Recap: "All Together Again"

Bringing Up Bates "All Together Again"

• Alyssa and John arrive from Florida. Alyssa is only several weeks away from her due date.
• The entire Bates family gathers to celebrate "I Love You Day" (aka Valentine's Day), which many of the kids say is their favorite holiday. Brandon Keilen, Michaella's boyfriend, flies in to join the celebration.
• "I hope this is the last Valentine's Day before I get married, says Michaella."But if it's not, we'll have another one to celebrate together." (Update: Brandon and Michaella got engaged in April and have set their wedding date for August 15th.)
• Gil and Kelly gather everyone in the living room for a family meeting. Four older men dressed in matching suits stop by to surprise Whitney. They hand her a card and a rose from Zach and sing two love songs.
• "It was the sweetest thing I'd ever seen," says Whitney. "I was proud of myself," says Zach.
• "Gil has always been very thoughtful," says Kelly. "And I think growing up, all of the boys in the family saw it was worth spending your time, your money, your effort on making your marriage fresh and alive."
• Gil and Kelly take all four couples (Zach & Whitney, Erin & Chad, Alyssa & John, and Michaella & Brandon) on a date to a Japanese restaurant. The chef cooks the food in front of them and provides entertainment, as well.
• To celebrate "I Love You Day," the Bates family draws names for a gift exchange. Gil and Kelly encourage the kids to focus on what they will give, rather than on what they will receive. Each family member spends about $25. 
• Later, Gil and Kelly and the younger kids go shopping for gifts. "Whenever we go to any store, my dad starts sweating like crazy," says Lawson. To cut down on costs, Gil goes through the gifts and takes out a few knick knacks that he doesn't think his kids need.
• Back at home, everyone helps prepare for the big Valentine's dinner. As usual, there are a lot of opinions flying around. According to Kelly, the only thing the entire family ever agrees on is to have more kids.
• Lawson and Nathan work out a plan to hang a piñata in the house. They back a crane up to the door and extend the arm through the doorway. "Y'all make the simplest things so complicated!" says Carlin.
• Everyone dresses up in their fanciest clothing and gathers for dinner. Then they distribute gifts, one at a time.
• The kids clap and cheer when Gil receives a new pair of jeans from his "special pal." "We have tried for a very long time to get my dad jeans that actually look good," says Tori.
• Brandon and Michaella unveil a big surprise for the family: a 3-D Bates family tree with a picture of each family member.
• The following day is Alyssa's baby shower, so Kelly makes a midnight grocery store run to buy food.
• The whole family attends the shower. Alyssa & John, Gil & Kelly, Papa Bill & Mama Jane (Gil's parents), Jenny & Greg (Gill's sister and brother), and Meema (Kelly's mom) & Nathan compete against each other to see who can correctly match price tags with baby supplies. The teams tie.
• "My family did a great job," says Alyssa. "People were so generous and thoughtful," says John.
• "I have the greatest life of everybody I know," says Gil.
• At the end of the shower, Gil and Brandon plan a meeting with Brandon's parents to discuss his relationship with Michaella.