Joanna And Chip Gaines' Kids Are Growing Up So Fast
When Joanna and Chip Gaines' kids aren't busy earning their education or spending time on their family farm, they're hanging out at their parents' business headquarters. "They love being here," Joanna explained during an interview with People. "I always try to involve them with what we're doing at work."
For example, while Joanna was writing her first children's book "We Are the Gardeners," it only made sense to include her own children in the writing process. For the release of her most recent children's book "The World Needs Who You Were Made to Be," she enlisted her kids' help for recording the audio version. "I want them to feel like they're a part of it," Joanna explained.
Over the years, they've also accompanied their parents working on multiple television sets — and fans have gotten the chance to watch the five Gaines children grow up fast before their very eyes.
Drake Gaines is already headed off to college
For Chip and Joanna Gaines, it seems as though it was only yesterday that their eldest child Drake Gaines arrived into the world. After all, he was around when his parents were just beginning to build up their Magnolia businesses. When he wasn't wandering the store in a carrier strapped to his mother's chest, he was hanging out in a Pack 'N Play in the back – and the customers always took the chance to speak with Joanna about the difficulties of balancing both a profession and parenthood.
"One of the things I remember most about those early days of chasing dreams and being a new mom was all the wisdom, encouragement, and support that came from other moms who would come in to shop," Joanna reminisced with her fans on Instagram. "The one consistent thing they all would say is, 'Cherish this time and hold him tight, because before you know it, he will be driving one day and then off to college.'" Believe it or not, that day has finally arrived.
Drake will soon be off to receive his higher education. While we can't believe how much he has grown, the fact that he's leaving the family home has hit Joanna hard. "Our family dynamic will change because of it, and that can feel like a loss of its own," she wrote on her blog. However, if he's following in the Gaines family's footsteps, we know he's off to do great things – which is certainly a gain of its own.
Ella Rose Gaines now has her driver's license
When Ella Rose Gaines recently turned 16, Joanna Gaines had trouble holding back tears. "I'm trying my darnedest not to cry like a big fat mama baby when she drives off by herself tomorrow," the TV star posted to Instagram on her daughter's big birthday in October 2022.
Out of all of the Gaines children, Ella Rose is the one who is most likely to end up in her parents' home renovation business. In fact, she's even helped her mother design spaces behind the scenes of their television series over the years. "Ella is like me," Joanna once said during an interview with People. "I think she'll follow in my footsteps and have her hand in a lot of things."
Another thing her daughter loves to have her hand in (just like her mother) is baking. In fact, using recipes from one of Joanna's cookbooks, Ella Rose started up her own baking business one summer while her parents were away at work. "She's going to make a heck of a business woman," her mother told her millions of Instagram followers. After all, she does have two successful parents to learn from!
Duke Gaines has never lost his sense of humor
If there's one thing that's important to the Gaines family, it's spending quality time together. Sports are something that 14-year-old Duke Gaines has been able to bond with his big brother over. He loves playing baseball and watching his family's favorite college football team, the Baylor Bears, compete in their hometown of Waco, Texas. (Who knows: He may soon be watching his big brother play on a college team, too.)
While we've seen all of the Gaines kids make appearances on their parents' multiple television series, Duke has been around for many more of these episodes than fans may originally think over the years. During many instances while his parents are filming, he is seated down by their feet (just enough that he is out of the shot) prompting his parents to refer to him as their "little work buddy."
Though he may not be so "little" anymore, one thing that hasn't changed as he's gotten older is his sense of humor. Last Halloween, he stood out amongst his siblings when he dressed as an inflatable minion from "Despicable Me." He was so dedicated to his role that he couldn't fit his massive costume through the doorway of his own house.
Emmie Kay Gaines has hit her teenage years
It seems as though Emmie Kay Gaines has looked up to her mother for inspiration over the years. Today, she possesses some of the same passions as Joanna.
For example, one of the 13-year-old's favorite hobbies is growing an assortment of plants. Since we first saw her on our small screens, she's grown quite an impressive collection of them, too. "We are running out of space," her mother told fans on Instagram, referring to her daughter as a "Future Plant Lady of America." One summer, Emmie Kay even took to the streets and started selling her own floral arrangements out of the plants she grew at their family's home.
Another passion that the teenager has perfected is baking her mother's favorite sweet treats and also creating her very own for the rest of the Gaines family. Over the years, Emmie Kay has created a "little cookbook" filled with her original recipes. Hopefully, fans can someday have a copy of Emmie's cookbook on their bookshelves right alongside Joanna's multiple cookbooks.
Crew Gaines has spent his whole life on camera
The youngest boy in the Gaines bunch has been onscreen since he was an infant. In June 2018, in the midst of his family's growing fame, Crew Gaines "made an unexpected (and speedy) entrance into the world two and a half weeks early," his mother wrote on Instagram. "Which is fitting given he was a sweet surprise from day one."
Ever since, he has been keeping up with his parents as they juggle their multiple businesses and shows. In fact, he's already made a few appearances on his mother's cooking show "Magnolia Table," earning him the title of her "favorite sous chef."
On an episode in early 2021, Crew unexpectedly crashed the set and told his mother he wanted to visit the garden. His arrival prompted a brief intermission in the show, but the cameras continued to roll as he went on to smell some of his favorite plants in their backyard.
Like the fans who love checking in on the Gaines children, Crew always wants to check in on his plants' growth. "Before the sun sets, he tells his little plants good night and to not let the (bed) bugs bite!" Joanna adorably told her Instagram followers.
There may eventually be another Gaines kid
Though Chip and Joanna Gaines surely have their hands full between watching their five children grow and growing their multiple businesses, it seems as though the Gaines family may be growing one day, too. "I can see Crew having a little sibling," Chip shared during an interview on the "Today" show in 2019.
Their four eldest children were ecstatic when their baby brother Crew was born in 2018, and Joanna seems as though she may be on board to have another baby someday, too. "I love the process of being pregnant," she once said. "I love giving birth."
For now, their latest project involves renovating a historic hotel in a new series called "Fixer Upper: The Hotel." Yet, while they're busy working on getting ready to show their renovation to the world this fall, having another child will always be in the back of their minds — or at least, in the back of Chip's mind. "When I'm 50, Chip's going to want more kids," Joanna said. "Just know, this is going to be the headline forever: 'Jo's pregnant. Again.'"