"Daddy Duggar's Birthday" Recap

On tonight's episode of "19 Kids and Counting," Daddy Duggar's Birthday...

• Josh's second car lot (previously a taco restaurant) is up and running! The oldest Duggar is especially proud of the 16-camera security system that he recently installed.
• For the first time since Michael's birth, Anna loads both children into the car and heads to the supermarket.
• "Anna, she has just done a fabulous job, and I see her rising to the call to be that wonderful mommy that she is," Michelle praises her daughter-in-law. 
• Back home, Mackynzie is thrilled to put on her zebra apron and help prepare dinner--steak, potatoes, biscuits, and veggies. 
• After work, Josh opens his new grill. "I'm not big on directions," he explains, while assembling the appliance. "In this project, if something blows up, you've got it right!"
• He and Mackynzie head outside to cook the steak. And it wouldn't be a barbecue without Josh's special seasoning, a recipe that he created as a kid. Even Anna doesn't know his secret! "Maybe I'll sell it someday," jokes the budding chef. "We could go out of the car business and go into the seasoning business." 
• Michelle accompanies Jim Bob to the allergist for his 46th birthday present. Jim Bob experiences a round of shots that could make a grown man cry. On a scale of one to ten, he rates the pain at a nine. "I recommend this birthday gift for everyone," he says, chuckling.
• For his birthday dinner, the Duggar daddy takes the entire family out to Acambaro, a nearby Mexican restaurant. While everyone enjoys their food, he makes an announcement: "A year from now, you won't even recognize me...after tonight I'm going to start my diet." "Always tomorrow!" an anonymous Duggar remarks.

Have you ever been to the allergist and been subject to their "delightful" tests? Can you feel Jim Bob's pain?

"38 Kids and Counting" Recap

On tonight's episode of "19 Kids and Counting," 38 Kids and Counting...

• On their way home from Atlanta, the Duggars stop in Tennessee to visit Gil and Kelly Bates and their 18--soon to be 19--children. They enjoy riding horses, chopping down trees (the Bates have a tree-trimming service), playing fiddle, and chatting up a storm.
• Two years ago, the Jim Bob and Michelle helped the Bates add an addition to their house as a Mother's Day present for Kelly. What began as a simple laundry room that would be completed in a weekend quickly turned into a three-story addition that took over a year to build! Now, the project is finished, and both families are able to enjoy their handy work.
• Jim Bob and Gil wholeheartedly believe that they are the happiest, richest men in the world. "I know I tease about Bill Gates being rich," says Gil. "And I'm Gil Bates. We're direct opposites, but I'm really really rich, richer in anything that really counts."
• What news does Zach Bates have to share? He has entered into a courtship with Sarah Reith! The two are as happy as can be. Congratulations, Zach and Sarah!
• Will there be any Duggar-Bates courtships in the future? "I wouldn't be surprised if somebody, somewhere, ends up doing something!" says Jill. But she also clears up a misconception: "A lot of people do like to assume that because the Bates and our family are so much alike, that everybody down the line--birth order--is going to marry the person right across. But it doesn't actually work that way."
• "We'll wait and see what the Lord has in store," says Michelle. 
• After unplugging the bus toilet and fixing the air conditioner, the Duggars are ready to head out. Hugs all around (even from some of the boys!), Josie blows kisses, and they're off!

Spine Boards, Wakeboards, and Surfboards

On tonight's new episodes of "19 Kids and Counting:"


Duggar In Danger

• During a rehearsal at First Baptist Church Atlanta (Charles Stanley's church), Jason falls 12 feet into an orchestra pit. "We found Jason laying there, basically in a pool of blood," Jim Bob recounts.
• Jason is rushed to the hospital--Mama by his side--where it is determined that the 11-year-old Duggar has suffered two chipped teeth, a fractured jaw, and a sprained knee. He is stitched up and sent home (to the family bus) but takes weeks to fully recover.
• The following day, Jim Bob and Michelle speak at First Baptist, and the kids share music. Meanwhile, Jason chills in the greenroom in a wheelchair. 
• After the service, the family heads to Lake Lanier for some water fun! Even Michelle, Anna, Mackynzie, and Josie join in. 
• "A lot of people don't realize, Michelle is very athletic" explains Jim Bob, "which really goes great with having all those babies because it's kind of like running a marathon!"
• The day's activities include zip-lining, swimming, kayaking, jet skiing, wakeboarding, and tubing. 
• Michelle surprises everyone by being the only person who is successful at wakeboarding. 
• "My mom put all of us guys to shame!" jokes Josh.

Duggars Under the Sea

• At a Christian media event, the Duggars have the privilege of meeting Bethany Hamilton--pro surfer and shark attack survivor--and her brother, Noah. 
• "Meeting the Duggars was really cool!" says Bethany. "I can't wait for them to come to Hawaii and surf...I think it would be fun to see them all in the water"
• "I want [our children] to meet and learn about people today," says Michelle. She desires for her kids to be able to recognize and adopt positive character qualities that they see in the lives of others. 
• The entire Duggar clan has a "whale" of a time at the Georgia Aquarium. Some of the highlights include feeding belugas, petting African penguins, and watching divers clean the glass tunnels with cloth diapers. They also adopt a whale shark and name it Jim Bob, much to Daddy's excitement.  
• Fun fact: Collectively, the Duggars weigh about as much as a baby whale shark, but they eat four times as much at each meal!

Jason's fall was the most severe injury suffered by a Duggar. What is the worst injury that you have experienced? 

Recap: Duggar Campout & Schoolhouse Duggars

On tonight's episodes of "19 Kids and Counting.."
Duggar Campout:

• Joy heads over to help Anna with her little ones. "Joy really has a servant's heart," commends Josh. "She just jumps in and helps."
• Mackynzie is adjusting quickly to having another child in the family. One of her favorite things to do is "nurse" her baby dolls while Mommy nurses Michael. "I thought Mackynzie was a really easy baby," says Anna. "But Michel seems even easier!"
• Back at Jim Bob and Michelle's, the family prepares for a backyard cookout and campout. Mom, the little ones, and the older children opt to sleep in the air-conditioned house, but Dad and the "middle kids" rough it outside.

Schoolhouse Duggars:

• Jim Bob and Michelle emphasize that they are NOT against public schools. (In fact, both attended--and enjoyed--public school as kids.) "We personally have just made the choice to homeschool," explains the mom of 19. The goal is to protect their kids from unnecessary peer pressures, spend quality time as a family, and develop a ministry mindset.
• At the annual ATI Homeschool Conference, the entire family learns new skills and enjoys plenty of fun and fellowship.
• Alert Cadet Academy is the program, similar to boy scouts, that the "middle boys" attend at ATI. When asked if she is confident in the younger boys' ability to take care of her if they were stranded in the wilderness, Michelle responds, laughingly: "No. Not confident. I don't think they're quite that well-trained!"
• Back home, the Duggars head to Skyline Heights Elementary School in Harrison, Arkansas, to participate in International Day. 
• "I really have a heart for the Spanish people," says 20-year-old Jill. "I really am striving and praying to be able to learn Spanish fluently." And she is spreading that love for the language to the other kids by posting Spanish flashcards throughout the house and taking them to a Spanish tutor. 
• CollegePlus! coach Brittany Crist works with the older kids, who are in the process of earning their accredited bachelor's degrees.
• The Duggar household is so busy, how do they find time (and quiet) to study? Jinger gives us an insiders' tip: "Setting aside a certain time during the day that you're going to go and study for several hours, that's the best way to get it accomplished."