Former President George W. Bush has shared a touching tribute to his ‘beautiful’ wife Laura while celebrating both their 44th wedding anniversary – and her 75th birthday, which came one day before the marriage milestone.
The 75-year-year made a proud public proclamation of his love for his wife on Instagram on Friday, when she shared a sweet snap from their 1977 wedding – in which they are seen laughing together while cutting their cake.
In the image, Laura is seen wearing an elegant high-necked white wedding gown, while throwing her head back mid-laugh, while grabbing onto George’s hand – which appears to be covered in cake frosting.
George, who wed Laura in an intimate ceremony in Texas just three months after they were introduced at a friend’s barbecue, described their marriage as a ‘gift’ in his caption, while noting that November is an incredibly special month for the couple, because their anniversary and his wife’s birthday fall within the same week.
Celebration! George W. Bush posted a touching tribute to his wife Laura on Friday in honor of their 44th wedding anniversary – which came one day after her 75th birthday
‘A gift’: The former President, 75, praised his ‘beautiful’ wife in the caption, while noting that ‘November is a very special month’ because their anniversary and her birthday fall within it
‘November is a special month in our house,’ he wrote. ‘Not only did we get to celebrate my beautiful wife’s birthday yesterday, but also the great gift of marriage today. Happy Anniversary @laurawbush!’
However, he appeared to forget another key family date that falls in this month: his twin daughter Jenna and Barbara’s birthday, which is on November 25.
Thankfully, Jenna’s Today co-host Savannah Guthrie was quick to remind the father-of-two about the date, joking in a comment: ‘AND twin daughters’ bdays this month!! @jennabhager told me to remind you.’
George’s gushing Instagram post comes one day after Jenna, who will celebrate her milestone 40th birthday with Barbara in three weeks’ time, shared her own tribute to mom Laura in honor of her turning 75 on Thursday.
While posting several images of Laura cradling her grandchildren, Jenna wrote: ‘Happiest birthday to my beautiful, kind, graceful mama. I love you so.’
As well as birthdays and anniversaries, the Bush family has had another big event to celebrate in recent weeks: the birth of Barbara’s first child, a daughter named Cora Georgia – in honor of her grandfather George.
Barbara and her husband Craig Coyne welcomed their baby girl on September 27 – six weeks early – and their preemie daughter had to spend more than two weeks in the hospital before the proud parents were finally able to bring her home.
Whoops! However George neglected to mention that his twin daughters, Jenna (right) and Barbara (left), also have a birthday this month
Reminder: Jenna’s Today co-host Savannah Guthrie posted a comment about the twins’ upcoming 40th birthday, joking that ‘Jenna told her’ to do it
Looking back: George and Laura tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in Texas in 1977, just three months after they met at a friend’s barbecue
However, the newest addition to the Bush family had the opportunity to meet her grandparents and her aunt, Jenna, shortly after her birth, when the family traveled to Maine to visit the new parents and their daughter.
Cora is the fourth grandchild of George and Laura, who are already grandparents to Jenna’s three children with husband Henry Hager: Mila, Poppy, and Henry ‘Hal’.
Proud grandfather George was given the honor of sharing Barbara’s baby news with the world, revealing in a statement posted to his social media on September 28: ‘With full hearts, Laura and I are delighted to announce the birth of our new granddaughter.
‘Barbara gave birth to Cora Georgia Coyne on September 27, 2021, in Maine — not far from our family home where Barbara and Craig were married.
‘Cora is healthy and adorable, and we are proud and grateful.’
Several days later, he shared a heartwarming photo of himself and Laura meeting Cora for the first time, with the snap capturing the couple cradling their newborn granddaughter while perched on a chair in Barbara’s hospital room.
Jenna also celebrated the arrival of her newborn niece on social media, sharing several photos of herself, sister Barbara, new dad Craig, and their baby girl on her Instagram account, while writing: ‘Dearest Cora Georgia, Today is the day I got to meet my most beautiful, precious, feisty, niece (a bit earlier than we expected!).
Milestone: The former first couple welcomed their fourth grandchild in September, daughter Barbara’s first child, Cora Georgia
‘I witnessed in awe as my dearest, toughest @barbara.p.bush became a mama. And today is the day I fell in love! Some cousins are anxiously waiting to play with you, but not just yet love. Xx auntie j’
Earlier this year, George reflected back on his first meeting with wife Laura during an interview with The Wall Street Journal, admitting that he ‘felt heart palpitations’ from the moment he laid eyes on her.
‘The moment I saw Laura’s blue eyes I felt heart palpitations,’ he said. ‘She was a beautiful, stately woman. A little shy but very engaging.’
The Bushes were set up by their mutual friends Joe and Jan O’Neill, who invited both of them over for burgers on that summer day.
‘They also wanted me to meet Laura Welch, Jan’s close friend,’ George said. ‘I went. I was hungry. I was also getting up there in age and felt the urge to settle in.’
Meanwhile, Laura noted that they had actually crossed paths in school years prior.
‘Jan had talked up George quite a bit,’ she recalled. ‘I vaguely remembered him from seventh grade as someone who talked a lot. I put on a blue sundress and went over.’
George confessed that his heart fluttered when he saw her in that dress that complemented her blue eyes, and the feeling was mutual.
‘I thought George was cute. Mainly he liked to talk and I liked to listen,’ Laura said of their instant connection.
The former President said it didn’t take long for him to realize that Laura was the one for him – revealing that the couple had only been dating for a ‘few months’ when he popped the question.
‘I went down to Austin, where Laura was teaching school. I proposed at her rental house,’ he recalled.