"19 Kids and Counting" matriarch Michelle Duggar discussed the emotional experience of her daughters leaving the family home in a blog post published Wednesday.
Jill, 23, married Derick Dillard on June 21, and they are expecting their first child. Jessa, 21, became engaged to Ben Seewald on Aug. 14, and they plan to marry on Nov. 1.
Michelle described watching her daughter's start their own families as "exciting, shocking and surprising all at the same time!"
"Our entire lives, we've worked toward this, prayed about it, and encouraged our children to really just focus on becoming the person that God wants them to be," she wrote on the family's blog. "We've always urged our children to wait for the one that God has for them, and not to make compromises in their life in any way."
The experience is also a bit melancholy, as the close-knit family will miss having the girls at home.
"On the other side is the sadness that everything is changing at home," she said. "It's good, not bad, yet change is sometimes hard.
"The other day the Seewald family was visiting, and Ben and Jessa were getting ready to leave with them. As Jessa and Ben were getting in the Seewald car my little Jordyn, who is five, realized what was happening and she just started to cry and cry.
"I reminded her that [oldest son] Josh and Anna got married, too, and how much she loves playing with [their children] Mackynzie, Michael and Marcus. We'll be adding that much more love and that much more fun to our family."
Michelle also revealed that watching the girls leave the nest is emotional for her husband.
"Jim Bob is so excited, too, for Derick and Jill, and for Ben and Jessa," she said. "When he talks about the girls getting married, he gets a little teary-eyed; it's a big deal for a dad to let go of his girls. He's handing them over, but he's handing them over to some really great guys.
"Change can be difficult for all of us, but it is such a good reason to have change. It's a joyful time."
Although watching children leave the home is difficult, the Duggars have at least 14 more years before they have an empty nest. They have 16 other children, and their youngest, Josie, is four years old.
Season nine of "19 Kids and Counting" premiered on Sept. 2.
