Jenna Bush Hager explains 'Today' absence

Jenna Bush Hager had a good excuse for missing the first two hours of Today on August 10, a family trip to Maine. 

The host addressed her absence directly once she joined the show's fourth hour, telling viewers, "I'm straight off a flight. I was in Maine with my family, and my little nephew got baptized, which was so sweet."

Bush Hager, 44, missed her usual "Jenna's Morning Boost" and "Pop Start" segments earlier in the broadcast, but made up for it once she arrived, warmly recounting the weekend spent with her twin sister, Barbara Bush, and 2-year-old nephew, Edward Finn. 

She admitted the ceremony brought her to tears while reading a poem by Mary Oliver during the service, explaining the moment carried extra emotional weight given its setting. 

"I was reading it, and it was in the church where I've gone with my grandparents my whole life, my kids were baptized there. There's something sort of evolutionary about looking up and seeing your twin sister hold this big ol' baby, and I couldn't help it."

She also spoke fondly about the extended family gathering, adding simply, "It was so fun to have all the cousins together."