RebeccatheWriter

It is odd that she has taken to motherhood so easily, as she was previously portrayed as the older sister who did very little in the ways of raising her siblings or doing much more than her music thing and her hair. I know she was the one teaching music (piano) lessons to some of the younger children, but you never really saw her as the one always carrying a baby/toddler (Michael) or cooking (Alyssa). Even the boys seemed more involved with their siblings than she did. She got married and boom - it was like Little Suzie Homemaker came out. She's got three kids and clearly wants more. She's cooking and familiar with celebrity chefs and techniques. She hosts her younger siblings for cooking lessons, sleepovers, etc. So either she was wrongly portrayed before or girlfriend had a personality transplant after marriage.

If I have the timeline straight, the other reason (Whitney's parents being the first) for the vow renewal was to announce their pregnancy with baby 3. Whitney later miscarried so I'm not sure how UP will edit that. Since Zach is the only boy in the family to get married so far, UP probably had some say and pull in filming the renewal. Since TLC filmed Erin's wedding for one of the Duggar episodes and Alyssa's was filmed by ABC, their weddings can only be shown via pictures and talking head remembrances of the event. I don't recall Zach's wedding being featured on any of the Duggar's shows. I want to say that it wasn't, as it was close to Christmas and too soon after Erin's wedding to feasibly film it. So for storytelling alone, UP probably would love the footage of Zach and Whitney in front of everyone in formal attire, cutting a cake, etc. Back when they got married, Kelly was the one doing all the blogging for the family. Erin's wedding was featured prominently and every other post was pictures from it. Alyssa's got similar treatment and was the subject on one of the Nightline stories about the family. There were only a few pics of Zach and Whitney's wedding. People asked for more and commented frequently that they were surprised by the lack of attention since they are such over the top wedding people. So I can understand why Whitney might want a do over in her own style and sensibilities that weren't so heavy on Kelly's preferences. Personally, I would have used the money more wisely, but as people have said it was probably comped by UP and advertisers. Besides there are few things these people get to do that is not focused on a large group. Weddings and births are just about it.

I can't believe that I am about to defend her, but I'll give Tori credit here. I HATE moving. My last three moves have occurred while I was at work and I simply came home to a new address. Thank you to my family and friends. She was tolerable in this episode and seemed genuinely excited about their new place. While she should have been content in the old one, I'm sure that there is something exciting for her about a new place that is new to both of them. Bobby was living in the other apartment first so I'm sure it might have felt more like his place than hers or even just temporary since they were planning to move and she was finishing school. We'll see how she does with it, but I think that might have been the first spark of happiness I've seen out of her since she starting dating/courting and then got married. With all her wedding planning, she seemed to be bored or insulted that she had to do such a thing. Whitney has become such a beautiful young woman since her early days on the show. She still has that country, southern twang (there's a difference between country southern and regular southern or coastal southern), but she is well put together, her hair is quite pretty, and she has such a cute smile. I can tell she still feels a little be like an outsider in some ways. Notice how she always starts using a word that is something the other person says first. She did it in this episode with the word keyhole. Ms. Renee brought it up and she began to repeat it in the conversation. She does this frequently when she seems unsure or insecure. It's an endearing trait actually, but different than the others. Remember Kelly looking at dresses with Tori? She kept calling the color khaki while Ms. Renee and others referred to it as champagne. It will stand her well in real estate or other sales, as people like when someone agrees with them or learns from them, even in minor ways.

On Nightline or one of those news magazine shows, he was interviewed about the money situation. He said he frequently loaned his parents or siblings money. JuJu Chang did the interview and went shopping with him, remarking that he knew so much about the pricing of the items. I think he knew that sliced turkey prices were higher now and there was less in the package. She laughed and said she knew of no teenage guys who would know that. While I don't know if he always paid, he did say he was frequently the grocery shopper because his mother and sisters would buy more than they needed. I could see that because I'm the same way. I will shop and see something that looks good so I get it. However, it's not in my planned meals for the week. He also said he was paying for groceries that time but that he knew his parents were good for it. I think he also loaned money to Zach to buy a car. I tend to think that the loaning family money was played up a bit for the cameras of Nightline or whatever. It made the family look more out of the box. Each of the older children were presented as some sort of label. Zach was the oldest. Michael was the homemaker. Erin was the talented one...So Lawson's role in that story was provider.

In early episodes, Trace was apparently working with/for Lawson in the lawn care business. Kelly Jo was talking to him about going to college or starting a business. She said something about him working in someone else's business meant that the money would never be his. I think Zach and Whitney do their own thing to a certain degree. I may just be projecting, but it is something that I attribute partially to the financial conditions he was raised under as the oldest of the children. He, better than any of them, saw that struggle and seems to want to live at a better or more comfortable state than his parents did. I don't think he would openly defy them in some major way, but there is clearly a drive in him that some of his other siblings don't seem to have these days.

It's over the top. It is clearly emotional, but he acts like he's sending them off to Neverland. If their object in life is to get married and procreate, then they have to take that step, Gil. His reaction with Michael getting married was sweet, including the teasing that they should just keep her. With each subsequent child it is becoming more and more over the top. Josie and Kelton both seem like normal young adults. While I wish they weren't in such a hurry, I am hopeful that her life with him will be so much better for her. It must be hard for her or any of the young adults to go from being one of a number to being the center of attention from his or her significant other. Josie has been one of the middle children for a long time with no real distinction between her life and that of her siblings. Other families have hobbies, sports, interests, and all that separating them and distinguishing them from one another. I might get more attention from my mother for playing the flute like she did while my brother and father can discuss their similar interest of baseball. However, these kids are limited to being X out of 19 until they get married. Then they get one whole day of being an individual before becoming invisible again until childbirth.

Not to mention the girls have had two (at least) on camera cooking classes from Kelly Jo. She had them making chicken or some such thing. Their complete cluelessness is more of a lack of interest than opportunity to learn.

Certified teacher here in TN. Crown College's program does not line up with the requirements to teach at public or most private schools in the state. Occasionally, you can find a job without the credentials, but it is rare, as the school has to prove it has X% of teachers with degrees and certification to maintain accreditation. With the exception of certain areas (inner city or reservations, etc.), there is no shortage of teachers and applicants right now. Crown's early childhood education program is neglecting many of the requirements to obtain certification. I graduated in 2009 (a horrible time for teachers to graduate since there were few jobs to be had). I had to take four courses on teaching reading. I had four classes related to math. Three classes were about science and three about social studies. There were two classes on special education and ESOL that were required even be allowed to sit for the certification exams too. Additionally, we had to take human growth and development, classroom management, preschool education, and educational philosophy and theory. We had a two-semester student teaching experience at two grade levels that included weekly observations by our mentor professor and multiple evaluations by our lead teacher(s). This was in addition to the traditional core curriculum. According to Crown's website, Tori had such tough classes as penmanship, marriage and the family, and Baptist history. According to the videos from Crown, the student teaching component is a portion of a single semester that focuses more on observation than actual teaching. Partner schools tend to be tutoring programs and home-schooling partner programs through churches. While Tori surely learned a few things in her program that will help her homeschool her own children (God help them), I would doubt her ability to actually be a teacher in the traditional sense of the word.

JD & Abbie: Mile High Expectations

I will admit that I own one of these. They are wonderful for people with allergies and sinus issues. I use mine frequently. I don't use the scent packet things, as they would just aggravate me.