Duggars Play Paintball

Have you been following the Duggars long enough to remember their paintball match with the Bates in 17 Kids and Counting "Bates vs. Duggars Smackdown"? If you have watched that episode, you know that the Duggars are ruthless on the paintball field. Every year on Black Friday, they gather for a family paintball match. Even some of the little ones participate. Here are a few photos from this year:

 Jim Bob Duggar with nine-year-old Johannah Duggar

Dillard Update

To celebrate their first Thanksgiving as husband and wife, Jill and Derick Dillard had dinner with Derick's family.

 Jill and Derick Dillard with Derick's mom, Cathy, and brother, Daniel

Jill is more than five months pregnant and is doing well. The Dillard family is mourning the loss of Grandma Vergie, who passed away earlier this week, but is rejoicing because they know they will see her in heaven someday.

This year, the Duggars and Dillards are especially thankful for the health of Derick's mom, Cathy Byrum. Cathy was diagnosed with Non Hodgkins Lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph tissue, on April 10th, two weeks after Jill and Derick's engagement. Despite her severe illness, she remained focused on God throughout her treatments.

Cathy believes that "sickness is a weapon the enemy uses to try to distract us from Kingdom work." She determined early on that she would fight her sickness by praying, reading the Bible, and sharing Jesus' love with others. Cathy's doctors are pleased with her progress, and her family is grateful to God for healing her of cancer.

19 Blessings and Counting

Happy Thanksgiving to our lovely readers! The Duggars came up with 19 things they are thankful for:

1. We are thankful for the Bible that reveals why God made each one of us and His loving plan and purpose for our lives.

2. We are also thankful that the Bible teaches us what God wants us to do and not do.

3. We are thankful for Jesus, God’s son who came to the earth 2,000 years ago, who lived a perfect life and taught us the true meaning of life.

4. We are thankful for the Ten Commandments that make us realize that we all have lied, stolen something, or sinned in some way and need God’s mercy.

5. We are also thankful for Jesus who laid down His own life, suffered being tortured and executed to pay the penalty for the things we have done wrong.

6. We are thankful that we can know for sure that we are going to Heaven when we die by asking for Jesus's forgiveness, turning over the control of our life to Jesus, and asking Him to take us to Heaven when we die.

7. We are thankful for the joy that comes into our life when we become a follower of Jesus and how life starts to make sense.

8. We are thankful [that] as we start reading the Bible, God will start directing our lives in a supernatural way.

9. We are thankful that we can talk to Jesus and share everything with Him, and that He loves us no matter what we have done.

10. We are thankful for God’s Holy Spirit that comes into our spirit after we become a follower of Jesus and helps us navigate through life.

11. We are thankful for prayer, that it is not only us talking to Jesus, but Him also speaking to us in our heart and guiding our life.

12. We are thankful for all of the examples in the Bible of people to model our lives after.

13. We are thankful for the close fellowship and encouragement we can have with others who are also seeking to live for Jesus.

14. We are thankful for the closeness a family can have when each family member is committed to serving God and each other.

15. We are thankful for the joy that comes when we take the opportunity to share with others how they can also have a relationship with Jesus.

16. We are thankful for our country that was founded as one nation under God!

17. We are thankful for all of the women and men who are are in the military who are fighting to protect our freedom, and we are thankful for those in the past who have even given their lives for our country.

18. We are thankful we live America, a country that even though it is not perfect, it is a beacon of hope to everyone in the world!

19. We are thankful for Thanksgiving Day, when each one of us can reflect on all of the blessings God has given us, and commit to make every day a thanksgiving day!

Click here to watch a Thanksgiving video filmed by the Duggar kids. 

Happy Thanksgiving from the D.C. Duggars

In this YouTube video, Josh and Anna Duggar and their kids take a trip into the heart of Washington D.C. and share what they are thankful for.

What are you thankful for?

