Joanna Gaines Shares Sweet Photos of Family 'Soaking up the Last Few Days of Summer' at the Beach
Joanna Gaines/Instagram
Joanna Gaines is closing out the summer by making special memories with her kids.
The Fixer Upper star, 44, and husband Chip Gaines treated their kids to a fun family vacation at the beach with Joanna sharing photos from their trip on her Instagram Stories over the weekend.
The couple are parents to sons Crew, 4, Duke, 14, and Drake, 18, and daughters Emmie Kay 12, and Ella, 15.
In the photos, the family can be seen enjoying time by the water and crowded together on a dock. Many of the photos feature Crew as he explored climbing and enjoyed the waves with his siblings.
In one photo, Joanna posed behind Crew and shared, "I'm more of a 'lay on the beach-er' than a hiker. This boy can walk and climb for hours..."
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Joanna also shared two videos from the trip. In one, the family played volleyball together and Crew adorably tried to serve.
In a second, Crew said "thank you waves" as they walked on the beach and the waves crashed at their feet. When Joanna asked her youngest why he was saying thank you, he replied, "Because the waves are washing our feet."
RELATED: Joanna Gaines Shares Video of Son Crew's Adorable Routine of Saying Goodnight to His Plants
In a personal essay for the fall issue of Magnolia Journal, Joanna reflected on nearly 20 years of marriage with Chip ahead of Drake leaving for college.
"Soon, our oldest son, Drake, will be leaving home for college," Joanna wrote. "In the grand scheme of heartbreaking things, this one comes with a lot of gratitude and excitement."
"But 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."
RELATED: Joanna Gaines Jokes 'Babies Don't Keep' in Adorable Then-and-Now Photo of 4-Year-Old Son Crew
Looking back on her marriage, Joanna said that she and Chip "have experienced a little bit of all of it."
"Losing a loved one. Shifts in friendships. Bills we couldn't pay. Moments where our hearts were broken. Times when all hope felt lost and circumstances were out of our control. When all I could think to do was lay facedown on the floor in surrender," she continued.
Thinking of her new normal ahead, Joanna said, "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."
