Katherine Schwarzenegger shares emotional tribute to mom Maria Shriver for milestone birthday

Katherine Schwarzenegger took to Instagram on Thursday to share a touching tribute to her beloved mother, Maria Shriver, who celebrated her 70th birthday. Katherine is Maria’s eldest daughter with her ex-husband Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the pair share an incredibly close bond. The former journalist also welcomed kids Christina, 33, Patrick, 32, and Christopher, 28, with The Terminator star. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE QUEEN! We love you so much…you’re simply the greatest and best human ever!” Katherine began in her tribute post.

“I am in awe of all that you do, and you inspire me every day. What a life you lead, and it’s all with your heart. Greatest mother and Mama G ever! I love you, I admire you, and YOU ARE the greatest thing since sliced bread (or crackers)! Cheers to you today and every day!” The 35-year-old accompanied her sweet words with several snaps of the pair over the years, from Katherine’s childhood all the way to the present day. 

She also shared adorable photos of Maria spending time with her grandkids, Lyla, five, Eloise, three, and baby Ford, who turns one on November 8. The matriarch took to the comment section in response, writing: “Thank you for this love, all these photos, feeling so blessed today. Best message to wake up to, it’s an honor to be your mama, I love you to pieces.” 

Maria received several other birthday messages from her friends and family, including a comment from actress Melanie Griffith, which read: “Happy Birthday Maria!! Love you so much!!!” and a post from her eldest son, Patrick, who wrote: “Happy birthday Ma.” 

Learn more about Maria’s brood of children below…

Katherine’s husband, Marvel star Chris Pratt, shared a photo of himself and Maria with the caption: “Happy birthday @mariashriver! You’re such a force of love, light and good in this world. Grateful for you today and every day. Love you, Maria!” 

Chris previously opened up about the family’s close bond on the Today show, sharing that Maria is an incredible grandmother to their children. “First of all, she’s like a living saint. I really do believe that,” he declared. “She’s fantastic. She’s so engaged and thoughtful and caring, and her house is like…a welcoming kind of retreat. You just kind of relax when you go there. It’s really nice.”

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He continued: “She’s super doting. We call her ‘Mama G.’ And Lyla just lights up so much when we talk about going to ‘Mama G’s’ house. It probably doesn’t hurt that there are giant bowls of candy everywhere.” Katherine explained to Parents that much of her parenting style is inspired by her mother, who was always there for her children.

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“The great gift that my mom gave to us kids from the beginning was always an open line of communication that was judgment-free and criticism-free,” she shared. “That allowed us to be able to talk to our mom about anything and everything…That was a huge gift that, as a mother, I really hope to be able to give to my kids.”