Video no longer available

Recap: "Amy's Nashville Dreams"

Tonight on TLC...
19 Kids and Counting "Amy's Nashville Dreams"

• Amy Duggar is preparing to sing on the Showboat Branson Belle for a crowd of 700. The only time she has sung for a larger crowd was at Jill's wedding, which had about 1,500 attendees. 
• Amy goes shopping with her mom and Grandma Duggar to find an outfit for the event. She falls in love with a blue lacy dress. "I definitely have my own style," says Amy. "I don't dress as conservative as my family. However, I do have my own dress code."
• "Amy's a very talented gal, and I think she'll do very well," says Jim Bob. "She's a nice little singer."
• Michelle encourages Amy to enjoy what she's doing and "come away with a great experience, whether she goes big or not."
• Amy walks out on stage on the Branson Belle, but the music doesn't start. She attempts to make small talk with the audience for a few moments while the sound crew gets everything working. "That's my life," says Amy. "Nothing ever goes as planned."
• The music finally starts, and Amy sings "You Are Always on My Mind." She and her mom and grandma are pleased with her performance.
• Next, Amy Duggar celebrates her 28th birthday with her aunt and uncle and 19 cousins. "My kids love her," says Michelle. "Honestly, Amy is like a party waiting to happen."
• The Duggar cousin, who says that traditional cakes are overrated, attempts to make a donut cake.  "Donuts to me are almost irresistible," says Jim Bob.
• While Amy and her cousins are preparing the donut cake, Johannah takes a tumble into the cake and gets covered in frosting. Amy chases her around and tries to put more frosting on her, while Jim Bob tries to lick it off her.
• "I thought Amy's donut cake idea was quite different, but not a bad idea, me being a cop," says John-David.
• When people ask Amy why she isn't married yet, she responds: "Oh y'all." She says she wants to have a family someday but that, like her cousins, she is waiting on God's timing.
• "I think Amy's plans to go to Nashville [are] awesome," says Joy-Anna. "She is going to fit right in there."
• Amy heads back to Nashville and attends a meeting with record labels, who are impressed by the improvement she has made.
• Amy then visits Black River Records to shoot her first music video. She has trouble remembering the words at first, but once she gets into the groove, she does well.
• At the end of the episode, Amy gathers with her mom, both of her grandmas, a few of her closest friends, and her producer to watch her music video for the first time.
• TLC also shows a brief preview of Jessa Duggars' wedding, which will air in 2015. Click here and here to view pictures.

"19 Kids and Counting" Season Finale

Tonight on the season finale of 19 Kids and Counting, TLC will air a preview of Jessa Duggar's wedding. Also on tonight's episode, Amy Duggar gives viewers an update on her music career. Tune in at 9pm ET PT/8pm CT.

Nov 25, 9:00pm ET

Amy's Nashville Dreams

Cousin Amy returns for a new special as she continues to pursue her music career. Amy performs on a sold out showboat dinner cruise and then celebrates her 28th birthday with her Duggar cousins. Plus, get a behind-the-scenes look at her new music video. And get a first look at Jessa's wedding.

Amy Duggar has been on the show since the beginning. In this flashback video, watch Amy, Grandma Duggar, and Jinger celebrate the birth of Jordyn Duggar back in December 2008. It's hard to believe that was six years ago!

Support the Duggars

Many of you have seen the petition to cancel 19 Kids and Counting. Show your support for the Duggars by sharing what the show means to you and why it should stay on the air. Post you responses as a comment, and feel free to add as many as you can think of.

Another Duggar Home Video

The Duggar kids are at it again! They recently filmed another video, this time starring Jason and Josie:

Jessa & Ben Go "Dancing in the Mine Fields"

Before being pronounced husband and wife at their wedding, Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald had the sound engineers play a song that they had carefully selected for their special day. It was Andrew Peterson's "Dancing in the Mine Fields," and although it wasn't written for the Seewalds, it is an appropriate representation of their love story. Click here to watch the music video on YouTube.

Baby Dilly Ultrasound

Can you believe Jill Dillard is already five months pregnant? Her baby boy is about seven inches long and may have developed hair and eyebrows. He can hear mama's voice and heartbeat and is learning how to clench his fists. By the looks of this picture, Baby Dilly has begun sucking his thumb.

