The TV star's eldest son has left for college

Joanna Gaines is a doting mom to her five children, whom she shares with her husband Chip. While thestar is no doubt celebrating Mother's Day on Sunday surrounded by her loving family, it may be a bittersweet occasion for the interior designer as it marks the first one since her eldest child, Drake, fled the nest for college. 

Drake, who was born in 2005, left the family home after enrolling in college. Opening up about the major milestone in Magnolia Journal, the mom-of-five said: "Soon, our oldest son, Drake, will be leaving home for college. 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."

Joanna opened up about how quickly her children have grown in an interview with last year. She said: "When [Drake] was Crew's age, people would look at me and say, 'Oh, you better hold on tight. It goes by fast. Now, being a mother of a four-year-old and an almost 18-year-old, it's a constant reminder to not take these moments for granted."

Speaking about her family's close bond, she added that her children are always there cheering her on. "They're encouraging me as I walk out the door like, 'Mom, you've got this. Just be yourself, have fun."

"Sometimes I feel like they're the parents," she said. 

MORE: Joanna and Chip Gaines look like the picture-perfect couple in latest outing

Mother's Day isn't the only special event Joanna is celebrating this month, however, as she is preparing to mark her 20th wedding anniversary.

Joanna and Chip tied the knot on May 31, 2003, at the historic Earle-Harrison House in Waco, Texas, before going on to welcome five children: Drake, 18, Ella Rose, 16, Duke, 14, Emmie Kay, 12, and Crew, four.

MORE: Joanna Gaines and Chip Gaines reflect on hard times in their private life

The family's home, a 1,700-square-foot Victorian-style residence, sits on 40 acres of land in the Waco suburb of Crawford. See inside Joanna's stunning kitchen in the video below.

Opening up about his relationship with his wife in the new issue of Magnolia Journal, Chip reflected on their twenty years together, he wrote: "In those 20 years, our world changed. But the one thing that didn’t was the promise Jo and I made to one another at the altar in front of our family and friends. They asked if we’d stick it out through thick and thin. We said yes, and we meant it. We still do.

"Twenty years ago this May, I married the love of my life. Twenty years. It doesn't even make sense. Just yesterday, I was on one knee in a jewelry store outside Archer City, Texas, asking Jo to marry me." 

He continued: "Just yesterday, she told me she was pregnant for the first time. Just yesterday, we walked into a run-down house we could barely afford, but it didn’t matter because it was ours and we were going to make it the best home in the world." 

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