Swimming with the Horses

Happy 4th of July to our American readers! We hope you have a wonderful time celebrating independence with family and friends.

Summer celebrations often include water, which the Duggars love! In this throwback video from 2011, the "middle" Duggar boys beat the heat in a unique way...swimming in a horse trough.

Photo/video courtesy TLC

Duggar Pillow Patrol

Last week, we posted a few videos filmed by the Duggar boys. (Click here to view.) Check out their latest work:

Duggar Studios Presents...

The Duggar boys have been experimenting with videography. They teamed up with a few of the Bates boys to film two music videos and a stop motion video. Scroll down to watch.

Music Video 1: "Enjoy the Ride" by Ricky Skaggs

Music Video 2: "Happiness is the Lord" by Lawson Bates

Duggar Boys Get to Work

Here's a preview of what's in store for the Duggars tonight on TLC's 19 Kids and Counting. Tune in at 9PM ET PT/8PM CT to catch up with your favorite TV family. Click here for episode summaries.
 

Recap: "A Duggar Says Yes"

Did you enjoy the season 8 premiere of 19 Kids and Counting? Here's the recap for those of you who weren't able to watch the episode live:

• How did Ben and Jessa meet? Ben and his family showed up at the Duggars' church last spring, and Ben and Jessa started getting to know each other via texting. In September, Ben sought Jim Bob and Michelle's blessing to being a courtship. Jessa said yes.
• Meet Ben: Ben Seewald is 18 years old and lives three-and-a-half hours south of the Duggars in the town of Hot Springs, Arkansas. The oldest of seven, he has four sisters and two brothers. He owns a windshield repair business and is a freshman at National Park Community College. Jessa describes Ben as "tall, dark, and handsome."
• More about Jessa: According to the rest of the Duggars, Jessa was an energetic, strong-willed child. At age 20, she "tells it like it is," is loyal to her family and friends, and keeps a good handle on her emotions. When asked to describe his sister in one word, John-David chooses "opinionated."
• After the couple breaks the courtship news to the Duggar family, Jim Bob reminds them that entering a courtship does not mean they should get married right away. Maybe four or five years down the road, he jokes. For now, he encourages Ben and Jessa to focus on building their relationship.
• Jim Bob and the Duggar boys test Ben's character and strength by taking him outside for some back-breaking yard work.
• While the guys work outside, the women prepare a meal. Jessa considers herself a bad cook and says she has warned Ben. Michelle, on the other hand, has full confidence in her daughter's abilities and encourages Jessa to start helping with dinner to build on her skills. 
• When the boys come in to eat, Jim Bob puts Ben on the spot and asks him to pray over the meal.
• Later on, Jessa's four oldest sisters help her pack to visit Ben. "We really need to treasure these moments together and make the most of them," says Jessa. According to Jill, the Duggar girls understand that marriage is not necessarily going to happen in age order, and they are okay with that.
• "Jessa and I have always been really, really close," says Jinger, who is only 14 months younger. "It is kind of bittersweet seeing that Jessa is now in a courtship." 
• John-David, a pilot in training, flies Michelle and Jessa down to Hot Springs. Ben meets them at the airport, and Michelle squeezes between the new couple in the front seat of Ben's truck.
• Michelle babysits Ben's younger siblings while Ben's parents take Ben and Jessa on a double-date. While eating, the Seewalds ask Jessa questions about herself and how she feels about the courtship.   
• "When it was all said and done, I'd say that dinner was very, very good," says Jessa.
• Michelle and Jessa are also introduced to Ben's extended family. "The weekend was amazing, lots of wonderful opportunities for us to communicate and talk," says Jessa.
• Back at the Duggars', Jim Bob tries to be Mr. Mom. He attempts to fix Josie's hair, but it doesn't quite turn out the way Mom and the older girls do it. Dad takes the clan out for pizza at a "kids eat free" restaurant and asks them what they think of Ben. The responses are positive.
• Jim Bob also asks six-year-old Jennifer if she plans to get married someday. "Jenny is dead set against getting married right now, and I think that's fine," says the dad of 19. But he is pretty sure she will change her mind eventually.
• Jim Bob predicts that Jessa's courtship (and now Jill's) will cause more guys to express interest in his other daughters. "It's open season," he jokes.   

Upcoming Season Sneak Peek

Have you heard? New episodes of "19 Kids and Counting" return to TLC on April 1st! (Click here for details.) Scroll down to see preview photos of season eight of the Duggars' show.

Click here to view more photos of Jessa Duggar's courtship with Ben Seewald.

 Ben Seewald and Jessa Duggar

Jim Bob and the Duggar boys put Ben's skills to the test with an afternoon of yard work

 The Duggars enjoy a night out at a pizza restaurant

 Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar play a game of mini golf with Ben and Jessa

 Ben Seewald and Jessa Duggar

 Michelle and Jeremiah Duggar play a game of chess

 Anna Duggar homeschools Mackynzie while Michael and Marcus sit quietly

 The Duggar girls gather around a laptop in their bedroom

 Josie Duggar

Jackson Duggar, Justin Duggar, and Warden Bates show off a painted pumpkin

 Praying at the Bates' house (Ben and Jessa)

 Michelle Duggar and Kelly Bates

Chad Paine and Erin (Bates) Paine pray together before their wedding ceremony

 Chad and Erin's wedding

 Chad and Erin, headed for their honeymoon

Duggar family 

(Missing from photo: John, Jill, and Jennifer).

