Pioneer Woman star Ree Drummond got real about what it’s like being an empty nester. On October 13, the Food Network chef shared a photo with her youngest son, Todd Drummond, with a sweet caption about visiting him at college.
“In this photo from last Saturday, I am displaying the classic goofy, dreamy, I-get-to-see-my-kid-for-two-whole-hours empty nest sad-but-happy mom smile,” she captioned the picture. “Let me know if you get it. (I love you, Todd.)”
Todd, 19, currently plays football at the University of South Dakota. Ree, 54, and her husband, Ladd Drummond, drove eight hours from their home in Oklahoma to see their son take the field. The reunion with their kiddo was bittersweet as they were sad to head back home after the game.
“Life is weird these days,” Ree previously reflected in an April 15 Facebook post on her new family dynamic. “A little lighter, less laundry, much more quiet.”
The TV personality joked that she expected to be “wandering around the house and looking under cushions and pillows for granola bar wrappers and random sweaty socks, or other things that allow me to pretend that Todd is still home.”
In addition to Todd, Ree and Ladd, also 54, are parents to kids Alex, Bryce, Paige and foster son Jamar. The family recently celebrated Jamar’s 21st birthday on October 7.
“With Jamar, there’s a whole universe going on in that mind and heart and soul of his,” Ree wrote in an Instagram tribute at the time. “It’s a beautiful thing to behold. What will Jamar be doing in five years, I often imagine, as I do with all my kids? Where will he be in 10 years, in 20? I can’t wait to watch his future unfold. I know it will be filled with good things. I love you, Jamar!!”
After their kids moved out of the house, the couple decided to renovate a new home on their Oklahoma ranch property. Ree offered several sneak peeks of the space on her Instagram page since embarking on the journey of building her dream house.
“Ladd and I sit up here in brief spurts and talk about the kids, the weather and what the next couple of days look like,” she captioned a video of her new living room on August 19. “I either have coffee or wine, depending on the time of day, and he has a Dr Pepper no matter what time of day. Just call us mother and daddy, hopefully, the stairs won’t give us trouble for a few years.”
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