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There are plenty of lovable cooks on The Food Network, but few have captured our hearts as quickly as Ree Drummond. The star of The Pioneer Woman is beloved by all for her delicious-looking meals and tales of life on the ranch, and she even attained fame prior to her show thanks to her award-winning blog. On her Pioneer Woman blog, fans get to hear even more about her personal life — and they also get plenty of family photos, too.

Fans of the Drummonds are just as involved in Ree’s culinary skills as they are with her children, too. We remember years ago when kids were very young, but now, two of her daughters are off to college. Here’s where they go and what they’re up to.

Alex Drummond attends Texas A&M University

There’s no doubt Ree misses her two daughters who are away at school, as we remember them helping her out in the kitchen on The Pioneer Woman fairly frequently. Alex, her oldest daughter who’s 21 years old, seems to be thriving at her university, however. Southern Living notes she goes to Texas A&M University and is already receiving high honors for her performance.

Ree posted on Instagram all about Alex receiving her “Aggie ring,” which is a tradition that has existed at Texas A&M since 1889. Students at the school get the ring once they’ve completed a certain number of hours toward their degree and maintained at least a 2.0 grade point average, the publication notes. It seemed like a huge day for Alex, as Ree and Ladd went out to see the ceremony and revel in the celebrations. “This, in the life of a Texas A&M student, is a very big deal. Ladd and I were there to celebrate along with her and her great group of friends, many of whom also received their rings on the same day,” Ree added to an Instagram post.

Paige Drummond recently went off to University of Arkansas

While it was tough for Ree to see Alex leave the home, it seems she also had an equally difficult time letting her second-oldest, Paige, go to university as well. “Sweet Paige, second child, beautiful soul. She graduates in a month and no, I’m not ready, thank you very much! But she is most definitely ready, and that’s really all that counts,” Ree captioned this Instagram post. And when it was finally time for Paige to head out to the University of Arkansas, Ree added another photo of her daughter explaining her sadness to see her go.

It seems like Paige is also thriving at school, however. Southern Living notes the second-oldest Drummond child clearly has a knack for interior design, as she made her college dorm bedroom absolutely gorgeous. And Ree recently added a photo of Paige and her Arkansas friends who seem to all be in a sorority together.

All of Ree’s kids were homeschooled before heading to college

Ree still has two sons at home, but they’re growing up fast, too. And perhaps one of the biggest reasons she finds it so heartbreaking to see them go is because they’ve been home on the ranch with her their whole lives. Ree has blogged about her decision to homeschool in the past, and while it may not be everybody, she explains her remote location was a huge factor as to why she decided it was best for her family. “Something about my five-year-old spending upwards of three hours on a school bus each day didn’t seem quite right to me,” she wrote. Ree eventually made the decision along with her friend Hyacinth to take the plunge and start homeschooling after meeting other successful families who took the same approach.

“The flexibility is perfect for our ranching lifestyle, allowing the kids the opportunity to work with Marlboro Man during busy times,” Ree wrote. And she also added that the amount of time she got to spend with her kids during the day also made homeschooling worth it. “There’s a sense that we’re a team, that we’re all in this together, and that any learning that needs to be done around here is a group effort.”

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