Joanna Gaines’ kids have reached a new level of all grown up!
The Magnolia Network founder’s eldest four of her five kids are all officially drivers, and come this fall, it’ll be two out of five that are gone to college.
She and her former Fixer Upper co-star and husband Chip Gaines have been married since 2003, and share kids Drake, 19, Ella, 18, Duke, 16, Emmie, 15, and Crew, who is six.
Speaking with People about her kids’ latest milestone, she joked: “I stalk them on the app Life360!” and noted that the popular tracking app “tells you how fast they’re going.”
Also reflecting on how affected she was by her first kid, Drake, leaving for college — he is currently a sophomore at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, the Gaines’ hometown — she recalled: “I was so sad when Duke went to college.”
Still, she emphasized: “But they’re just turning into these wonderful human beings,” and gushed: “My favorite thing is seeing them hanging out in a restaurant together as friends. Because when they were younger I was always monitoring their fights, and now they’re dear friends, which is so cool.”
© InstagramAcknowledging the fact that she is only about three years away from all but one of the kids being moved out of the house for college, she further shared: “Knowing that [the older kids] will be gone in the next few years, I’ve made a conscious decision to create micro-moments, to feel in the now with our family, just be really more intentional with our time together.”
“And hopefully, try and slow it all down a bit!” she added, noting: “I feel like it all went so fast.”
© Getty ImagesJoanna previously reflected about the age gap between little Crew and his older siblings, also speaking with People shortly after his birth. “I think it’s sweet because they’re older now, and I can see them wanting to be a part of this,” she explained, adding: “We’re all rallying around this baby, which I feel is a sweet gift to our family.”
© InstagramSher also previously opened up about her firstborn Drake leaving for college, in a personal essay for her magazine Magnolia Journal ahead of his departure in 2023.
© Getty Images“In the grand scheme of heartbreaking things, this one comes with a lot of gratitude and excitement,” she said at the time, though noted: “Still, my first child is moving away, and our family dynamic will change because of it, and that can feel like a loss of its own.”
“I catch glimpses now of what that life will look like and wonder if — or how many times — that might bring me to the floor,” she added.
