Joanna Gaines Judges Gingerbread Houses on Thanksgiving — and Shows Son Crew's 'Honorable Mention'

Joanna Gaines spent Thanksgiving celebrating her kids' competitive spirit.

Sharing photos from her holiday on Instagram Thursday, the mom of five — who shares sons Crew, 4, Duke, 14, and Drake, 17, as well as daughters Emmie, 12, and Ella, 16, with husband Chip Gaines — showed off her kids' artsy abilities.

"Help me vote on the cutest gingerbread house!" the Magnolia Journal founder posted on her Instagram Story, along with photos of the four options, opening it up with a poll in which fans could vote.

Joanna, 44, also shared "Crew's honorable mention," an adorable gingerbread house that shows he's getting the hang of decorating on his own.

For a PEOPLE cover story earlier this month, Joanna opened up about the importance of being "vulnerable" with her kids and how showing more humanity fosters a strong connection with them.

"I always thought, 'I'm the mom, I should have the answers,' " she explained.

Joanna shared, "The older I've gotten, I've realized the more humanity these kids can see in me, the more we're going to connect."

"I want them to see the highs and lows, so when they're feeling anxieties about school or relationships, they know it's a safe place for them to come to me," she added.

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Last year, Joanna opened up about her policy for cell phone use with her older kids.

"We have this little station where everyone charges their phones," explained Joanna, "and finally we decided we don't like how our kids — they almost look like robots, I mean all of us, when it buzzes you gotta check it, and when they're reading they're checking it."

"It just became a house rule, when you're at home, that all the phones go in one spot, so if you want to check a text, if you want to check an email, you go to that spot, but it's not on your bodies," the mom continued. "So it's like 'no phones on body,' that's the rule at home."

Joanna added, "They're developing, they're growing. And as they're growing at 14, 15, 16, I don't want [constantly checking their phones] to be part of who they become, you know?"