left out, especially in the memory written about the purity ring she received from Michelle and Jim Bob, and the conversations they had surrounding it. On the series, Joy often appears as an awkward middle child, eight years older than the next sister but still noticeably younger than her older sisters, so it would have been nice to include a little tidbit from her perspective as well, assuming she was interested in doing so. 

But on the topic of purity, and how the Duggars believe that they will be married on God's time, not their own, the book is already outdated. In it, the girls say that none of them have felt led to a potential spouse yet, when in reality Jessa is courting, something that was announced toward the end of the last season's 19 Kids and Counting. Because the Duggars talk about praying long and hard about such situations, it is tough to believe Jessa wasn't even thinking about Ben yet when the book went to press. Instead, it seems likelier that a conscious decision was made to leave that story out of the book in order to boost audience numbers for the TLC series. However, the girls did outline what to look for when choosing a suitable spouse, so the upcoming season will undoubtedly focus on whether Ben gets angry, how he acts around others, and how he treats his parents and siblings.

Instead of Jessa's budding love story, the book gets Anna and Josh to tell their story... again. It is a saga that has been told many times, but perhaps not as many as that of Michelle and Jim Bob... whose own tale of true love is also included, though told from Michelle's perspective as "Marie." The reasonable explanation for the pseudonym is so that readers don't prejudge the young woman, but in reality it's probably so people don't skip over the section, as Michelle's cheerleading and dating days have been well established.

That said, there are new things to learn about the family, including how Jim Bob began his senate career in 1997. While the previous books and television episodes/specials have highlighted this part of Jim Bob's career, I cannot recall ever learning that it was sparked by a rally to protest partial-birth abortion. Similarly, though Jill's midwifery study is documented on-camera often, the work of the other older girls is really developed in Growing Up Duggar, explaining Jana's time with "Journey to the Heart," as well as Jinger ministering in the local juvenile detention center and with adult inmates as well.

I would recommend Growing Up Duggar: It's All About Relationships to individuals who might not know too much about the mega-family but want to learn more about their values and how they stick with the next generation as they mature. Folks who have already done considerable research may find the book lacking in original material, or even contradictory to what else the family has announced through various media. Regardless, any fan of the Duggars should be looking forward to the series' return on TLC Tuesday, April 1st.

19 Kids and Counting: Josh, the Flea Market, and Jessa

The focus of this entire section of 19 Kids and Counting episodes has been the flea market and Josh's move to Washington, DC. Jessa's courtship was treated as an afterthought, thrown in after the final editing, if I had to guess. I think that the only reason the flea market thing was drawn out was so the producers didn't have to film a lot of JimBob's family and could instead focus on Josh's in Washington, DC. As I've hypothesized in the past, I think TLC wants to do a "Next Generation" series and is trying to test the waters on how an audience would respond to more of Josh, and perhaps Jessa as she makes her way out of the home. Why else would you do an anniversary episode that's half Josh AND a "Josh and Anna through the years" episode in the same season??

Oh, and again with the Two and a Half Men commercial! [local CW network]

19 Kids and Counting "Engaging Announcement!" (S07E18): The Duggars visit the Bates family on their way home from a speaking engagement, and Erin announces she is engaged to Chad Paine (who has 5 brothers and 4 sisters). She will marry in two months, so the women head camping to bond and chat about the experience, leaving JimBob and Gil with 17-18 kids. [haha, Justin "can starve" and Jackson "can cook."] 15 sleeping bags, 4 tents, and 10 lbs food are taken on a two-hour drive to a friend's private campsite. But, they didn't have instructions for the tents, so and one is mildewy, so they decide to just sleep on the covered dock and in the bus. The ladies do some water activities in the lake, then Erin recounts the story of how she and Chad meant and courted. [Erin's nails were a French manicure when the Duggars arrived (and in the scene where she got engaged) but they're pink at the campfire. did she re-do them or are these activities not actually from the same trip??] They met a little over 2 years ago at a Valentine's banquet, then they texted, and Chad asked Gil about courting Erin. When he was ready to propose, Gil and Kelly were the chaperones on the date, and Chad hired a horse and carriage. [was that Michaela curling her hair?] 

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Gil donates some junk for the Duggars' flea market, like a set of golf clubs, a tool, and a camp stove. Their idea of a meal includes 4 bags of corn chips, 48 oz sour cream, and 12 lbs beans for chili pie, plus cheese and lettuce, of course.

