Kelly Ripa's home was a full nest this summer.
The Live With Kelly and Ryan host shared a sweet photo of her kids—or "chickens"—who reunited for a couple of weeks over the summer. The trio are seen with arms around each other and smiling bright for the camera. Kelly wrote on Instagram, "It sure was nice having the chickens back in the nest for a couple of weeks. Back to life…..back to reality."
Kelly shares Joaquin, 19, Lola, 21, and Michael, 25, with husband Mark Consuelos, who commented on the post, "Love those chickens."
Kelly and Mark became empty-nesters last year when they sent their youngest son off to the University of Michigan. Kelly shared a photo of her and Mark, who were straight-faced and could barely hold it together, writing on Instagram, "so far we are crushing this empty nest thing." The pair's oldest son reassuredly commented on the picture, "I had almost no doubt."
The couple's nest had been consistently getting roomier and roomier. They dropped off Lola at New York University in 2019, with Kelly marking the occasion with an Instagram post where she reflected on how fast time had gone by.
"#tbt 2001 from your Christening to college," her post read, accompanied by a photo of her and Mark holding newborn Lola. "In the blink of an eye. I'm not crying. You're crying (actually Daddy's sobbing)."
Their oldest son graduated from NYU in 2020.
Mark and Kelly have so far enjoyed their alone time together, although the first 48 hours tested their marriage of over 25 years. Kelly said last year that they dealt with "awkward resentments," such as loud breathing and who "aggressively" turned off the light switches.
Fortunately, the pair overcame the struggles and found themselves digging into a picnic on the beach (complete with nice cheese and a baguette) a few days after Joaquin left for school. Not a bad deal.