💔 Anna’s Tense Dinner with Alex and Emma
After months of tension stemming from a family falling out—initially sparked by an allegation about Anna giving alcohol to a minor, and escalating after she missed both her own college graduation and her siblings’ graduation—Anna finally agreed to dinner with Alex and Emma.
Anna expressed excitement to reconnect, especially with Emma, saying, “Emma and I are so uh freaking close and so it’s hurt me a lot just not being able to see or talk to her.” She hoped the dinner would be a “fresh… start” after a recent heated argument with her father, Trent.
However, the reunion quickly turned sour. Alex wasted no time confronting Anna, asking, “What’s the deal? Like why haven’t you been around like us and the family? Like where have you been?”
Anna confessed the encounter was not what she expected. “Within about 10 minutes of having dinner with them I knew that it was not going to go how I was expecting,” she said. She felt they immediately started “asking all the questions and trying to start an argument,” making her want to “give up.” The tension escalated so much that Anna threatened to walk out, stating, “I’m not here to argue about that kind of stuff. I’ll walk out.”
A preview for the next episode reveals Anna defending her distance, explaining that her father’s anger and past actions make it hard to come around when “all you guys live under mom and dad’s roof.”
👶 Liz and Bryce’s Emotional Daycare Drop-Off
In a separate, but equally emotional storyline, Liz and Bryce took their ten-month-old daughter, Leighton, to daycare for the very first time. The drop-off was “a very tough morning,” with Bryce admitting he “hated just her being away.”
Liz shed tears as she had to “shut the door kind of in front of her as I was leaving.”
The experience led Liz to reflect on the complexities of placing a little person (LP) baby in daycare. She noted that many everyday actions done with an average-sized baby are avoided with an LP baby, and they would have typically waited until Leighton could sit up and keep her balance—which takes longer for LP children.
Liz explained that the level of direct attention required for an LP baby would make it “very, very challenging to have one teacher with multiple babies.” Ultimately, however, they decided that the social interaction would be a positive step for Leighton, who “prefers her very, very small circle.”
🚗 Scavenger Hunt Chaos
To relieve some family tension, the Johnstons participated in a competitive traveling scavenger hunt. The competition brought out the family’s competitive spirit, with Trent even attempting to bribe another driver to slow down a rival team, an act he jokingly called “thinking outside the box” rather than cheating. Ultimately, Trent’s scheme failed, and one team—despite the antics—won “fair and square.”