19 Kids and Counting "Duggar Challenges!" (S07E19): Marcus is almost three months old, and is pretty laidback. Josh and Anna have over some military friends, Scott (9 years serving) and Amanda (deployed in the DC area nights) Reed, plus two sons and Amanda's sister. They've been there 5 weeks, so they're also new to the area. Anna's menu includes grilled chicken, broccoli, asparagus, rice, chocolate chip cookies, ice cream. [what was she brushing onto that asparagus?? and if this is one of Josh's favorite meals, why was she unsure of how to prepare the chicken?]

Back in Arkansas, to prepare for the flea market, JimBob has the boys open up the pocket knives they bought and clean them up. Grandma even buys one. [I wonder if they remember to note that in the sales figures?] The girls decorate the ping pong guns. Then, JimBob invites John Reddish, an auctioneer friend, to come over and teach the family some auctioneering skills, as the Duggars have some large items that they want to auction instead of just sell at the flea market. They start with a tongue-twister: 'round the rough and rugged rock, the ragged rascal ran. [I do tongue twisters with my theatre classes, so I'll have to think about adding in this one for the older children!] Michelle winds up being the positive one, thinking they might even raise $10,000 from the flea market, compared to JimBob's $4,000-5,000.

19 Kids and Counting "Flea Market Finale" (S07E20): The kids suggest that they promote the flea market on the radio, and come up with a lot of ideas and logistics questions. The little kids make signs, the older girls bake tons of cookies, and JimBob continues to be paranoid that they won't be ready in time. [I'm with Grandma on this one... they should be better with their measuring!] Michelle continues to be confident, though she eventually calls Kathy Cheney for help, and she brings a small staff. The Carsons also donate their time. [haha that some of the older girls chose to donate shirts that the others weren't tired of, so there was some re-snatching!] Josh, Anna, and the kids come out for the flea market as a surprise. [I would have liked to see that car trip!]

There were five areas to the event: carnival, flea market, concession, bake sale, and auction section. [Joy, Jason, James, Jackson, and Cousin Amy all took turns in the dunk tank.] There were over 4,000 items for sale, and they can take cash and credit. Two hours in (of 6), they're just over $3,000 in sales. Two hours later, they reach $5272, so the clothing starts to go for half-price. [and is among the many items that were donated after the sale was over.] The grand total is $18,471.50.

They bought the $50 items a month ago, and Jessa starts selling the pocket knives for $2-3 instead of $5 each. The ping pong toys were all sold within three hours. Hanny gets started auctioneering to make people interested in a cute little kid. [she gets pushed into doing so much that she doesn't seem to be comfortable with... more than any other Duggar, I'm afraid.] But, there wasn't interest in the bows so JimBob bought them. [ha!] Jedidiah decides to start peddling the knives as he walks around, and the boys wound up with $122 in sales, while the girls ended up with $80. [at least they made a profit!]

Jessa is in a courtship where she's allowed to text, with the modern twist of JimBob and Michelle also receiving all of the texts between the two. [interesting. not a bad way to go, actually. I could be supportive of that idea in other scenarios as well.]

19 Kids and Counting "Josh & Anna: Our Story" (Special): The family has been in Washington, DC for 3.5 months now. Anna grew up sharing a bedroom and closet with four sisters, and hadn't planned on settling down young, until she met Josh at 18. They spent an hour on the phone at night, with different siblings chaperoning. [is she missing a bottom tooth on her right side? I think I've wondered that before but it seems especially noticeable in this installment.] Anna sees a video of fifteen-year-old Josh talking about marriage, and we learn that Josh and Anna only saw each other once during their engagement. [seeing the kids in 2008 talking about Josh and Anna was adorable!] They talk about how they prepared for the first kiss. [I had forgotten Josh sang during their wedding ceremony!] They were only apart a few hours during their entire first year of marriage, as they worked together at the car lot. [holy cow! that is so intense!]

Then, there's the review of each pregnancy and birth, pointing out that everyone was out of town when Anna went into labor with Mackynzie, and she progressed so quickly that she birthed at home instead of elsewhere. [yet Michelle had time to fly home??]

19 Kids and Counting: 5 and 29 Years, Respectively

Not everyone celebrates their anniversary ON their anniversary, but acting as if JimBob and Josh (who have July and September weddings, respectively) were celebrating at the same time was a little odd. If Marcus was two months old, that would suggest it's the beginning of August for the younger generation, but there were no other obvious clues as to when JimBob and Michelle were celebrating. However, the hot air ballooning idea was pretty neat... I've been looking for a fun way to celebrate my upcoming 30th birthday, and doing a hot air balloon trip up in Napa might just be the ticket!