Photos used with permission from TLC/Discovery Channel

New Episodes of 19 Kids and Counting

 

We just got word from TLC that the 19 Kids and Counting season eight premiere is less than six weeks away! New episodes return on April 1st, 2014, and don't worry, this isn't an April Fools' joke. 

The Duggars have been busy, so there's a lot to look forward to in the upcoming season. Here's  the summary:

Life can get busy with a brood of 19, but the Duggars always make sure to celebrate the special moments in their super-sized family. And there's plenty to celebrate in the eighth season of TLC's 19 Kids and Counting.  In the premiere episode, the Duggars make an exciting announcement - Jessa and Ben are courting! Dating with the intent of marriage, Jessa and Ben refrain from kissing or holding hands and always have a chaperone on dates, phone calls and even text messages. Now that their courtship is official, the Duggar boys put Ben to the test, making sure he's ready to take care of their sister. Later, the tables are turned when Jessa visits Ben's hometown and gets hit with some serious questions during a double date with Ben's parents. And the whole family reflects on what it means that a Duggar daughter may soon be leaving the nest. This 10-episode season of 19 Kids and Counting premieres April 1 at 9PM/8PM CST and airs Tuesdays in the same time slot through May

This season will explore a changing family dynamic as the Duggar children continue to grow up, with many of the older kids considering courtships. The four eldest Duggar girls - Jana, Jill, Jessa and Jinger - announce that they have written a book, and the family attends Erin Bates' highly-anticipated wedding. Michelle spends one-on-one time with each of her children and the whole family visits Josh and Anna in Washington, DC. Throughout the season, cameras will check in on the DC-based Duggars, as Anna begins to homeschool her growing brood and the young family goes on a fun ski outing for a day. Two of the Duggars make a special trip to Nepal, and the youngest children prepare a surprise dinner theatre talent show for Jim Bob and Michelle. 

The Young Josh Duggar

The Duggars first appeared on TV when Josh was 16, but what did the oldest Duggar look like as a child? Here are a few photos of the young Josh Duggar, courtesy of his wife, Anna. Do you see any resemblance to other Duggar boys?

Duggars in Iowa [Photos]

Here are several photos, courtesy of Grace Mally from Tomorrow's Forefathers, of a recent day that the Duggars and Mallys spent witnessing at the University of Iowa. Also included at the end is another picture from the Turning Hearts event that the Duggars attended on Labor Day.

 Jim Bob and Michelle meet Avalon, a girl whose time with
the Duggars was an answer to prayers (literally!)

 Eating lunch at the office of Bright Lights
(a ministry of Tomorrow's Forefathers)

The Duggar boys pass out trillion dollar bills at the University of Iowa

 Michelle Duggar shares her testimony at the University of Iowa

 Jana Duggar has a one-on-one conversation with a passerby

Jinger Duggar during her long conversation with a group of teens 

 The Duggars share music with students at the University of Iowa

The Duggars with the Mallys and other friends

While in Iowa, the Duggars also attended a picnic with 1,300 others

Duggar Boys in the Kitchen

It takes a lot of patience to teach kids how to cook, especially little boys. In the following video, Michelle Duggar shares how she keeps her sons in line in the kitchen.

Tour the Duggar Boys' Room

Jedidiah Duggar gives viewers a tour of the room that he shares with eight of his nine brothers (all but Josh):

Photos: Duggars' Adventures in China

 The Duggars spent a total of three weeks in Asia

 The Duggars continue their tour of Asia with a trip to Tiananmen Square

 Jana Duggar and Josie Duggar at a Chinese orphanage

 Grandma Duggar distributes backpacks at the orphanage

The Duggars have now visited orphanages in North America, Central America, and Asia

 Joy-Anna Duggar at the orphanage

 Snack Street is a popular tourist attraction in Beijing

 The Duggar boys work a water pump

 Josh Duggar tries his hand at carving a Peking duck

 Sharing a family meal in China

 The little Duggar ladies: Jordyn-Grace Duggar, Josie Duggar, and Mackynzie Duggar

 Jessa Duggar, Jinger Duggar, and Jordyn Duggar at the Great Wall

 The Great Wall of China is longer than the distance of the United States coast-to-coast

 Jinger Duggar enjoys the view 

 Jim Bob Duggar gives Grandma Duggar a helping hand during the climb up the wall

 Josiah Duggar and Josie Duggar take a walk up the Great Wall

 Family photo on the wall

 Josie Duggar

 Tiananmen Square

 Jinger Duggar and Joy-Anna Duggar at the orphanage

 Jim Bob Duggar on Snack Street

Taking a walk