Laura Bush paid a visit to her daughter Jenna Bush Hager on the Today show on Tuesday morning, just in time to revisit some of her favorite romantic memories ahead of Valentine’s Day.
The former first lady, 71, joined Jenna and Kathie Lee Gifford during the show’s fourth hour. She is currently in New York City to celebrate Valentine’s Day with her grandchildren, Jenna’s daughters Mila, four, and Poppy Louise, two.
Kathie Lee asked Laura to reminisce about several first times in her life, prompting Laura to open up about various memories ranging from touching to just plain funny.
Family time! Laura Bush paid a visit to her daughter Jenna Bush Hager on the Today show on Tuesday morning
Team: The former first lady joined Jenna and Kathie Lee Gifford during the show ‘s fourth hour
Visit: Laura is currently in New York City to celebrate Valentine’s Day with her grandchildren, Jenna’s daughters Mila, four, and Poppy Louise, two
Laura reminisced about her first reaction when she found out she was going to have twins, back when she was pregnant with Jenna and Barbara.
‘I was so thrilled to have twins,’ she said. ‘I had sort of pictured two babies and thought “Well, that’s so greedy to want two at once.” But I was an only child and I really wanted to have more than one child so that they’d have each other, and of course that’s what really happened.’
Kathie Lee also asked Laura about the first time Jenna got grounded, joking it must have been one of many times the presidential daughter got in trouble.
‘When Barbara and Jenna were born, their grandfather was already vice president,’ Laura recounted. ‘And one of the things they did as soon as they learned how to dial the phone was call the White House switchboard and prank-call the White House.’
Officials, naturally, figured out where the call was coming from, and Jenna and Barbara became so afraid they would get spanked for misbehaving they put hardcover boots in their pants for protection, Jenna said.
The former first lady also revealed she and Jenna sometimes shared bras, since Jenna has the same silhouette as her mother.
‘She inherited the…’ Laura said before gesturing in front of her chest as if to suggest large breasts.
Jenna shrieked: ‘Mom!’ while the audience burst out laughing, and she added: ‘Remember when you taught me to love my body? Remember?’
The presidential daughter also revealed her mother had once asked her if she needed a new bra before telling her: ‘Here’s one of my minimizers.’
Talk: Kathie Lee asked Laura to reminisce about several first times in her life, prompting Laura to open up about various memories
Personal: The former first lady also revealed she and Jenna sometimes shared bras, since Jenna has the same silhouette as her mother
Conversation: ‘She inherited the…’ Laura said before gesturing in front of her chest as if to suggest large breasts
Reaction: Jenna shrieked: ‘Mom!’ while the audience burst out laughing, and she added: ‘Remember when you taught me to love my body? Remember?’
Taking a walk down memory lane: During Tuesday morning’s show, Jenna (pictured with her sister Barbara in 1998) got to revisit some moments of her childhood
Mischievous: Laura recounted how, as children, Jenna (pictured in 2000) and Barbara would prank-call the White House
As for the first time Laura spoiled her grandchildren, she said it happened in Maine, where the Bushes have their summer residence in Kennebunkport.
Laura couldn’t resist giving ice cream to Mila even though the baby was just three months old and hadn’t had food yet—something Jenna, Mila’s daughter, is still shocked by.
Since she will not be at home in Dallas, Texas, to spend February 14 with her husband, Laura revealed she has left him a sweet Valentine declaring her eternal love for him—which Kathie Lee jokingly deemed ‘so cheesy’.
Despite her kind attention, Laura doesn’t believe George W. Bush, also 71, will return the favor.
‘Needless to say, he did not leave me a Valentine,’ she said, adding that the former president is ‘not really’ a romantic.
However, Jenna pointed out that George and Laura are no strangers to romantic gestures, since they got married just three months after meeting.
She also said that her father spoke in poetry or rhymes throughout the first year of his and Laura’s marriage, with Laura saying he did so because ‘he was just so nervous’.
Nice: Since she will not be at home in Dallas, Texas, to spend February 14 with her husband, Laura revealed she has left him a sweet Valentine
Sweet: Laura (pictured with George and their daughters Jenna and Barbara in an archive shot) said she was ‘thrilled’ when she learned she was having twins
Past: Jenna pointed out that George and Laura are no strangers to romantic gestures, since they got married three months after meeting (they are pictured center on their wedding day)
‘Without getting too personal, what is he best at?’ Kathie Lee then asked the former first lady.
Laura chose to praise her husband’s taste for sports, deeming him a ‘great athlete’.
‘The other thing that people get surprised by, I’m not sure why, is that he’s a very good listener,’ Jenna added.
‘Barbara said, about the time she got her heart broken, [she was] older, a couple of years ago, and she felt that she was going to marry him and was feeling sad, [George] would just call every day and listen.’
Kathie Lee then proceeded to quizz Laura about a series of memorable family firsts, and began by asking her about her first date with George.
‘We played miniature golf,’ Laura recounted, adding that they had met the night before at a barbecue thrown by their mutual friends Joe and Jan O’Neill.
She admitted that it didn’t take her and George a long time to become smitten with each other, adding: ‘I tend to think it was love at first sight.’