Another note... there was an advertisement for Two and a Half Men on TLC, during 19 Kids and Counting. This makes me upset, as I feel like I can usually count on this programming block to be positive and safe for the entire family, which Two and a Half Men is not.

19 Kids and Counting "Anniversaries to Remember" (S07E17): Josh and Anna are celebrating 5 years of marriage, and Jana and JoyAnna head to Washington, DC to help Josh with a surprise. [they know how to pack better than that! and what was with the guest bunk beds?] Josh asks his sisters to take Anna for the day so he can do something with the kids, so the ladies go for a manicure in Old Town Alexandria. [why did they bring a suitcase of baby girl clothes if Marcus is only two months old??] Josh spends some time getting different individual and group shots of his three children. [haha, Jana and Joy picked out the outfit options for Josh.] Then, Josh and Anna go for a fancy dinner at Bond 45, and both get the New York Strip steak. [what pin was Josh wearing?]

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Meanwhile, in Arkansas, Michelle and JimBob celebrate 29 years of marriage, and JimBob asks the kids to help with some surprises. JimBob tells Michelle what to pack for an overnight trip, and Josiah chauffeurs them to Terra Studios to enjoy some outdoor art and try to make some glass art. [I hate how JimBob always thinks something will be easy until he tries it!] The other kids meet them at the War Eagle Mill, where they assist in preparing the restaurant's specialty: beans and cornbread, which Michelle loves. [it would have been cuter if that was a meaningful meal for them for some reason.] The couple heads to a motel for the night, and JimBob tries to barter the price. They get up early the next day and head to ride in a hot air balloon, even though Michelle is afraid of heights. [that's another pet peeve of mine... JimBob always trying to force his family into doing things that are outside of their comfort zones.]

There was also an "Anniversary Game" segment with the girls and guys answering questions. For the classic Duggars, we learn that their first date was to a restaurant, where Michelle wore a pink formal gown and realized that JimBob was the man for her. [because we saw a lot of Josh and Anna's relationship on the show, I wasn't as interested in their responses.] Michelle is asked what JimBob does to let her know he's in the mood, and she says he raises his eyebrows. He says he goes "hey! hey! hey." [won't do either now, haha!] When Josh is in the mood, he cleans the bedroom and turns down the sheets. [this also made me laugh.] JimBob uses three cans of hairspray each month and dated Michelle for seven months before getting engaged. [haha, Anna leans in for a kiss and Josh doesn't go for it. Michelle thinks of JimBob's motto as "Buy Used and Save the Difference," but he says it is "Be Fruitful and Multiply." [amusing that he chose that one over Michelle's pick...]

19 Kids and Counting: Mistakes

Anybody who has watched a toilet-training toddler for any length of time has probably witnessed an "accident." It's no big deal, as children struggle to figure out when "it's time." JimBob, despite having 18 older children, makes a big deal out of Josie making a mess in her pants, and almost seems not to know what to do. Fortunately there are several older girls right there to help out, but JimBob showing the cameras the situation was gross and uncalled for. I can't even think of a good reason that the crew would keep that in rather than edit it out, unless there's REALLY nothing else to film! Then again, as you'll see below, they completely splice together Anna's metro trip, so who knows what is going through the producers' minds anymore.

19 Kids and Counting "A Big Idea" (S07E15): Anna's parents and her two younger come to visit Washington, DC. [but we don't really see the brothers.] As the Duggars' new house is 3x the size of the old one, there is plenty of room for guests, but keeping it tiday is a little overwhelming. [four bathrooms!] When Josh forgets his lunch, Anna and Marcus take it to him, which gives Anna a shot at driving into the city alone. She struggles with parallel parking but otherwise gets there okay. [I understand having not parallel parked since taking a driving test, but 100 turns?!? even when your car has the feature that beeps when it's near something??]

Jana and Michelle bring Josie to the Children's Hospital to encourage others with NICU babies.

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JimBob has decided that farming is too much, but he has another idea - clean out their 3500 sq ft warehouse space and have a flea market. [not just a yard sale, LoL.] This would allow them to rent out the unit as well as give back to the NICU by donating the proceeds.

