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‘Jill & Jessa: Counting On’ Recap: Anna Duggar Reveals It’s ‘Been a Hard Road’ With Husband Josh Duggar

Love is in the air—or at least, love is in the casual conversation between sisters. On the Tuesday, April 19 episode of Jill & Jessa: Counting On, JessaAnna, Jana, Joy and Jinger (plus babies Meredith and Spurgeon) headed to Branson, Missouri, for a long-overdue girls’ weekend.

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Before leaving for their getaway, though, they helped finish up the tree house for the little kids. While Joseph and John-David seemed to do most of the heavy lifting (literally) in terms of construction, Jana was right there with design tips and installing the finishing touches. It turned out that in the ninth hour, they opted to add windows, a vaulted ceiling and a loft. It was actually pretty impressive, and the kids clearly loved it.

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Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

With the tree house complete, the ladies packed for their four-day excursion. While most of their clothes were casual, Anna spearheaded a campaign for each girl to bring one dressy outfit to wear to a fancy dinner. Apparently, Anna and Jinger wear high heels far more than anyone else, but Anna still has a serious fear of falling in them.

Anna Duggar and Josh Duggar
Anna Duggar and Josh Duggar.

It was a big milestone for Jessa in particular, as she had only spent one night away from husband Ben Seewald since they got married. “It’s nice to have this time to regroup and have some girl time with my sisters,” she mused in between telling Ben how much she loved him.

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En route to their cabin retreat, they came across a pregnant cow that had gotten out of its fenced pasture. Jessa, Joy and Anna took it upon themselves to try to catch the cow, but only managed to chase it back and forth along the side of the road. Ultimately, however, the cow hopped back over the fence of its own volition—crisis averted.

Israel Takes His First Steps

Jessa wasn’t the only one with a milestone that day, though. While on FaceTime with Jill Duggar and son Israel, Jill revealed that the little guy had taken his first steps earlier that night. Jill and her husband, Derick Dillard, tried their very best to coax Israel into performing his new skill for her sisters, but he wasn’t having any of it. 

He stood for a few minutes and repeatedly fell down on his butt, but didn’t take a single step. Jill reasoned that he was over it after doing so much earlier, but her sisters were bummed they didn’t get to see it for themselves.

Girls Like Boys

Though it was decidedly a girls’ trip (with the exception of poor Spurgeon, of course!), the main topic of conversation seemed to be boys. Jessa advised her unmarried sisters to enjoy being single, but noted “there are enough guys hanging around these days” that their singlehood could be rapidly coming to an end.

“You could always be six months from an engagement if you’re single and over 18,” Anna pointed out.

As for her own love life with husband Josh Duggar, she was reflective. “Josh is about to finish up his program, so I’m really excited about that. I can definitely look back on the past few months and say it’s been a hard road, but it’s been a good road, and I know there’s still a lot of work,” she began. “I think it’s daily [that] there’s going to be a lot of work, and there kind of is a long process ahead, but we’ll just take it one day at a time and keep trusting God and do the next right thing.” Still, she admitted, “There’s a lot of little steps before it’s where it needs to be.”

Ben Seewald, Spurgeon Seewald and Jessa Duggar
Ben Seewald, Spurgeon Seewald and Jessa (Duggar) Seewald.

Then it was time to grill the single ladies about their prospects. Asked what she was looking for in a man, Joy replied, “Somebody that loves others more than himself” (which is actually a really sweet answer).

Jana said she wanted “dirt under the nails” and wasn’t interested in a businessman. “I would prefer a hardworking guy versus an office guy,” she reasoned, apparently thinking those two traits were mutually exclusive.

Clearly not wanting to answer the question, Jinger turned it back on Jessa and asked her what she thought Jinger should look for in a man. Jessa advised her sister to look for someone “thoughtful” who treats “other people with respect” and is “kind with his words.” Jinger thought that was sage advice.

Asked if she was sick of being asked by her sisters about boys, Joy shrugged, “It hasn’t been happening to me for very long.” Then she pointed to Jana and added, “She’s been dealing with it for years.” As a refresher, Jana has reached the ripe old age of 26.

Their fancy dinner proved to be a success, though the girls were stumped by many of the “big words” on the menu. Jessa chowed down, citing the fact that breastfeeding requires a lot of energy. Then she reminded everyone again that she and Ben plan to adopt a child. “Our plan right now is that we’re looking into adopting, and hopefully our next child we be adopted, but you never know. God could have something else in mind,” she said with a smile.

Impressively, not a single Duggar girl tripped in her high heels leaving dinner.

Tell Us: Which Duggar girl do you think will tie the knot next?

Jill & Jessa: Counting On airs on TLC Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET.

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