Recap: "Music with the Duggars" and "The Duggar Twist"

On tonight's new episodes of 19 Kids and Counting...

"Music with the Duggars"

• The show opens with the Duggars' nightly Bible time. Everyone is gathered in the master bedroom for fellowship, study, and prayer.
• The following day, the family pitches in to prepare for their trip to Missouri. "We are so grateful for Jessa's gift of organization," says Michelle. "She gets us packed, organized, and usually everything is there." Six-year-old Johannah is Jessa's helper. 
• Meanwhile, Grandma Duggar and Deanna, Jim Bob's sister, help Amy pick out a professional outfit for her upcoming performance. "Lately I've had some really, really amazing opportunities," explains the vivacious Duggar cousin. Her mother helps with the music, and Grandma handles the business aspect of Amy's budding career. 
• After performing and speaking at Fresh Grounded Faith in Springfield, Missouri, Jim Bob and Michelle and the children stop off in Branson to hear Amy sing "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" (click here to listen) at Little Opry Theatre.
• "Amy is a very beautiful young lady," says Uncle Jim Bob. "I think she's really going to go places."

"The Duggar Twist"

• Jim Bob and Michelle retreat to their bedroom for a radio interview with Big Dan, a legendary DJ from their childhood who is still on the air today.
• Michelle makes a surprise phone call to Genessa, a thirteen-year-old cancer patient and devoted fan of the show, and invites her to come meet the family. (On February 10th, Genessa lost her battle to the disease. We know that the Mikolajski family would appreciate your thoughts and prayers.)
• At Auntie Anne's Pretzels, the Duggars learn the art of pretzel-rolling. That same afternoon, the family partners with Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation to raise money for childhood cancer. Of course, it wouldn't be a Duggar fundraiser without a little friendly competition. At an outdoor mall in Rogers, they split into teams and set up five lemonade stands, each trying to convince passersby that theirs has the best lemonade. Providing refreshments to over five hundred customers, the Duggars collect $1,000. Click here to learn more about Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation.

Recap: "Josh & Anna Check-In" and "40 Kids, Oh My!"

On tonight's new episodes of 19 Kids and Counting... 

"Josh & Anna Check-In"

• According to Josh, "Michael is...super relaxed." Anna says he takes after Dad.
• Both Mackynzie and Michael are currently in diapers, but Mackynzie is on the road to potty training. "The motto around our house is 'If you see a water puddle, it might not be a water puddle,'" jokes Josh. 
• Although Josh encourages his wife not to feel compelled to use cloth diapers all the time, Anna can't help but feel guilty when putting her children in disposables.
• Anna plans to homeschool her children and has begun teaching Mackynzie the basics (shapes, letters, etc). 
• The flexibility of being his own boss allows Josh to spend mornings with his family. He often takes out his violin and has Mackynzie play along on her pretend instrument.
• At the car lot, business is slow. After opening his first lot five years ago, Josh felt the need to expand and leased a second location. Shortly after, the bank forced him to leave the newly acquired property, and the entire family banded together to move over fifty cars to the Taco Lot (Shown on "Duggars in the Zone"). The bank has recently given Josh the opportunity to purchase the original second location for a lower price than he had previously offered, so it's time to move again!
• Mackynzie has her hair cut for the first time at a local cosmetology school. While a friend of Anna's trims the two-year-old's hair, Mom keeps her daughter entertained with candy and iPhone games. 
• Later, Anna takes her two children--as well as Johannah, Jennifer, and Jordyn--to a play park and experiences life with five little ones. "It was a little...stressful," explains Anna. "I would love to have a large family if we're able, but...I'm glad it takes at least nine months for each child. That way I can slowly work into this."

"40 Kids, Oh My!"

•  Forty: that's how many kids are present when the Vanderhoffs come to visit. The Vanderhoffs have a total of twenty-one children; nine are biological and the rest adopted. Several have special needs. The family is bunking with the Duggars while they close on a house nearby.
• A typical Sunday at the Duggars' home church goes like this: The service opens with hymns, includes a message and prayer, and culminates with a potluck. The little ones do not usually make it through the entire message, so Michelle takes them to the toy room to expend their energy.
• Michelle heads to Little Rock with Jana, Josie, Jedidiah, Jeremiah, and Jason. The highlight of the mini vacation is spending time with Cindy, Michelle's best friend of 39 years. As kids, the girls did everything together. From cheer-leading camp to RV trips, the two were inseparable. To this day, they talk and text daily.
• While in Little Rock, Michelle speaks to a group of mothers at Fellowship Bible Church. According to the mom of many, the Duggars receive enough speaking engagement requests to be busy every day of the year. They accept only a small number because family comes first.
• Back in Tontitown, Jim Bob teaches Justin and James to bargain at a local pawn shop. Their purchase? A ride-on Jeep for Justin's ninth birthday. 
• Justin celebrates his special day with Hudson Vanderhoff--who is turning twenty--thirty pizzas, and a massive cake. 

Watch the Duggars help the Vanderhoffs move into their new home:

"Duggars Planning the Future" Recap

On tonight's episode of 19 Kids and Counting, "Duggars Planning the Future,".....  

Landscaping

• Jim Bob calls a meeting to explain the next family project: planting a few dozen fruit trees in the yard. "When my dad pages over the intercom...with so many kids, it can take us...twenty to thirty minutes to gather," says Jana. 
• After a trip to the nursery, the Duggars are ready to begin work, but not until the guys fire up their "man toys."
• "[My dad] couldn't do it without using every piece of equipment that he has," informs Jill, laughing. The Duggars own one backhoe, one bulldozer, three lawnmowers, one tractor, and the list goes on!
• "It might have been a little overkill to use all this machinery," admits Jim Bob. "But it sure was a lot of fun!"

Speaking Engagements

• Michelle and the five eldest girls speak to the women of a nearby church. The older boys are also out, so Jim Bob plays Mr. Mom at home with the seven youngest (James through Josie).
• The first order of business is fixing the girls' hair. While working on Johannah's, Jim Bob remarks "It's all ratted! What's wrong with your hair?" Daddy's heart is in the right place, but everyone agrees that Mommy and the older girls are the ones to call for hairstyling.
• The next task is picking out clothes for the day. Jim Bob's solution? "Let's put this right over what you've got on." Surprisingly, everyone comes out looking alright.

Farmland Adventure

• The entire family (including Josh, Anna, Mackynzie, Michael, and cousin Amy) heads to the Farmland Adventures. The day is spent traipsing through a three-mile corn maze and enjoying the livestock. 
• Nine of the Duggars follow the map and make it through the maze. In the words of Amy, the remaining sixteen get a "corn-fused.
• While holding a baby goat, Jim Bob hollers to Michelle, "I think the Parsons have almost as many kids as we do!"

Pregnancy Check-Up

• At a thirteen-week appointment, Dr. Amy Sarver attempts to find the baby's heartbeat on a Doppler machine. When that fails, she prepares to take an ultrasound. 
• "At that point, I thought my heart was going to stop," expresses Jim Bob. He and Michelle are relieved when Dr. Sarver gives this news: "Michelle's baby was just really active today...Sometimes it's just difficult to catch it in one spot."
• Michelle understands the risks of bearing children in her condition and has been taking extra care to keep her body in shape. Since September 2010, she has been working out regularly on her Landice elliptical.

Any Duggar courtships in the works? Pointing to Michael, Jana tells TLC: "This is our latest boyfriend."