19 Kids and Counting "Flea Market Challenge" (S07E16): The kids are on board with the flea market idea, and Jill even thinks it should be an annual event. Jessa is excited because they'll be organizing things. [they have a box labeled "very special emails" ... what do you put in that? they know emails can be saved electronically, right?] Everyone then heads to a flea market to figure out how they works, and JimBob gives the girls and boys each $50 to try and buy things that they can turn for a profit at their own sale. [LoL, they have 50 minutes but Jana panics when they don't find anything in the first five!] JimBob tries bartering and their group saves $5. The other $45 go to 40 knives in a bucket. The girls go with 20 hairbows & accessories ($20) and 6 wooden ping pong guns ($30). [nobody is buying hairbows at a flea market, guys. and Joy was an odd choice to help Michelle sort old baby clothes.] 

Meanwhile, in Washington, DC, Anna tries to use the metro for a Mommy & Me playgroup. [Anna is clearly using at least three different stations, for those unfamiliar with the DC metro. It makes no sense that she would start at Archives (Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter Station) and be at a red/blue stop, as that is on the yellow and green lines. Plus, they show her getting off at L'Enfant Plaza, which is only one stop away from there. Then we see Ballston, which is out towards Falls Church on the orange line. But JW Tumbles has two nearby locations, one in Arlington and one in Alexandria, and to take the metro to either, you'd need to transfer onto a bus, which we don't see happen. We also see blurred signs all around, but the Stuart street sign indicates to me that they HAD to take a bus at some point, as there is no Stuart in easy walking distance of any metro stop. PLUS, The whole thing is kinda weird, as we know the Duggars don't live near a metro line, so Anna making all of these different stops makes even less sense. oh, and to nitpick, she didn't know to wait until people finished getting off to get on the train. how? they've been to multiple big cities. I guess she might have been panicked with the double stroller?] Once they get to the playgroup, Michael freaks out, we learn they've been in DC for a few weeks now, and that Marcus is two months old. [why would Michael think it was a nursery? because of church? where else would he see one??]

19 Kids and Counting: Moving In & Moving On

Those who know me personally are probably well aware that I have moved quite a bit in my adult life, and have lived in five cities in three states since graduating from college. I don't have a problem saying goodbye to people and moving on to the newest phase of life, and sometimes struggle to understand why it bothers people to do so. For someone like Josh Duggar, though, I see where it's not simple. He has lived outside of his parents' home for five years or so, but tearing oneself away from eighteen siblings rather than one or two has got to be much more difficult. I have been on the fence about Josh and Anna's decision to move to our nation's capital, but at least they will have each other and their own offspring. Plus, I think we all know that plenty of visits will be taking place before long! 

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19 Kids and Counting "An Emotional Goodbye" (S07E13): The Duggars have brought along several members of the Bates family to help with the unpacking. [because 20 sets of hands just isn't enough??] JimBob and Josh struggle to move things into Josh's house, and the front door being on the second floor makes things a little complicated as well. [haha, I can relate to that one a little. If it wasn't for the garage door, there would be no way to enter my home from the side that faces the street, and moving things into a door would require a lot of angling because of the fence!] Some of the girls got a bunch of house decorations together for Josh and Anna, like framed photos and vases of flowers, and stay up overnight to decorate. [I've never seen a place look so complete 24 hours later!]

Before the family leaves and Josh has his first day on the job, they spend Anna's 25th birthday at the National Mall, ten miles away. [but why ride the carousel when they are all so prone to motion sickness?? also, has it been confirmed whether Josh's children also suffer the same condition?] 

19 Kids and Counting "Farm Fresh Duggars" (S0714): Michelle talks about dreams of more babies, and says she hopes to have more again. [who has positive things to say about this? anyone?] They're also praying about adopting, so there are multiple options on the table. [I can get on board with this idea slightly more, but still not very much.]

Jason's garden has been overtaken with weeds, so the family works on it together, inspiring JimBob to do more with their 20 acres. [barefoot preschoolers with weed whackers scare me!] He wonders if raising their own livestock would be a good idea, though Michelle is skeptical. [me, too.] JimBob sets up a farm experience day for the family at Youngblood Grassfed Farm, where they feed pigs, sheep, cows, and chickens, collect eggs, milk cows, and even examine a pregnant heifer. [the early hours were probably a downer for 90% of the family... and the inappropriate footwear grossed me out!] Everything really makes JimBob re-think running a arm, especially having to get his arm up inside an animal! [loud pigs! the dogs play with the sheep! I never thought about cows expressing colostrum like humans.] Plus, they also helped at a meat shoppe - making salad, vegetables, and pies, working the register, filling orders, wrapping meat, and butchering a cow. [that last one was a bit intense!] Not all of the family members were opposed to living a farm life, though, so who knows!