Baby Dilly

The Duggars and Dillards (along with hundreds of thousands of 19 Kids and Counting fans) are looking forward to meeting Baby Dilly in March.

Jill and Derick Dillard

Anna and Priscilla on Siblings Relationships

In the following video, sisters Anna Duggar and Priscilla Waller share how they overcame their personality differences to develop a close relationship.

Gender Reveal Party...A Behind-the-Scenes Look

On last night's episode of 19 Kids and Counting, Josh and Anna Duggar and their kids, along with Jana Duggar, attended the gender reveal party for David and Priscilla Waller's second child. Check out this video from the event: 

Video courtesy davidlovespriscilla.com

Is John in a Courtship?

The media sure loves the Duggars...especially the gossip sites! Rumor has it that John-David Duggar is in a courtship.

This afternoon, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar released a statement to put that rumor to rest: 

John is not courting and not in a relationship...and he has never been in one! Just thought we'd set that straight. He's still waiting for the right one at the right time.

Jim Bob, who has tried multiple times to find someone for John, joked in a recent episode that he is accepting applications from eligible women.

After Jessa's wedding, Jana, John-David, Jinger, and Joseph shared their views on relationships with PEOPLE. Click here to read more.

Another Bates Grandchild

Three weeks after welcoming their first grandchild, Gil and Kelly Bates are thrilled to announce that another baby is on the way. Alyssa and John Webster are expecting!

Alyssa, the sixth oldest of the 19 Bates children, married John Webster on May 24, 2014, and is looking forward to the birth of her first child in April 2015.

Alyssa and John Webster

Want to hear more from the Bates family? Tune in to Bringing Up Bates, a reality TV series that premieres on UP TV on New Year's Day. Click here for details.

Meet Baby Dilly!

In the following video, Jill and Derick Dillard share an update on Jill's pregnancy and reveal ultrasounds of Baby Dilly, due March 24th.

Video no longer available

Recap: "A Reveal to Remember"

Tonight on TLC...

19 Kids and Counting "A Reveal to Remember"

• The DC Duggars finally make it to Chicago after an 800-mile RV trip. They arrive at the home of David and Priscilla Waller, Anna's brother-in-law and sister, and are greeted by a "Welcome to Chicago" sign hanging on the front door.
• Priscilla is pregnant with her second child and is getting ready to announce the baby's gender, so the Duggars and Wallers head over to a neighbor's house for a gender reveal party. Guests share whether they think the baby is a boy or a girl by wearing either blue or pink.
• Priscilla says she would have been happy making the announcement to family and friends in a more conventional way but that her husband was set on having a gender reveal party.
• During the party, everyone gathers around to watch David and Priscilla's son, Paul, rip the tape off a cardboard box. Pink balloons are released into the air. It's a girl!
• "I am so excited about having a girl," says Priscilla.
• "I am especially happy because David wore a pink shirt, and it really would have been an embarrassment to him if he wasn't right," jokes Josh.
• The next day, the two families pile into the Duggars' RV and drive into downtown Chicago.
• "This is Chicago for crying out loud. This is a piece of cake," says Josh, who has driven an even larger vehicle through the streets of Manhattan.
• They are able to find parking directly in front of the entrance to the Willis Tower Skydeck. They take the elevator up to the Skydeck, where they walk out on a glass ledge 1,353 feet above street level. For lunch, the Duggars and Wallers visit a kitchen where they make their own deep dish pizza.
• On day three, Anna and Priscilla leave the kids with the dads and head to a consignment shop to pick out clothes for Priscilla's baby girl. "It was neat just telling her how fun it will be for Paul to have a little sister," shares Anna. "It does get easier in some ways because your children can entertain each other instead of Mommy and Daddy being all of the entertainment."
• Meanwhile, Josh and David haul all four kids to a hardware store to buy supplies for their upcoming camping trip. "It was not easy to shop with four kids," admits Josh.
• On day four, the Duggars and Wallers load into the RV and depart for Indiana Dunes State Park.
• "I tented one time as a kid in my backyard, and it was a horrifying experience," reveals Anna. "We had a raccoon digging at the end of the tent where my feet were, and it horrified me." David and Priscilla are veteran campers.
• After setting everything up at the campground, Josh and David hop on a chartered boat to catch fish for dinner. But don't worry; Anna and Priscilla have packed extra food as a backup plan.
• Josh and David hold a contest to determine who the best fisherman is. David catches a fish that weighs 7 pounds, 4 ounces, and Josh reels in a much smaller fish, which, according to Indiana state law, is too small to keep. 
• "It doesn't really matter who caught the biggest fish," says Josh. "It just matters if we had a good time." The men take the fish back to their wives and cook it over an open fire.
• As the episode comes to a close, Anna takes a pregnancy test. "My heart is definitely to leave the size of our family in God's hands, but I'm the fifth born, so that's at least a good start," says Anna. "That's a pretty small family," responds Josh.
• The pregnancy test comes back negative. Anna is not expecting. 

