It's a big day for the Camden's as the twins start kindergarten. Lucy is pregnant but does not want to get maternity clothes yet. Simon and Georgia may be having sex. Ruthie gets in trouble at school.

A pregnant Lucy & Kevin learn they are going to have a girl. Simon tells his parents he is having sex with Georgia and is on probation at college. Eric decides to set up an abstinence pledge group at church, and Ruthie signs it.

Lucy is promoted to Associate Pastor at the church and faces the task of writing her first sermon. Simon starts going to a therapist and realizes he has been suppressing his guilt of a previous car accident. Ruthie wants to go on a date.

Simon is still an emotional mess, but is ready to return to school when he meets Justin Smith, the brother of the boy he accidentally ran over. He finds he's finally off drugs and even grateful that the trauma repaired his family rift; closure becomes possible before he moves to college. Harry is determined to let the Camden parents tell Ruthy it's over. He decides to find a family of his own by marrying a girl in the Social Services home they're both desperate to get out of. Both Kevin and Martin play the protective big brothers. There's also a bird which fell out of the nest; Ruthie's responsibility just because she found it. High-pregnant teenager Leanne wants Eric to choose an adoptive couple to be parents for her baby, but goes in labor early. Lucy finds both candidate couples utterly selfish. Eric finds the father, Charlie Bates, still prepared to do he right thing provided Eric helps him with his parents. Charlie's parents fear he would throw away his own future for a girl they did so much for, and then split up. Leanne's lousy, virtually absent mother gives Annie a hard time just to visit her offspring in hospital.

As the presidential election approaches, Martin is too vocal in his opinions and Ruthie realizes she has none, Annie and Eric might be on different sides of the political ticket, and Lucy and Kevin have never registered to vote.

Lucy and Kevin see a new doctor for their pregnancy and they have different opinions of her. Ruthie becomes interested in Martin's friend and starts wearing makeup and acting older. Charlie, the new father of Leanne's baby, is having a hard time and wants out of parenthood, so Eric enlists the help of an old, dear family friend.

When Martin and Mac go play darts in the pool hall with Kevin, he naughtily leaves without telling they are being mistaken for new police rookies, so notorious Venus picks up physically mature Martin, who gives her a ride home on request -even stranding Mac- but stays aloof until they discover both their fathers are Marines on war theater missions. Lucy makes sure dad finds out so Kevin starts calling round for Venus's phone number, which starts the rumor he's two-timing Lucy, who stupidly takes it seriously even from an amused petty criminal Kevin just arrested, while Mac spreads one about Martin scoring at high-school, where Venus turns up the next morning as substitute teacher. Another utterly undeserved 'my-house-my-rules' lecture from sanctimonious liar Eric decides Martin it's time to get emancipated and move out, that very evening. Then he spots two marines with a briefcase.Meanwhile Ben's own lie to hide he spent three days camping with Dr. Miranda Pearson has its own unpredictable consequences.

Simon calls Lucy and Kevin to borrow money. They turn to Eric for advice. Simon has been told to leave the dorm after breaking rules by having his girlfriend spend the night in his room.

With Thanksgiving approaching, everyone seems to be planning something different. Lucy wants to host the big meal, Simon wants to stay at college, Mary is staying in Puerto Rico, and the others also have different plans. Annie is upset.

Shortly before Thanksgiving, Eric, Annie, and the twins are still not home; Eric has a cold and Annie already blames him for ruining the family Thanksgiving again. Simon has brought Georgia home but she refuses to tell anyone about her pregnancy until they tell his parents; later she tells him she lied so he wouldn't leave her. Pregnant Lucy is moody and takes advantage of her condition, driving Kevin and Matt mad; the weather cancels Martin's camping trip. Lucy gets Matt to take her to the supermarket where she faints, and Matt's limited medical-student knowledge bothers Dr. Klein. When Ruthie calls from Puerto Rico, lonely because Carlos' family is occupied with the baby, Martin assures her that Thanksgiving is celebrated in overseas territories too.

Lucy is home from the hospital but is irritable, confined to bed rest. Kevin tells her to finish her studies. Martin is having problems at school and Ruthie learns his father's tour of duty is extended. Wayne Newton makes an appearance.

Matt takes Lucy shopping so that she is out of the house. Annie prepares for the baby shower while she is gone. At the store, Lucy goes into labor. Matt & Lucy are stuck in an elevator. Lucy gives birth to a girl.

Lucy, Kevin, and Savannah move back to her parents' home where there is one mother too many. Annie tries to impart her mothering skills on Lucy, who has different ideas. Ruthie sees an opportunity to get a favor from Martin.

Ruthie is going on her first date, and everyone else is more worked up than she is.

The cast shows their singing skills as the express their feelings about Valentine's Day. Simon starts dating another gal. The twins celebrate their birthday.

