'Seas the Day' Recap

Bringing Up Bates "Seas the Day"

• Gil and Kelly have nine children who are still in homeschool. The oldest, Katie, is finishing up her senior year, while Jeb is in first grade. “Carlin has become such a help,” says Kelly. “And she really makes school fun.”
• “This is so fun,” Judson remarks during a school session with Carlin.
• Gil and Kelly and some of the kids pile in the van and head down to Myrtle Beach to meet Mama Jane’s sisters. They rent a home with an in-ground pool.
• After they arrive, their first activity is riding their bikes to Mama Jane’s beach house. The Bates aren’t wearing helmets, but UP flashes a message across the screen to remind viewers to wear theirs.
• Gil loves introducing his aunts and uncles to his children, many of whom have never met them. “[Dad] was literally beaming,” says Erin. 
• The group enjoys a meal at Dockside Seafood House, which is a new experience for the Bates kids. “The Bates do not like seafood,” admits Erin. “Can’t stand the smell of it, don’t like it,” adds Zach. 
• “I eat seafood,” jokes Judson. “I see the food on my plate and I eat it.”
• At the restaurant, the kids take turns trying shrimp and oysters. They aren’t huge fans.
• It’s mid-February and a bit chilly outside, but that doesn’t stop the Bates from watching the sunset on the beach. Carlin insists that she and Evan take photos. “We finally got [Evan] out of there,” says Warden.
• While the guys play football, Carlin has a chat with Papa Bill. She is earning her bachelor’s degree in general education and is also taking music classes to help her with teaching. Carlin lets Papa Bill in on a secret that Gil doesn’t yet know: She will be moving to Nashville when she marries Evan.
• On another day, the family goes walking with Gil’s extended family. “As long as I can remember, my aunts have been walking machines,” says Gil. “Even though my aunts are like in their 80s now, they can probably still out-walk our kids.”
• Later, Gil and some of his children go fishing on Cherry Grove Fishing Pier, a world-famous pier that is known for being the place where a record-breaking shark was caught. Gil remembers spending time there as a child. “In the end, the weather was winning, and so we decided to call it a day and come home with no fish,” says Lawson.
• It happens to be Jackson and Addallee’s birthday, so the entire family gathers to celebrate. “The cake is fun, the presents are fun…but…the most special part for me is hearing the other kids say something praiseworthy about their sibling,” says Gil.
• The Bates dad shares the story of how Addee stopped breathing as a newborn and was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. “I can remember that day because Jackson had convinced himself that you were his birthday present,” Kelly tells Addee. “And when the ambulance went pulling out, we were crying because of fear. He was crying because he said, ‘They’re stealing my present.’”