Update: David and Priscilla welcomed their baby girl, Davia Lynn Waller, on November 12th.

Davia Lynn Waller

Photo: David and Priscilla Waller

Fishing with the Duggars

It's Duggar night! Get excited for a new episode of 19 Kids and Counting, airing tonight at 9pm ET PT/8pm CT on TLC. Watch Josh Duggar and David Waller head out to the lake to catch fish for dinner.

Tune in after the show for an update from Jill and Derick Dillard!

Tonight...More from the DC Duggars

Josh and Anna's RV road trip continues! Tune in to TLC tonight at 9pm ET PT/8pm CT for a new episode of 19 Kids and Counting, "A Reveal to Remember."

 Mackynzie and Michael Duggar 

Walk out on the Ledge  (1,353 feet in the air) at Skydeck Chicago

Nov 18, 9pm ET PT/8pm CT
A Reveal to Remember

The DC Duggars make it to Chicago in the nick of time for David and Priscilla Waller's gender reveal party! Who will be right, Team Boy or Team Girl? Later, the family enjoys the sights of the "Windy City" and caps off their trip with a camping excursion.

Mackynzie and Michael Duggar

 Have you visited Skydeck Chicago?

Update from the Dillards

In the following YouTube clips, Jill and Derick Dillard join Erin and Greg Smalley from Focus on the Family to discuss marriage and babies.

Dillards on Married Life

Jill and Derick's Fears of Being Parents

Changes to Jill and Derick's Marriage

Videos courtesy of Focus on the Family

4-Year-Old Duggar Fan

This four-year-old is such a devoted Duggar fan that she has memorized the 19 Kids and Counting opener word-for-word. Her mom says she would rather watch the Duggars than any cartoon. Can you recite the show opener?  

Duggars Visit College of the Ozarks

The Duggars toured College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri, yesterday. Here are a few pictures from their visit:

 The Duggars (minus Josh, Jill, and Jessa) visit College of the Ozarks

 Michelle Duggar with Johannah and Jordyn Duggar

 Jennifer Duggar

 Michelle Duggar and Jordyn Duggar

 Joy-Anna Duggar and Johannah Duggar

 James and Josiah Duggar

Duggar #14 Turns 12

Happy 12th Birthday, Justin!

Like Our New Header?

What do you think of our new header? We are grateful to our web designer, Rachel, for her beautiful work. Rachel is a friend of the Duggars and is a member of the talented Wissmann Family Gospel Band. (Click here to visit the Wissmanns' website.)

"Saving Christmas" Giveaway

Kirk Cameron's new film, Saving Christmas, is now in theaters. Kirk spoke about the movie at the private party that the Duggars hosted for family and close friends after Jessa's wedding (video below).



The day after the Duggar-Seewald wedding, we attended the Duggars' church and chatted with Kirk about his film. He gave us a copy of the Saving Christmas soundtrack to raffle off to our readers.

Discussion: Another Grand-Duggar?

On next week's episode of 19 Kids and Counting, Anna Duggar will reveal the results of a pregnancy test she has taken. Do you think she and Josh are expecting number 4?