Kevin meets the previous owner of his new home who seems to miss the memories of his former residence. Simon asks Matt to give him a prescription for birth control pills for his girlfriend.

The Camden kids panic about their cover-lie for "Simon's" (actually covering for fickle, unfaithful Mary's) secret after Annie phones with Carlos; she doesn't learn it yet, but decides to surprise-visit Mary in New York excited about the fictitious baby; the following family calls only weave the web of deception and misunderstandings ever tighter, even gold-honest Kevin gets ragged in; even when Eric's overhears an unclosed line, he keeps it secret for Annie but visits Simon, also on false pretenses. After dragging it out of Ruthie, Martin wisely abstains from compounded lying. Martin and Mac, who sort of hopes to get her on the rebound, catch Vincent dating another girl, but only to make Ruthie jealous, who brushed him off with a lie, next Vincent goes make up with her.

Ben Kinkirk practically invites himself to stay with brother Kevin to see Lucy and their baby, knowing absent Martin's apartment is available that weekend, and speculates about him dating Mary again now she has left Carlos. Annie has the morbid obsession that the family should attend a 'birthday party' for her late mother Jenny. Ruthie would rather spend that time with Vincent, and she runs a plan by Lucy while they shop for flowers. Meanwhile, Eric tries to help career woman Marie Wagner work out how to handle her mother's worsening physical and mental health.

Lucy seems to only have time for Savannah, and Kevin feels left out. Vincent's new girlfriend is a snob who looks for ways to insult others. Zoe confides in Ruthie that their family does not have enough money for food. The twins are sick.

When Simon visits home to write a paper, the twins are just happy, the sisters speculate what trouble he's in; dad guesses his Bible reading is a pact with God for a clear bill on his venereal disease test. Zoe convinces Martin to join her watching a meteor shower for an astronomy assignment, but he leaves his cell phone afraid to tell Eric as it's at night, and thus misses a persistent caller- from Iraq. Lucy wants to return to parish work, but Kevin refuses to dump their baby on her ma, even prefers doing night-shifts or becoming a home dad. Ruthy's ex Peter Petrowski's parents George 'Vic' and Paris ask Eric to remarry them. Ruthy's boyfriend Vincent is offended she nags about Peter saying not to feel anything for her anymore.

Cecilia's dad George Smith tells Eric that he and his wife Gwen are looking for a foster-son, about 10 years old, to fill the now empty-feeling home, with the hope of adopting. The enthusiastic reverend immediately thinks of orphanage boy Danny Davies, who proves charming and eager. Danny expects to that his sisters will be adopted too. It's only fair that Eric helps put that straight, which proves even more complicated then it sounds. Carlos tells Matt he's leaving New York for his dad's firm in Puerto Rico because 'mother' Mary makes no marital effort at all, having cheerfully signed over custody of baby Charlie. The twins are sad that Martin, and in time all their siblings seem to leave, even Lucy now. Kevin presses her to finally choose a house, then concludes the mother is the one who pushes fledglings out of the nest. Simon's girlfriend Rose wants to dump him unless he gives a good reason why they still don't have sex. Vincent pushes Martin to help him break up with Ruthie, in case he meets a girl while on vacation with his grandparents on Hawaii.

Eric hides Mary's divorce from Annie, and Simon's romance heats up. While the Smiths brace for a custody battle over the Davis kids, Simon arrives home for an overnight visit with his girlfriend Rose (Sarah Thompson), whom Annie finds "condescending and rude." Annie's intuition tells her Rose is pushing Simon for marriage, and that something's up with Mary and Carlos. Although Eric knows Mary has filed for divorce, he avoids sharing that information with Annie just yet. Since Vincent doesn't have the guts to break up with Ruthie, Martin takes it upon himself to reveal the truth. Lucy is surprised by Annie's erroneous assumption that Carlos and Mary are still together. Meanwhile, Simon hears from Kevin that Rose had led Annie to believe they're engaged. When Simon confronts Rose, he reiterates that, even if they discussed the possibility of marriage, he didn't actually propose. Visibly upset, Rose walks off. The Davis kids are stunned to learn their mom is refusing to relinquish custody. As much as they want to be adopted by the Smiths, the children fear that if they testify against their mother in family court, she'll wind up turning to drugs and alcohol. That's not a risk they're willing to take. Later, Ruthie asks Vincent to never call her again, and Rose asks Simon what he wants from their relationship. To Kevin's delight, Lucy puts an offer on a fixer-upper house next door! The Smiths and Davises reach a compromise: George and his wife won't push for adoption, but Mrs. Davis will allow them to become the kids' foster parents. Minutes after Eric shocks Annie with the news of Mary's divorce, Simon and Rose announce they intend to get engaged "in the near future." That evening, the Camdens join Martin as he welcomes his father home from Iraq. .. _