Ree Drummond, better known as "The Pioneer Woman," is sending another kid off to college!
The 52-year-old Food Network star shared a touching tribute on Instagram Saturday for her son Bryce, 18, as she and her husband, Ladd, dropped him off at college at the University of North Texas.
“Ladd and I delivered Bryce to college today!” she wrote. “He was recruited to play quarterback at University of North Texas, and he worked hard to graduate from high school early so he could get down here and participate in spring practice with his new team.”
Drummond explained that her daughter Alex, 23, and her fiancé, Mauricio Scott, live in Dallas and helped Bryce move into the dorms, adding, “Then we all went out to eat enchiladas and burritos for dinner, which is what you do in Texas.”
Drummond is also mom to son Todd, 16, daughter Paige, 21, and foster son Jamar, 18.
“Right now Ladd and I are about to pass out cold in an area Embassy Suites while Alex and Mauricio take Bryce to buy bottled water and string cheese for his dorm fridge,” she continued. “Meanwhile, Paige is back home in Oklahoma, driving to Jamar and Todd’s basketball tournament to cheer them on. My brain is dead and my heart is full. Good night.”
Earlier in the day, Drummond shared a photo to her Instagram stories of Bryce hugging Jamar while Todd stood alongside the duo.
"Bryce is heading to college today 😢," Drummond wrote on her Instagram story. "Just said bye to his brothers 😭😭😭. I'll be okay in 2085."
In September, Drummond shared a post on Instagram to commemorate Bryce’s 18th birthday, posting a touching message alongside a carousel of photos of Bryce throughout the years.
“Before he was a quarterback, he was a cowboy,” she wrote. “Can’t believe he’s 18...it went by so ridiculously fast. His dimples are still the death of me. 😂 Happy birthday, Bryce! Love you, son.”
In November 2020, Drummond revealed that she'd become foster mother to Jamar, who had been living with the family for over a year and a half. While he'd been living with the family for some time, Drummond had to keep his life private initially.
“I had a cooking show and other little elements of public life, and because of rules and regulations with the state agencies, I wasn’t able to share about Jamar,” she said on TODAY in November.
Drummond added that she felt "protective" of him and didn’t just want to “thrust him out there.” After some time, Jamar told Drummond that it felt like he was being “hidden.”
“So when he turned 18, I did write about him in (my latest book). And I shared the essay with him before the book was published to make sure he was OK with it,” she explained.
