Here are some photos of Jill and Jessa Duggar and their boyfriends, as well as a few snapshots from last night's season premiere (click here to read the recap):
Jim Bob Duggar welcomes Ben into the Duggar home
Ben Seewald and Josie Duggar
The Duggar men take Ben outside to test his strength and get to know him better
Meanwhile, Jessa stays inside to cook dinner
Ben shares a meal with the Duggar clan
Justin Duggar
Josie Duggar
Jim bob fixes Jordyn's hair
Jim Bob and Michelle get Johannah and Jenny ready for the day
While Michelle and Jessa are away, Jim Bob takes the rest of the family
out to a restaurant where kids eat free
Jessa and Ben
Sister time!
Joy-Anna, Jana, Jessa, Jinger, and Jill
Jinger and Joy-Anna Duggar
Beautiful pictures and a beautiful family, inside and out. Michelle you are such an inspiration to me and my children, along with your wonderful husband and beautiful kids. I would love the opportunity to meet someday and have fellowship. God bless all of you in all that you do.
ReplyDeleteChrista knox
I know Jessa and Ben started courting in June because Jessa said in yesterday's live chat that they've been courting a couple of months before it was announced publicly. We just found out in September.
ReplyDeleteI think the reason it showed Jim Bob & Michelle saying they were in a courtship in the flea market episode was because they knew that's when they announced it publicly.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy seeing you live your faith. Thankful for the Godly example of purity and purely loving a spouse by keeping marriage sacred. Be blessed in the path God has you on. Look forward to future annoincements.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on both of your courtships. It's so wonderful to see you both smile so big and shine. You all are a wonderful example and Inspiring. God bless you on this new journey!!
ReplyDeleteCute couples! Courting is a refreshing idea more parents should teach their children.
ReplyDeleteI love you guys and wish you all the best!!!
ReplyDeletelove it! congrats and continued blessings. what did you all have for dinner?
ReplyDeleteI think both couples will be engaged at the end of the season. Emma
ReplyDeleteI have never once said negative things about the Duggars , but....I do think its a little much that Ben and Jessa couldn't even hold hands in prayer with the whole family to witness, their bodies touch more with a side hug than their hands.I just hope when they do hold hands its not like Anna and Josh,they wouldn't even seperate their hands to eat a meal,it was a little much.Awe,now I feel kinda like a heel for sayin this.I do still love them and keep them in my prayers always.;-)
ReplyDeleteLook at Joy all grown up. She has been my favorite since I saw them on the news 10 years ago. She is so pretty.
ReplyDeleteI love them all! I'm so happy for jessa and jill. You can tell they have both found someone special. Congratulations girls I'm very happy and exited foryou both!
ReplyDeleteThey are all SO cute together!!
ReplyDeleteDo you know Where we can watch the latest episode?
ReplyDeleteWishing both couples the very best. They are wonderful people.To a long life of love and joy to both couples
ReplyDeleteJessa and Jill have been interviewed and the main difference between dating and courting that Jill has stated, is that in courting you set boundaries for yourselves and stick to them. Well, why can't one date and set boundaries for yourself, like no sex, or heavy physical contact of a sexual nature. A mature person can be alone with a "love interest" and have standards for their own behavior. That's called being a responsible adult. Why does this family not trust themselves to follow through on behavioral standards that they profess to agree with wholeheartedly? Why don't the parents trust their ADULT children to live by those standards? I would love to hear from them on that. I think this is an important issue.
ReplyDeleteAs a person who tried dating vs courtship, I don't believe it's that easy. When I met my husband I was 31. I was mature, spiritually strong, and responsible. It took me 2 one on one dates with my husband when we both realized the temptation was almost too much. We decided not to be alone together after that until we were married. It was the best decision we ever made. Courtship isn't just about personal boundaries. It's also about having someone else to be be accountable to. It's worth it.
DeleteJoy and Jinger look absolutely gorgeous in this pic. Joy is looking a little older now and looks a lot like Amy to me!
ReplyDeleteJust an observation I have made: Why can Michelle front hug the whole world except her own children and family? I'm sure she was shocked to see pants and spaghetti straps on Ben's family. Will she comment on that? It was quite refreshing to see a real, normal family such as his relatives. I think his mother is a little too star-struck with the Duggars. Are his sisters just as sheltered as the Duggar kids? or do they attend real school? We'd like to know more about them and their daily lifestyles and belief system. His Mom seems to dress in the Michelle style, so not flattering..
ReplyDelete@Anonymous
ReplyDeleteme too!
