Joanna Gaines is staying true to her vow to soak up the summer with all five of her kids at home, and she’s getting plenty of help from husband Chip.
While the Gaines’ have had some fun trips lately, Joanna is being intentional about making sure that fun starts with small moments at home.
A recent post on her Instagram account shows Joanna making jam with son Duke as her helper. In it, she writes, “Savoring the best flavors of summer with my boy 😍”
While a Duke sighting is rare on Jo’s Instagram account, his younger brother Crew is frequently shown helping Joanna in the kitchen. In another Instagram post, Joanna showed a video of Crew helping her as she experimented with biscuits and sourdough bagels.
The dynamic duo declared one recipe a win and one a flop, but promised they’d try again.
Those special moments are a key part of how Joanna is coping with what’s coming this fall.
Two of Chip & Joanna’s Kids Head for College in the Fall
The “Mini Reni” designer hasn’t tried to hide her struggle with this season of change that started when son Drake left for college. He attends the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Texas.
Chip and Joanna share Drake, 20, Ella, 18, (who graduated from high school in May and will leave for college in the fall), Duke, 17, Emmie, 15 and Crew, 7.
“I was so sad,” Joanna told PEOPLE not long after Drake first left for college. “I couldn’t believe how it hit me because Chip always says I’m not super emotional. I’m pretty steady. But, I think just the idea that I realize that one move out with that one kid, it triggers something now where it starts feeling everything goes fast.”
And it’s not getting easier with the second one. “How do I prepare my own heart for it?” she continued, referring to Ella leaving for college this fall. “It’s like you’re losing the one that you go on the weekends to get coffee with and shop at the antique stores. I’m like, ‘Where’s my friend going?’ It’s just being okay with the shift and letting go of what was, and just being excited for what’s to come.”
Chip Gaines Takes Kids on Epic Road Trip
At home or away, making memories is what it’s all about.
In a recent Instagram post, Joanna reveals that Chip just took the crew on an epic road trip. She writes, “Chip asked the kids to go on a road trip with him for Father’s day. Each kid got to pick where they wanted to go and Crew chose Oklahoma first bc he wanted to see a tornado and red dirt. Then on to New Mexico ➡️ Utah ➡️ Arizona ➡️ and then back in Texas to Marfa where they decided to surprise mom and get another puppy. We named her Marfa 🩵
Chip, you’re such a fun dad. They’ll never forget this trip!
(Video by Ella taken w/ her digital camera😍)”
Joanna Gaines reveals in the post that Chip and the kids brought home a furry souvenir from their epic adventure- a new puppy named Marfa.
Marfa is reportedly the Gaines’ seventh dog according to “The Today Show.”
Whirlwind Trip is Part of ‘Intentional Summer’
While it looks like it was just Chip and the kids for the Oklahoma- New Mexico- Utah- Arizona- Texas trip, Joanna Gaines did go along when the family hit Universal Studios in Orlando in June.
Joanna put up a video on Instagram showing all the fun. Joanna writes, “We spent the day @unistudios and had a blast! Crew was sure he was living in a dream and didn’t want to wake up. Chip was trying to mind over matter motion sickness. 🤣 Super Nintendo World gave me all the feels of being a kid again and made me want to bust out my old gaming set and show the kids my skills. What a day 🍄 ✨”
Joanna also put up a post with three pictures showing her as a baby, a child and then today- all at Universal Studios. In the most recent picture, she is with Chip at the park. In the first picture, she is riding on her father’s back. Her caption reads, “First time at @unistudios way back in 1978. Then in 1987. And now in 2025😍 “
Drake and Duke Gaines Make the Most of Time Together
Meanwhile, the Gaines kids seem to be enjoying their fleeting time together as well.
Joanna posted a video of Drake and Duke riding around their Waco farm crowded onto a mini-motorcycle. Joanna writes, “These brothers are like our own version of Lloyd and Harry but on the farm” referring to the characters played by Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels in “Dumb and Dumber.”
In the video, younger brother Crew can be seen dropping out of a tree he had climbed as his older brothers zoom by.
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Joanna Gaines Packs Her Summer With Family Fun