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Chip and Joanna Gaines are giving people a look into their private family life for a special edition of PEOPLEThe Fixer Upper stars’ five children can be seen in the new, exclusive photosThe power couple first became parents with the birth of their son Drake in February 2005
Despite keeping their children mostly out of the spotlight, Chip and Joanna Gaines gave a small glimpse into their family life.
During an exclusive interview for PEOPLE’s new special edition, Chip & Joanna Gaines: Their Next Chapter (available now), the Fixer Upper stars shared some sweet pictures enjoying some outdoor fun with their five children. Chip, 50, and Joanna, 47, who recently celebrated 22 years of marriage, are parents to sons Crew, 7, Duke, 17, and Drake, 20, and daughters Emmie, 15, and Ella, 18.
Each of the family photos showed the Gaines family getting out and enjoying nature. In one snap, the Gaines kids cooled off from the warm weather under a waterfall during a recent family vacation. Another snap showed the family of seven on a hike with the couple’s five children leading the path.
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Chip and Joanna Gaines’ kids.
Chip & Joanna Gaines
Another picture showed Chip and Joanna’s three boys fishing on the boardwalk. The mom of five explains to PEOPLE that her tight-knit family considers themselves “homebodies.” However, she says they’ve learned to appreciate “intentional time as a family.”
“Truth is, we’re all homebodies,” says Joanna, who shared the photos from a recent trip to St. Lucia. “But as our kids get older, I’ve learned what a gift it is to get away and have that intentional time as a family. Being present is what we’re after — so we limit phones, pick a few games or hikes that everyone is excited about, eat together for every meal and toss the schedule out the window.”
The couple got married on May 31, 2003, in their hometown of Waco, Texas, and have gone on to build a successful home renovation business. Even while growing their Magnolia empire and raising their five kids together, the pair tell PEOPLE that their willingness to try new things as a couple has helped foster an even stronger connection between them.
“What we’ve realized in 22 years of marriage . . . is we still feel like newbies. Anytime you unlock a new thing, and you do it together, it only grows your relationship,” Joanna shares. Most recently, that “new thing” was dance lessons.
She continues, “I hired this couple; they came to our office and taught us how to dance.”
Chiming in, Chip jokes, “Just she and I with this couple. You talk about awkward.”
Chip and Joanna Gaines’ and their kids.
Chip & Joanna Gaines
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It’s no secret that the Gaines parents have a lot on their plates. The father of five has said he and his wife have been able to juggle their business and parenting responsibilities by finding the balance between enforcing rules and giving their kids some leeway.
“I grew up in an environment that was pretty much ‘back by dark’ — (my parents) didn’t generally know what we were doing, and it was all good, clean fun,” Chip told PEOPLE in 2018. “So I thought, ‘Oh, I’m gonna be a wild parent.’ ”
Chip and Joanna Gaines’ kids.
Chip & Joanna Gaines
He continued, “When I got to be a parent, I don’t know what it is about it … I feel a little bit like a drill sergeant sometimes. Some elements of my personality, as a parent, I’m not real crazy about.”
But no matter how much success the Gaines family might experience with their Magnolia empire, they always try to ensure their kids have a “normal” upbringing.
“They’re so young and we want to give them the chance to have a normal childhood,” Joanna shared with PEOPLE. “When we wake up in the morning, I think we’re normal. But then you go to Target and it’s definitely different. We’re both in awe.”
The couple is also trying to “instill kindness” in their children. “Every day we try to teach our own kids to be kind to themselves, to each other, to neighbors and especially to those who look like they are alone,” Joanna told PEOPLE in November 2019.
For more from this exclusive interview, pick up PEOPLE’s new special edition Chip & Joanna Gaines: Their Next Chapteravailable now.
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