Leave it to Hoda Kotb to bring a little joy to your day amidst a difficult time in the world right now. On Friday, the TODAY host posted an adorable video of her daughter Haley singing “Happy Birthday” to her grandmother, whom she calls “teta” (Arabic for grandmother). As the Daily Mail reported, that isn’t the only way that Kotb and her daughter helped make her mother’s day special.
In the video, which was posted on Instagram, 3-year-old Haley can be seen sitting on the kitchen counter as she sings “Happy Birthday” in honor of Kotb’s mother, Sameha. After she sings her sweet rendition of the song, she and Kotb explain that they’re planning to make a cake for Sameha, even though they’re not able to present it to her in person given that the family is under self-quarantine. Kotb pans over to the rest of her kitchen to showcase the box of cake mix and icing that the pair are about to use to make the delicious concoction. The morning show host explained on the TODAY show that she and her family were going to present Sameha with the cake over a video call on Zoom.
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On the TODAY show, Kotb explained that her mother was not alone on her birthday, even though she is also under self-isolation amidst this crisis. As she said on the program, per the Daily Mail, “This morning, I was just thinking, my mom’s waking up. It’s her birthday.” Kotb then related that her mom’s friends actually were able to wish her a happy birthday in person, from a safe distance that is, adding, “And then her friend Chip and Scottie sent me this video because they drove by her apartment building and started honking.” The TODAY anchor posted a clip of the sweet moment on her Instagram, which featured Sameha standing outside of her building while her two friends, from their car, sang “Happy Birthday” to her.
“A big happy birthday to my mom!” Kotb wrote in another Instagram post. Her message included a slideshow of photos featuring her mom, daughters Haley and Hope, and another of herself and her sister Hala posing with her. Kotb’s caption continued to relate that she’s looking forward to being able to celebrate the occasion in person when this health crisis has subsided. “April 17 just got a little better… cant wait to celebrate in person.. we love you mom.”
