'The Night The Lights Went Out in Tennessee' Recap

Bringing Up Bates "The Night The Lights Went Out in Tennessee"

• For the past six months, Nathan has been living in Mississippi and working as a flight instructor. “I really have enjoyed learning how to fly, and I wanted to be able to kind of pass that along,” says Nathan.
• On tonight’s show, Nathan instructs a man who is working towards his commercial pilot’s license.
• “There’s no doubt Nathan…has a whole new respect for safety, life, caution, so that is really a mark of maturity up here for such a risk taker as Nathan,” says Gil.
• Zach, Whitney, Bradley, and Kaci pay a visit to photographer friend Taryn Yager’s in-home studio for Kaci's one-year photo shoot. Bradley does a great job helping make his little sister laugh. When it comes time for the smash cake, Kaci is all smiles.
• “I cried looking through every picture because [Taryn] seriously captured some of the sweetest pictures that she’s ever gotten,” says Whitney.
• Nathan returns home and begins putting up the family's new smoke detectors (which are also carbon monoxide detectors). “The fire department showed us where all the fire detectors go, and we were supposed to put them up, and then they went into a box until Nathan got home,” admits Jackson. “He’s got some initiative.”
• According to Gil, Nathan is an energy giver and a great motivator. He convinces Lawson and some of the other boys to help. While the guys are working, Kelly and the girls clean out the family’s two refrigerators.
• “Mom is the most thorough refrigerator cleaner-outer, and I just can’t be around when it happens because I hate waste,” says Gil.
• While one of the boys is up on a ladder and the ladies have food piled up on the kitchen counter, the power goes out. They quickly put the food back in the fridge and grab candles and flashlights. “No lighters for Judson and Jeb!” shouts Lawson.
• Everyone puts their pajamas on, and Kelly brings out a family favorite game, Surprise Spin. Each person takes turns spinning the rolling pin. Whoever it lands on draws a piece of paper, which either instructs them to do a chore or grants them a fun privilege.
• Isaiah draws, “Good for $5.” “Daddy’s going to love that we played this game, isn’t he?” remarks Kelly. Lawson is stuck with cleaning out the van and changing all the sheets.
• The lights come back on, but the kids still want to party, so they grab ice cream from the freezer.
• “When the power goes out, it goes to simplicity really fast, and having that time to just huddle as a family, play a game, and focus on each other, that was really special,” says Lawson.