Jill and Derrick look just right together :)
ReplyDeleteYes they do
DeleteBeautiful family as I said before. Would love to meet them. Michelle you have done wonderful with all of your children, Jim bob too! Your beauty shows inside and out. Your my inspiration in all that I seek and all that I do. Thank you duggar family.
ReplyDeleteI live abroad and can watch the duggars only on youtube. Has anyone found the newest episode on youtube yet? Thank you a lot!
ReplyDeleteJill and Jessa really did their work to promote the new season shows, that can be said for all their talking. They are good girls. It touches my heart how these girls are trying so hard. The least we the adoring viewers can do is not expect to get freebies online. This family goes to very much work to produce the TLC videos and then there are comments like - oh please quick post a you tube link online so I can watch it. (Quick, easy, free) I don't think that is what the promoters expect the public to do.
ReplyDeleteWhy strict boundaries? Because young adults can be stupid and mess up big time. Accountability is a good thing. Is it showing a lack to trust to keep a baby gate up at the stairs even though you tell your child to not go near the stairs. That is a bit too simplistic maybe, but you get the point that I am going for. You show love my setting boundaries.
ReplyDeleteThe Duggars are not perfect and perhaps they go a bit too far, but they are not doing anything wrong or dangerous.
Why would Michelle give a front hug to anyone else? Perhaps a front hug is special to her.
They may be appear too strict in their religious beliefs to some, but are they snotty to women who do not wear dresses? Do they refuse to talk to anyone? Do they gossip? No. They live their faith with a clear conscience.
Yes they align themselves with people that some would not agree with, but no one said that they believe everything the other people teach. They can pick out the good and discard the bad.
I think the parents you should complain about are the ones who do not care about their kids and let them get mixed up with drugs and get pregnant. These are not dead beat parents. .
I think it's great that the Duggar Family chooses the courtship approach. But the request was sort of awkward. Ben should've taken a tip from the Bates Family and done something more romantic like a nice dinner or lunch.
ReplyDeleteHOMESCHOOL IS REAL SCHOOL
ReplyDeleteExactly! If anyone doesn't believe that they can ask my child who is away at a 4 year university on a full scholarship.
DeleteSo do not understand the "real school" comments....
Homeschool student here...I totally agree. I am going into my senior year, and am starting dual credit at through the community college so I'll have my associates at the same time I graduate high school.
DeleteThere are some homeschoolers that go half-effort, I'll admit, but don't make presumptuous blanket-statements! My school work is very much 'real', I assure you. And I plan on homeschooling my own children one day; I praise the Lord for wonderful parents that will do anything to give me the best education possible.
Please people, stop belittling homeschoolers just because you don't understand it.
Is it just me or does Joy starting to look a lot like Amy....
ReplyDeleteLike Marie, I don't have access to cable for the newest episode. Does anyone know when they will be sold on Amazon or another website? Thanks :)
ReplyDelete@Marie I also cannot wait for the episodes. :} Please post soon!!!
ReplyDeleteI love the pic of Ben and Josie! So sweet!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for posting these pictures. It is delightful to see the healthy, happy faces and to know the (on going) story of this exceptional family. This has become one of the joys of my life, it has got pro-sports beat by far!
ReplyDeleteHey hey hey it's on YouTube! :)
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDtOKK6qYMk&list=UUi5QPHl2ypsWdVeu2Ho0vFw
Woohoo!!! :D Thank you Duggar Fan!
~Carissa~
delightinjoy.wordpress.com
The Duggar girls say in their book that you should pray to God before you go to your plastic surgeon's office appointment because that may not be what God wants for you. We should be ok with how God originally made us. So, my question is : it that's true, why have you girls all had braces on your teeth, Michelle had braces and teeth whitening, and why oh why do you curl your hair if God gave you straight hair? I think the advice given from girls who have no real life experiences is ludicrous..Doesn't make sense.
ReplyDeletePART 1 AND 2 ARE ON YOUTUBE FOR ALL OF YOU TO VIEW!!!!
ReplyDeleteEmma.
@AnonymousI never really noticed Michelle give full on hugs to her kids either.I'm sure she does,we don't see everything.
ReplyDelete@AnonymousI really don't think that their kids dont trust themselves,I think it more about self control and then the true excitement and joy of that moment you have been waiting for finally comes and then the great reward is pure joy and a feeling of pride in one selves that they actually had the willpower to see it thru.As for Jim bob and Michelle I think is has less to do with trust than remorse for their own past, as they have stated their biggest regret was not waiting for their first kiss until marriage.Oh, how I wish I would have waited too.Sincerely,Natalie from Nebraska
ReplyDeleteLily and Ellie,
ReplyDeleteHow do you communicate with the Duggars for information on courtships speaking engagements etc?
