Joanna Gaines has a household full of children, but she wasn't expecting to add to her brood almost a decade after welcoming her last.
The Fixer Upper alum, 46, and her husband Chip Gaines are proud parents to Drake, 20, Ella, 18, Duke, 16, and Emmie, 15, but they were taken by "surprise" when their youngest, Crew, joined the family six years ago.
"I had our first four kids in such quick succession, that honestly, their younger years were a bit of a blur," Joanna told Us Weekly when looking back on her motherhood journey.
"I wouldn't change the way we grew our family, but when Crew came – as a surprise! – I was older, and I don't want to say that I was 'wiser' but I did have these four older kids as living proof that time really does move as fast as everyone promises."
Joanna decided on a different tactic when it came to raising Crew. "In the first few years of his life, I took my foot off the gas for the first time in what felt like forever," she explained.
"In the years since, Crew has continued to break through my tendency toward busy and hurry. He is constantly reminding me to look up."
Joanna admitted that Crew has helped her slow down despite her busy schedule because he "doesn't miss an opportunity to point us all in the direction of beauty".
She explained: "Crew is expectant for wonder no matter where he is or what it is that's caught his attention. He admires not just the flowers when we take a walk through the garden, but the dirt and soil they grow from."
Joanna has learned not just from Crew, but her other four children too. "I think that's my favorite part of being a mother – all the things my children have to teach me," she said.
"The clarity in which they see the world challenges me and gives me a fresh perspective," Joanna continued: "I'll always be grateful to my children for that gift of seeing the world through their eyes."
Just like Joanna's kids have taught her new experiences, she has also shared her wisdom with them.
"Even now that my kids are older, my advice hasn't changed much," she said. "We've forgotten that the world is constantly alive, and there's almost always something to find when we're willing to look for it.
"I want nothing more for my kids than a deep belief in and gratitude for all the beauty and little miracles the world has to offer."
There have been some major shifts in the family's dynamic in recent years with her eldest son, Drake, moving out of the family home in 2023 after he was accepted to Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
Joanna and Chip's eldest daughter Ella is also preparing to fly the nest when she graduates from high school this year – but the couple aren't dwelling on an eventual life as empty nesters.
"Every stage of 'growing up' has been a cycle of change, then gain," she explained. "So, for me, it's really a matter of looking at 'different' in a healthy, exciting way, and being expectant for all these new moments and milestones we get to celebrate as a family."