DC Duggars in Gettysburg

Josh and Anna Duggar and their three kids stopped at Gettysburg during their RV road trip, which was featured on this week's new episode of 19 Kids and Counting. They dressed up in period clothing and took a family picture at the nearby Victorian Photography Studio. (Click here to view more photos of their trip.)

DC Duggars visit Gettysburg

Josh and Anna Duggar; Mackynzie, Michael and Marcus Duggar

Duggar Pillow Patrol

Last week, we posted a few videos filmed by the Duggar boys. (Click here to view.) Check out their latest work:

Photos: DC Duggars Hit the Road

On last night's episode of 19 Kids and Counting, Josh and Anna Duggar embarked on an RV vacation with their three little ones. Scroll through these pictures of their trip:

Day 1: Josh and Anna stop at a fruit stand in Pennsylvania Amish country.

Day 2: Josh and Anna and the kids head to Gettysburg, where they are greeted by General Mike, who gives them a tour of the grounds.

Day 3: The DC Duggars stop at the World's Largest Coffee Pot.

Day 4: The Duggars stop at the Topiary Park in Columbus, Ohio...

...and then head to the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis. 

Day 5: The family stops at a farm, where they watch the birth of a calf.

The DC Duggars also visited the Byesville Train Museum in Byesville, Ohio.

Photos: DCL

Recap: "DC Duggars Hit the Road"

Tonight on TLC...

19 Kids and Counting "DC Duggars Hit the Road"

• Josh and Anna and their kiddos gather clothing (60 outfits and 100 pairs of socks) and toys to prepare for their road trip in a 1998 RV. (Buy used, save the difference" is a Duggar mantra.)
• "Growing up, my family had an RV," says Josh. "It was a blast. We really enjoyed it. As a father now, I want to be able to have our kids sharing memories."
• Day 1: Josh attempts to start the RV and discovers that the batteries are dead. When the mechanics arrive, they decide to replace the batteries, which have just been replaced, and take the RV to their shop to run diagnostic tests. In a matter of hours, the vehicle is ready to go, and the Duggars depart on their road trip.
• Josh and Anna stop at a fruit stand in Pennsylvania Amish country. The woman behind the counter is Mennonite and describes the differences between the Mennonites and the Amish. The Duggars spend the night at the Loose Caboose Campground. 
• Day 2: Josh and Anna and the kids head to Gettysburg, where they are greeted by General Mike, who gives them a tour of the grounds. For Mackynzie and Michael, the highlight of Gettysburg is the big rocks that they can climb on. "Super big much fun!" shouts Michael with glee.
• Next, the Duggars dress up in clothing from the Civil War era and take a family picture at a Victorian photography studio. The vintage camera equipment requires them to sit still for 13 seconds while the picture is processed. The photograph turns out great, save for Marcus's blurry face. 
• Day 3: Josh and Anna elect to take the scenic route, which requires them to drive 20 miles-per-hour. Anna keeps the kids occupied by playing games and singing. They stop at the World's Largest Coffee Pot.
• In the middle of the drive, the power steering suddenly goes out. "My family sort of has a history of mechanical failures on RV trips," says Josh. Between Duggar road trips and fixing cars for his used car lot, Josh is an experienced mechanic.
• Day 4: The Duggars stop at the Topiary Park in Columbus, Ohio, and then head to the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis. At the fair, the Duggars try a donut burger, which is a burger on a donut. "We've started our trip with vegetables and fruits to snack on, and now we've come to this," says Anna, chuckling.
• Day 5: The family stops at Fair Oaks Farms in Fair Oaks, Indiana, where they watch the birth of a calf. "We definitely want to have more children, but watching the mama cow in labor made me thankful that I wasn't pregnant yet," says Anna.
• As they approach Chicago, the Duggars stop at Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket in Willowbrook, Illinois. Anna asks the waitress how the chicken is prepared and is invited back into the kitchen to assist the chef. They show her the technique but will not reveal the secret recipe. "I was a little disappointed that Anna wasn't able to get the secret recipe," says Josh. 
• The road trip ends in Chicago, where Anna's sister Priscilla is about to have the gender reveal party for her second child. Tune in next week for more!
  
  
  Have you visited any of the attractions mentioned in this episode?