Kathryn
Everyone needs to know that not all of the conversations Jill and Jess a have with Ben and Derick are monitered, as Jill stated in one of her many interviews, and when the family listens in its so they get a chance to know them better too. This way they are all learning about one another at the same time.They do have some privacy.
ReplyDeleteSo pretty!!!! All of the girls are absolutly GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!! Y'alls family is truly an inspiration to me:)
ReplyDelete~Brooke~
I think like any family once the children turn 18 they can leave. The Duggar daughters agree with their parents' belief that is why they participate in the courtship ritual.
ReplyDeleteAs these children marry, Jim Bob will no longer be in control of the compound. The Bible speaks that some people are not destined to marry. Let's see how those Duggar children, if any, are treated by Jim Bob if God doesn't send them a mate, but rather asks them to devote themselves entirely to Him. Time will tell on all of this.
ReplyDeleteI buy the episode on googleplay for 2 bucks.
ReplyDeleteIt is lovely to see into the Duggars life. Many people do not have such a great family life, that is obvious. There is sort of a disconnect between the fantasy of watching this family and seeing there values applied in the lives of people I know. Even in an attempt to convert to Christianity and to repent, it is still hard to get other people on board; how is that done?
ReplyDeleteWow. Josh and Anna did the hand thing every time they were together, even while cameras were watching. Now it is you can't even hold hands in a prayer circle. Does the Duggar family realize if all of America adopts this belief that prayer circles now change forever? There will be strangeness in the first five minutes of prayer circles to ensure nobody of the opposite sex is holding hands? What if there are 10 men and 2 women? What if there are 2 women and 10 men in the prayer circle? I might get on a train where I have to sit beside someone that is not of my same sex. What do I do? Raise my hand and ask someone that is of my same sex to sit beside me? Outlandlsh. Absolustely outlandish.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that JimBob finally refrained from using that tired old cliche' (righteously fulfilled). Someone must have advised him that we are tired of hearing the scripted quotes from both of them. And, I'm sorry, but having to watch constant lip-kissing from two mature individuals, is getting a little nauseating to watch. Many others agree. Thank you
ReplyDeleteLove the pictures!!! I was so excited when I read the news about Jill the other day! Congratulations to Jill and Derick and to Jessa and Ben! I have been and will continue to pray for you all.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, the photo of Johanna and Marcus warms my heart every time I see it on the side of the blog pag!!!
--C.H. Duggan fan from Oklahoma
@Anonymous
ReplyDeleteMrs. Duggar can front hug girls. She wasn't front hugging guys. The people shown hugging Jessa had food in their hands. She did front hug one lady.
@AnonymousYoung adults can't always be trusted. Accidents happen and hearts are broken. The Duggars and Seewalds (the Dillards probably too) want their children to have whole pure hearts.
ReplyDeleteI really like the picture of Joy & Jinger. I know Jessa and Jinger have been very close. Maybe Joy and Jinger will become closer now that Jessa is courting & possibly will be married soon. As excited as I was to see Jessa find Ben, I felt Jinger seemed a little sad about the possibility of her sister leaving.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's a matter of trust-feelings & desires can get stirred up & without someone there to say "Hey, you guys. Remember!" It would be hard to follow through with what you had 'originally' said you wouldn't do. I courted my husband & even within courting it was hard to do little physical contact but we both agree it's the best way. Being alone is seriously dangerous. We can just see this by the way most couples end up having sex before marriage-I'd say 99% of those couples were dating and not courting. You can have all of these rules, but if you don't have someone there holding you accountable (someone visible I should say-because God always sees!), it's very hard to hold yourself accountable. Love is powerful! It had the power to make or break us and it really had nothing to do with being an adult. We ALL get tempted to do the wrong thing and it can extremely hard to do the right thing when you're all alone.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous
ReplyDeleteI think they both will be too! :)
love the fact that Jim Bob and Ben have matching cell phone holders, lol. Like father in law like son in law. there is some Jim Bob in Ben.
ReplyDeleteDo the Duggar girls have a shared Instagram account?
ReplyDeleteIKR
ReplyDeleteThat's great. Wow. Surprised the girls wear make up. I lkke the idea of a huge family and good values. I wish the duggars represented growing their own food. Why not? Oh well thank god for costco. Don't know how the duggars meet their mates on mount we are wealthy tv stars who are christian but again the lord provides. Can I climb the mountain?
