Hoda Kotb’s Daughters Hope and Haley Smile Together on First Day of School

Hoda Kotb’s daughters are headed back to school!

On Tuesday, Sept. 2, the former Today host, 61, shared a series of photos on Instagram in celebration of her daughters Hope and Haley’s first day of school. Kotb could be seen posing with both her kids in the driveway of her house in the suburbs, smiling as she leaned into her girls.

Hope, 6, could be seen wearing a white sweatshirt, purple skirt and sparkly leggings as she leaned into her mom. Next to her, Haley, 8, wore a denim jumpsuit and a headband, holding her arm in a brace.

Other shots showed the family of three walking to school and posing on the soccer field as they got ready to head inside. “First day!!! 3rd and 1st ❤️❤️,” Kotb proudly wrote in her caption.

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At the end of August, Kotb, who shares her daughters with ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman, chatted with the Wall Street Journal about her life since leaving Today after 17 years on the show. The mom of two told the outlet that she has “slowed everything down” since her departure and move to the suburbs.

“I’ve slowed everything down,” she told the outlet. “I go on bike rides with my kids, we play tennis. Things that I never thought of. When I’m driving them around they’re telling me stories that I wasn’t in the car to [hear] before. Haley came with me to the gym and she sat on the sled and I pushed it.”

Kotb’s household has gone through other changes since their move out of the city, including adopting a new furry friend. In July, she shared an adorable video of the moment she introduced her new puppy, Waffles, to her two daughters, Hope and Haley.

“It’s official! Meet our newest addition — WAFFLES!” Kotb captioned the post.

In the video, Kotb could be seen clapping as a friend brought Waffles out of a car to her daughters, who were standing in their driveway waiting to meet their new furry friend.

Hope then asked to hold the pup, who has curly sandy-colored fur and wagged her tail as the 6-year-old held her in her arms (with a little help from her mom).

“Look how cute she is,” Kotb gushed.

Although she’s moved out of the city, Kotb still makes time to see her friends from her old job. This past weekend, she shared a series of photos on her Instagram from a day spent with her friend and former coworker, Dylan Dreyer, as they spent time together with their kids over Labor Day weekend.

Kotb’s daughters Hope and Haley could be seen wearing life jackets and jumping into the ocean off a dock while holding hands with Dreyer’s sons Oliver, 5, and Calvin, 8, in one sweet photo.

Dreyer herself was pictured on the dock, sitting next to son Russell, 3, as she watched the other kids jump in.

“Goodbye summer. Xo. Ps thought the woman I spotted in last pix at @usopen was @gayleking,” Kotb wrote in her caption.