Hoda shares what her 2 daughters are 'so excited' for in their new home

Hoda Kotb is moving with her two daughters, Haley Joy and Hope Catherine, and the TODAY co-anchor is ready for the “repotting.”

Explaining the transition as pulling up “by the roots" and replanting "somewhere else," Hoda explained how she hopes her girls feel in their new home during the Aug. 27 episode of TODAY with Hoda and Jenna.

“It’s all new — new kids, new school, new things, new everything,” she said. “And it’s funny because all I could think of was I want my house for the kids to feel warm and cozy and a place where they want to hang. And that’s it.”

Her co-host, Jenna Bush Hager, then chimed in, saying the change of scenery should also make the kids feel "seen and safe."

"So, yes, it's about the way that it looks, but mainly it's about the way that it feels," Jenna added.

Hoda then explained that each member of the family is going to have separate bedrooms, which is bringing excitement.

"(Haley and Hope) are so excited to have their own space, a reading chair. They're excited about a reading chair. They're excited about having a bean bag and their bed," Hoda said.

Looking at the move as a whole, Hoda told Jenna, "I do love the whole kind of restarting, repotting, starting something new. It feels really good."

Hoda first spoke about the process of moving her family to a new home earlier this year. Her New York City apartment was her first family home with her daughters, and she's been preparing her girls for what’s to come.

Here's what she's said about the move so far.

Hoda’s preparing to ‘clear out’

Hoda said on TODAY Aug. 14 that she is moving next week and is feeling overwhelmed, noting that she did not take any time off to move.

"I always try to be in the moment," she told Jenna Bush Hager. "And then you realize that actually some things take planning. You can’t just show up and go in."

Jenna agreed and asked if she needed help. But Hoda said she's confident that "it's all going to work out."

While Jenna pushed back, noting, "As you said, some things take planning," Hoda shrugged it off.

"They do. It’s too late. Too late," Hoda said.

She said her approach is to clear out and start fresh.

"You gotta clear out. You can’t have something new if you have old stuff. It works that way with everything in life. Clear it out. Say goodbye. Your kids only need this box of all their keepsakes," she said.

Hoda has compared moving to a ‘repotting’

In a special birthday episode of her podcast "Making Space" released Aug. 12, Hoda described the life season she is currently navigating.

“I feel like I’m in this repotting phase of my life,” she said. “I just feel it. I feel like my roots need a bigger pot, in all kinds of things. I’m physically moving with my kids, which was a big deal for us, because it’s easy not to move because friends and this and that."

Hoda, who turned 60 Aug. 9, said she used the language of "repotting" to explain the move to her little ones.

"When I found this spot that I liked, a little town that had all the things that could teach my kids independence, I told my kids, ‘We’re repotting.’ They’re like, ‘What? We’re moving?’ I go, ‘Yeah, but we’re repotting.’”

Hoda said Haley and Hope asked what that means.

"I go, ‘Well, it’s when you pull yourself up by the roots. And you’re a little scared, right?’ They’re like, ‘Yeah.’ I go, ‘But then we’ll go back into really great soil. We’re going to grow bigger and stronger. That’s going to be the place,’” Hoda recalled.

Hoda also shared what she is making space for in this season of her life.

“I realize, especially in recent weeks, that I’m making space to be a better mother and a better sister and a better friend and a better worker,” Hoda noted.

Hoda tells TODAY.com her family is 'ready' for the move

During a July interview with TODAY.com in honor of the 50th guest on her "Making Space" podcast, Hoda shared an update on the move.

"We haven’t officially done it because we’re still waiting for things to get painted and stuff to get moved in," she explained, adding she thinks Haley and Hope are "ready for it."

Hoda said she has tried to "lay the groundwork" for her girls and reflects on what she's told them to get them excited about the change: "We’re in for a brand-new adventure. We’re going to have so much fun. We have new friends, and we also have old friends."

"I think kids react to change the way you do," she said. "If you’re scared, they’re scared, and if you’re excited, they’re excited. If you’re like, ‘Oh, I don’t know how it’s going to be.’ Then they’re going to feel like, ‘Oh, the world is funky.’"

She added, "But I think it’s really important — so I’m trying. I’m not even trying. I am excited. I’m ready for it.

"I think when they see it, they see an authentic mom saying, ‘This is going to be a great adventure. Let’s go!’"

Hoda compared moving now to moving during her childhood

On the March 27 episode of her “Making Space” podcast, Hoda first shared the news about her family's move and said she's optimistic about what’s to come — even though her childhood experience with relocating was not similar.

“I was thinking about moving. My kids and I are going to move somewhere to a new school, and I was reflecting on my life and how many times we moved when I was a kid,” she told guest and bestselling author Arthur Brooks on the show.

“And I remember once my parents moved us to Nigeria, I was in fourth grade, I was horrified. Like, we get to this place, the language was different, everybody seemed different and it was hard. I moved again in sixth grade,” Hoda explained.

“It’s so funny because the stories I tell now as an adult, are the stories of how I endured or what I did to cope. Yet at the same time, as I’m preparing my kids, I feel like I’m trying to protect them from things that they should probably be into,” she continued.

Brooks, who teaches courses on leadership and happiness at the Harvard Business School, said he understands where Hoda is coming from.

The “Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life” author told her that no matter what, her children will have both good and bad experiences moving.

Hoda's emotions about moving

“I was sitting at my desk this morning, where I sit every single morning. I light a candle, I have my journal, I do my stuff,” Hoda told co-host Jenna Bush Hager in June. “And I thought to myself, ‘This is the last Monday that I’ll be sitting at this desk.’”

While chatting with Jenna, Hoda reminisced how Haley and Hope went from attempting to crawl up the stairs to “racing up and down” them like big kids. It’s a home filled with memories.

“We had Christmases and Thanksgivings. There were so many things that we have built there,” Hoda said. “And I know it’s just a place.”

Advice Hoda has received on moving

On her podcast, Brooks told Hoda the best way to help her family ease into their transition to a new place is to act like she and her daughters have already been living there for years.

“Just pretend, like an Academy Award-winning performance,” he said, adding that she could possibly host private events, like a Bible study or book club, at her new home to meet people.

“It’s a complete game-changer because you speed up the clock,” Brooks added.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com