Jennifer Lopez is entering a new era of her life. The icon has officially turned 57 and will soon be an empty nester. Until then, she's making the most of her summer with her twins Max and Oskar, before they go to college.
© Backgrid UK/The Grosby GroupThe singer and actress was spotted exploring Rome on Monday with the 18-year-old twins, during what has already been a fun and fashionable summer in Europe.
© Backgrid UK/The Grosby GroupThe family took in some of the city's most famous sights, including the Colosseum, before cooling down with gelato and making their way through the Italian capital.
© Backgrid UK/The Grosby GroupLopez was also spotted shopping along Via Condotti, Rome's famous luxury shopping street, with her security team on high alert.
The outing comes days after Lopez celebrated her 57th birthday on July 24, making the family vacation something of a birthday trip and chance to spend time together before Max and Oskar leave for college.
© Backgrid UK/The Grosby GroupJLo and her soon-to-be empty nest
It's a milestone Lopez has already admitted she's struggling to think about. The twins, whom she shares with ex-husband Marc Anthony, graduated from high school earlier this year and are preparing to begin college in the fall.
Lopez couldn't hide her pride when she recently opened up about what it took for both of them to get there. "I am so proud that they set goals for themselves,” she told EXTRA. “They all got into all five colleges that they applied to. Each one got a scholarship to a school.”
© Backgrid UK/The Grosby GroupShe also reflected on watching them work toward the milestone for years, including navigating school while learning differently because of ADHD. “I watched how hard they worked during, you know, from the time they were like, you know, when school gets serious and like the fifth grade,” Lopez said. “They just worked hard, worked hard.”
“I'm just so proud of them because they did what they said they were going to do,” she said. “And they're good people. They're loving, good-hearted people.”
© Backgrid UK/The Grosby GroupIt's a lesson she has tried to instill in them since they were young. “I always say to them, ‘What do I say?’ And they said, ‘Doesn't matter if we get good grades so long as we're good people,’” Lopez recalled. “And I was like, ‘That's right.’”
The twins will be taking separate paths when they head off to college, something Lopez confirmed earlier this summer while admitting she's already emotional about watching them leave home.
During a June appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Lopez opened up about the reality of becoming an empty nester after nearly two decades with her twins by her side.
“It's an emotional time. It's been the three of us,” she said. “People have come in and out of my life, but it's been the three of us. They've always been there, and I've always been there.”
For Lopez, imagining a home without them still doesn't feel entirely real. “I just never thought they would not be there,” she admitted. “I just never thought that far ahead.”
One last European summer before college
Rome is the latest stop in what has been a long European summer for Lopez.
Her travels have taken her from Wimbledon, where she rocked a wide-brimmed hat, to Italy, where she performed during Dolce & Gabbana's Alta Moda festivities in Sicily, and Paris, where she celebrated turning 57.
For her birthday, Lopez shared a message that read, “When you keep going, it just keeps getting better.”