ReplyDeletewatching a husband and wife who love each other kiss nauseates you?? that's very sad
ReplyDeleteWhen someone does something over and over again, the impact is lost and it becomes blase'. JimBob's frequent "kisses" are unnecessary for their frequency ; seems unnatural. Even Michelle appears uncomfortable with it. They are supposed to be modest and kissing like that is just so not modest. Other orthodox religious married people do not kiss (so often) in public. We don't watch the show for the frequent displays of affection.
ReplyDeleteTheir daughters are supposed to be adults (and they are). Adults are accountable for their behavior without anyone watching. I'm not saying that they should be in someone's bedroom alone together, but they aren't even allowed to be with each other in public! That goes too far. They don't get a chance to relax and be themselves in each other's presence. JB and Michelle should let them all be in public view without their eyes on them constantly. It's just not natural either.
Sorry, that's my opinion. Thank you for allowing me to clarify.
Thank you! So many people these days are getting separated I'm glad that they are still in love with each other I agree that's sad I get happy when they kiss they have a beautiful relationship!
ReplyDeleteWow! I'm extremely disappointed at how judgmental so many of you are. Please consider how other people might feel. I doubt the Duggars would appreciate your remarks. Also, you might want to consider that younger people do visit this blog.
ReplyDeleteJoy-Anna has the most beautiful, big sparkly eyes! I love the way she does her hair, too. So pretty.
ReplyDeleteJill and Derrick look so comfortable together. She looks so happy, content, and her countenance just glows when she's around him. Looking forward to season eight!
Lily and Ellie,
ReplyDeleteI think many of us agree that the Duggar girls are absolutely beautiful, inside and out. Is there some way you could let them know that, just from all of us comment-writers? Thanks. I'd love to keep encouraging them.
A Young Teen Duggar Fan
I think the Jim Bob told Jessa to give Ben a side hug because Jessa really looked like she did not know what to do. It is kind of interesting to see how much Jessa seems to seek her fathers approval. I really think that she enjoys her parents involvement in her courtship. She looked to him after Ben asked her to court and could not wait for his response when she returned from visiting Ben. I personally think that most women at this age would not be so accommodating unless they were truly ok with the process. Especially since Jessa's parents have described her as strong willed, opinionated and a person that could be harsh with her words. This does not seem like a person who would easily agree to being monitored unless she is also in agreement with the process.
ReplyDeleteThe Duggars have certainly done a good job in instilling the importance of having a Christ centered relationship with their future spouse. I also noticed that the Duggers do not seem to make a big production of these things unlike the Bates. I also don't get the sense that the Duggers are putting up a front for anyone. Josh also mentioned during season 1 episode 3 that courtship is not something that is forced upon them, that their parents have allowed them to make their own decision. He also mentioned in Season 1 Episode 4 that his parents are very wise in placing restrictions on their children from certain activities and then allowing them to make their own choices so the child does not rebel.
ReplyDeleteUm...Michelle does front hug her kids. Anyone watching the episodes can see that. Besides being alone can lead to compromising the boundaries placed on a dating relationship. I know of some instances where Christian couples have chosen to break up instead of continue their relationships because they have compromised themselves in the area of intimacy. Some of these individuals have gone on to better relationships due to the lessons they learned from the ones that did not work. Which meant choosing a partner that could help them remain pure and focus on a Christ centered relationship.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous
ReplyDeleteI'm sure Jim Bob and Michelle are simply just trying to do the best they can as parents. They are probably going to be a tad more protective over their girls!!
@mg
ReplyDeleteSo true!
@Anonymous
ReplyDeleteExactly!
I'm glad that the homeschooled student is in college and pursuing an advanced degree. Unfortunately, I don't see any of the Duggar "high school graduates" pursuing any college degree at all.
ReplyDeleteThey hang out with cousin Amy, but that's it. I don't think they are allowed any other friends outside of their beliefs. If that were so, we'd see or hear about them and we don't. when would these girls or guys have a chance to meet and develop a friendship with anyone outside of the church? They don't do anything unless the whole family is involved. None of them have any social interaction skills for they aren't given an opportunity to develop those skills.
Once again, yes, they do espouse the Gothard interpretation of life. It's all over the walls. This is not a criticism of these families, it is just that it is so blatantly obvious. If they followed Christ, and Christ alone, they would attend a church with a real ordained minister who admits all to his/her congregation at regularly scheduled worship and the Duggars would have to drive to it. Is JimBob an official ordained minister? If not, why is he leading workship? If so, a minister doesn't carry on and make "sex" jokes and innuendos on television. I would like to remain respectful, but when you're on TV, you're going to get a varied opinion from the viewing public. An adoring "fan page" isn't real and balanced. thank you