RETURNING: 19 Kids and Counting Goes to Washington

The second half of the season begins with a new opening, showcasing updates photos of the family. While Josie (who turns FOUR is December!) was supposed to be seen as the biggest change, Jordyn actually appeared to age the most, as well as some of the now-teenage boys. Michelle also has a new look, and it certainly is not doing anything for her! Not sure if she can really be blamed, though, as she seems content with playing the grandmotherly role, choosing to spend time with Mackenzie and Marcus (and Michael, though not pictures below) over helping with the packing the household. The Duggars being split between two states will certainly change the balance of the series, and Josh might finally get the spin-off many have been suspecting he wants...

TLC

19 Kids and Counting "Big Changes" (S07E12): After Marcus has his one-week checkup, Josh, Anna, and the kids fly to Washington, DC to finish house-hunting. [they were just there two weeks ago? That math doesn't work if they traveled when Anna was 33 weeks pregnant but Marcus was born on his due date...] It's tough, as they weight closeness to the metro, community, space, and price, but they go with a 3,000 sq ft five-bedroom home. Josh was trying to avoid driving to work, but it'll have to happen in this situation.

Back in Arkansas, the family helps pack up the house, and even JimBob and Josh's trainer shows up to assist. A six-vehicle caravan takes off the next morning, including a motorhome, the bus, two moving trucks, an SUV, and a pickup truck. [I'm not sure why the breakdowns for the vehicles happened the way they did...] Two cars are also being towed, as well as a trailer. [why is Josh bringing a second truck of stuff from the car lot? and did he sell it off or who is running it now? also, glad that H3 is gone!] About halfway to Josh's new place, the Duggars decide to drop in on the Bates family, giving them three hours of notice. Still, the Bateses make the most out of the time and whip up dinner, decorations, and even some baby gifts for Anna. [love that family!] Josh is concerned that they'll get behind schedule, and, sure enough, they wind up spending the night there. Josh wakes up early the next day and gets his family on the road... good thing, as the rest of the Duggars wind up spending an extra day in Tennessee!

Josh, Anna, and the kids make it to the new house, which has plenty of space and a yard for the kids to run around. They'll be spending that first night in the motorhome, however, and without Marcus's vibrating seat, which accidentally got loaded onto a moving truck! [ouch!]

United Bates of America: Long-Lost Chickens

The Bates family isn't incredibly well-known, but if you follow the Duggars, you probably know this other mega-family. Gil and Kelly met in college and started their brood soon after graduation. The United Bates of America ran eight episodes last summer, but my DVR missed an episode, which apparently reran last week, so I finally saw it. The installment was much like the others in the short-lived series, with part of the episode devoted to a family project, another about day-to-day life, and another revolving around what makes a large family different from an average-sized family. It actually made me miss the Bateses, as they really are quite different from the Duggars, but an annual special is probably enough.

Credit: TLC / Charles Garvey

The United Bates of America "New Editions" (S01E05): The family decides to get chickens to provide them with fresh eggs on a regular basis. Apparently, they’ve had chickens before, but they made a mess being free-range on the property. [gross!] These chickens would be in a coop, so the first thing that has to happen is the family finds a spot to clear, then build a structure. [I thought it was funny that the kids kept disappearing on Gil. Also, the Duggars were there for MONTHS when the Bates family was building their house? This was a long time ago, but I don't recall the then-18-Kids-and-Counting episodes seeming to span that much time (announcement, arrival to help, some building, Wilsons also come to help, finished product, later visit, recap).] They spend over $200 in materials, but it all comes together in the end, and they get about four adult chickens and about twenty chicks. [won't that be too many birds running around when they're all adults??] 

Also taking place during this project is Carlin's 14th birthday, which is celebrated with balloons, roses, and a cake. [wow! flowers at 14!] Plus, a couple of the younger kids have cavities, and the family believes it’s because there’s no fluoride in their spring water. [I wonder if it's more due to the fact that there are so many kids now that it is difficult for the parents to supervise all the brushing...]

19 Kids and Counting: Josh's Third Child Is Born

Why did Anna choose not to deliver at home this time? I'm not really clear on what influenced that decision, though I guess it doesn't really matter too much... except for the fact that Anna chose a midwife an hour away. I'd be paranoid about trying to reach such a destination during labor. I'm not sure if I was more surprised about that or the fact that Anna was worried that the baby was in danger while birthed in the water. Surely she must have read up a little bit on birthing options, right? Maybe not, as Josh and Anna very clearly didn't research anything related to living in the DC area! So frustrating! 

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19 Kids and Counting "GrandDuggar Makes 3!" (Special): First, there's a review of when Josh and Anna found out they were pregnant, how they told the family, when they learned the sex, and when they decided to move to Washington, DC. We see Anna, Josh, Jill, and Jana head to Anna's 25-week appointment. Elsewhere, Michelle takes Jackson and Johannah to the thrift store to buy a gift for Josh and Anna's baby. Later, Josh goes shopping for some shoes for the kids while Anna takes a prenatal exercise class.

At 33 weeks, Josh, Anna, and the kids take a trip to Washington, DC to get the lay of the land and do some house hunting, but they really just get sticker-shock and annoyed by the parking situation. [I guess they did NO research before they got there??] Anna also struggles a bit to get around DC without Josh, but she makes her way to a lunch spot where there's a bunch of food trucks. Anna gets some falafal (because it was good in Israel), but the kids aren't interested.

Anna goes into labor at 4am on her due date, June 2nd, and by 6am the contractions are two minutes apart. But, Jana and Jill are attending another birth, so Michelle goes with Josh, Anna, and their doula to Fort Smith, about an hour away. [Michelle's hair was straightened again!] They make it, and Jana and Jill are also able to attend the birth after all. Anna's water breaks about 7:15am, and she labors in a bed for a while before moving to a tub. [Mackynzie's birth was a twelve hour labor. Michael's was more like 18 hours. We don't get an exact length for Marcus's, but I'm guessing no more than 8.] Marcus Anthony is born 9 lbs 3 oz, and the whole family meets him later in the day. [the jurisdiction joke at the end was cute.]

19 Kids & Counting: Big Changes for Josh and Anna

Anyone who follows Joshua Duggar beyond the TLC series knows that he's not the greatest worker. He has a difficult time buckling down and isn't the best car salesman, so switching to a profession with set hours, expectations, and salary is a much better move for the young man and his growing family. Yes, that means that he'll be far from his eighteen (and still counting?) siblings, but Anna's brothers and sisters are spread far and wide, so it's not the end of the world. That said, maybe a couple of the older kids could go with them for a couple of months to help "set up." Josiah and Jinger would be excellent candidates... what do you think?

19 Kids and Counting "Baby Gender Reveal & the Final Weigh In" (S07E11): The family attends Pastor Howard's church, where Jim the Cameraman sets up the sex reveal of Anna's third baby during the service. [I felt that was kinda inappropriate to hijack a sermon like that.] In 17 more weeks, Anna will birth another son. [I found it odd that she was hoping for a son. (Stereo)Typically, quiverful families hope for many daughters early on to help with the workload of raising a large family.] Whether the new baby will be born in Arkansas or Washington, DC is anyone's guess right now, however... Josh and Anna also announced that they'll be moving so he can accept that job offer.

TLC

It's the end of the 90-day weight loss challenge for JimBob and Josh. Medically, Josh now has a BMI of 27.99, which is overweight but not obese. JimBob has high triglycerides but has otherwise improved. Both men realize that they have a long way to go, and the doctor tells Steve that he believes Josh made a bigger improvement. But, that's only one of three factors that will be used to determine the winner. The second factor will be the outcome of a surprise obstacle course, where the entire family will participate!

The teams were split pretty much by birth order, but the average age on JimBob's team (Jana, Jessa, Joseph, Joy Anna, Jeremiah, Jason, Justin, Johannah, Jordyn, Josie, and Michelle) was four years older than Josh's (John-David, Jill, Jinger, Josiah, Jedidiah, James, Jackson, Jennifer, Mackynzie, Michael, and Anna). [I loved the wide variety of events, including changing dolls' diapers!] JimBob finishes first by just a second or two, with the final event being a rock climbing wall. Now, the winner from the doctor (Josh) and the winner from the obstacle course (JimBob) both earn four-pound advantages, so that actually cancels out one another. JimBob's final weight turns out to be 198, and Josh comes in at 202. Although Josh lost more weight, JimBob had a lower final weight, so he won. [I disagree with this a LOT! That's why Biggest Loser goes by percentage!] As his prize, JimBob receives breakfast-in-bed made by Josh and consisting of turkey bacon, toast, sunny-side-up eggs, and a smoothie, alongside coffee and fruit. [was that ice cream in that smoothie??]