Obama Family Album: Barack, Michelle, Malia and Sasha Through the Years

Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Obama Family Album: Barack, Michelle, Malia and Sasha Through the Years

First family! Barack Obama not only brought big plans with him to The White House when he became the 44th president of the United States but also wife Michelle Obama and their two young daughters, Malia and Sasha. The girls grew up in front of the country’s eyes while the politician served from 2009 to 2017. Barack and Michelle met in June 1989 while working at a Chicago law firm together. They began dating later that summer and got engaged in 1991. They tied the knot in October 1992. The couple welcomed daughters Malia, in July 1998, and Natasha “Sasha,” in June 2001. The former first lady revealed in 2018 that she suffered a miscarriage while trying to conceive and eventually turned to in vitro fertilization. “We were trying to get pregnant and it wasn’t going well,” Michelle wrote in her memoir, Becoming. “We had one pregnancy test come back positive, which caused us both to forget every worry and swoon with joy, but a couple of weeks later I had a miscarriage, which left me physically uncomfortable and cratered any optimism we felt.” The attorney told Good Morning America in November 2018 that she realized in her mid-30s “the biological clock is real” and “egg production is limited,” so the pair “had to do IVF.” After graduating from high school, Malia began attending Harvard University in August 2017, while Sasha started at the University of Michigan in the fall of 2019. [jwplayer WlCSjoX0-zhNYySv2] Barack and Michelle received unexpected quality time with their daughters in 2020 when the quarantine caused by the coronavirus pandemic forced them to return home. However, she joked that September that being stuck in the house together for months took its toll. “At first, our kids got a little sick of us, which was fine because we were pretty much sick of them,” Michelle quipped on Conan. “The summer started happening, and then we could be outside a little bit more. We came to the vineyard, where we still are, and so there’s more room to roam around. That was good because it helped us break it up.” Barack, for his part, has been open about the challenges of parenting as the nation’s former leader, including when he broke down after helping Malia move to college. “I held it together in front of Malia and then we drove away,” he recalled on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction in January 2018. “Secret Service is in the front, and they’re just looking ahead. They’re pretending they can’t see me in the back sniffling. But the ritual of it was powerful.” Scroll through the gallery below to see photos of the Obamas through the years. [podcast_block]

Credit: Courtesy of Barack Obama

Growing Up Obama

Barack and Michelle posed with Malia, then 2, in 2000. “Michelle really wanted to be a mom,” longtime pal Valerie Jarrett previously told Us Weekly. “She talked about kids when I first met her [in the early ‘90s].”

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Get the Party Started

Barack enlisted Michelle and daughters Sasha, then 3, and Malia, then 5, to help blow out his candles on his 43rd birthday cake at a fundraiser for his Senate race in August 2004.

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Election Night

Barack and Michelle cuddled their daughters as they waited for the results of his Senate race in November 2004. “Sasha has a mischievous glint and Malia is more serious,” family pal Susan Sher told Us.

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Better Together

Malia and Sasha were by their parents’ sides every step of the way, celebrating Barack's victory in the U.S. Senate race in November 2004.

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Oath of Office

Michelle, Malia and Sasha joined Barack for his swearing-in ceremony on Capitol Hill with Vice President Dick Cheney in January 2005.

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The Race Begins

The Obama family bundled up for the official launch of Barack’s presidential campaign in Springfield, Illinois, in February 2007. “He’s an incredible husband and father,” Michelle told Us. “Not sure if the world knows yet, but they should!”

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Playing It Up

The Obamas hit the games at the Iowa State Fair while campaigning in August 2007. “They make sure to have real family time,” Hill Harper, a Barack classmate, told Us.

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Family Meal

The Obamas enjoyed snacks at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines in August 2007. 

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Victory Night

Barack and Michelle took daughters Malia and Sasha onstage to celebrate his win in the Iowa Caucus in January 2008.

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Endless Primary

The Obamas exited their campaign plane in South Bend, Indiana, in May 2008, ahead of the state’s hotly contested Democratic primary.

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Staying Close

Barack held Malia, then 9, and Sasha, then 7, at an event in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in May 2008. “When I call them, they say, ‘Daddy, what did you do today?’ I say, ‘Well, I spoke to 35,000 people,’” he said in April of that year. “[They respond] like, ‘Boring!’”

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Sheer Bliss

The Obamas indulged at an ice cream parlor in Milwaukee, Oregon, in May 2008. “Our kids thrive on stability and routine and consistency,” Michelle has said.

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Kiss From Dad

Barack pecked Malia at a campaign rally in Des Moines, Iowa, in May 2008. “They’re very sensible,” Barack told Us. “They’re pretty down on Britney [Spears] and Paris [Hilton] and all of that. They think that’s very ‘yuck.’”

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Attentive Audience

Sasha, Malia and Michelle listened as Barack gave a speech on Father’s Day at Chicago’s Apostolic Church of God in June 2008.

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Patriotic Bunch

In the lead-up to the 2008 presidential election, the future first family attended a 4th of July event.

Credit: AP Photo/Marco Garcia

Off the Trail

Barack walked the beach barefoot with Malia and Sasha during a family vacation in Kailua, Hawaii, in August 2008.

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Convention Time

Sasha and Malia joined Michelle after her speech at the Democratic National Convention in August 2008. “One of my greatest joys is seeing [my mother’s] integrity, her compassion and her intelligence reflected in my own daughters,” she told the crowd.

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Non-Awkward Family Photo

The Obamas posed for a family portrait in the White House in September 2009.

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Storytime

Barack read Green Eggs and Ham at the White House Easter Egg Roll in April 2010, as his wife and daughters cheered him on.

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Tourists

The 44th president and the first lady took Sasha on a tour of St. Andrews Bay in Panama City Beach, Florida, in August 2010.

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Squad Goals

The brood excitedly embraced after Barack accepted the Democratic presidential nomination in September 2012.

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Stuck Like Glue

The Obama girls held hands with their parents as they walked to church in Washington, D.C., in October 2013.

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Teamed Up

The family of four kicked back at a basketball game in College Park, Maryland, in November 2013.

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Happy Holidays

The Obamas beamed while celebrating Christmas in December 2014.

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Pups Too

The first family posed for a photo with their dogs, Bo and Sunny, as they honored the Easter holiday at the White House in April 2015.

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Impressed

Michelle’s mom, Marian Robinson, joined the Obamas at the national Christmas tree lighting ceremony in December 2015.

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Traditions

Sasha and her political parents rang in the Christmas season at the tree lighting event again in December 2016.

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Adventurers

Barack, Michelle, Malia and Sasha soaked in everything Bali had to offer in June 2017 by rafting together during their family vacation.

Credit: Courtesy Michelle Obama/Instagram

Always Thankful

“From our family to yours, #HappyThanksgiving!” Michelle captioned an Instagram photo of the foursome in November 2019.

Credit: Courtesy Barack Obama/Instagram

His Loves

Barack paid tribute to his wife and daughters in February 2021. “Happy Valentine’s Day to the three who never fail to make me smile,” he wrote via Instagram. “Your dazzling light makes everything brighter.”

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A Solemn Goodbye

In May 2021, the Obamas lost Bo, the first dog they adopted during their time in the White House. "Today our family lost a true friend and loyal companion," the former president wrote via Instagram. "For more than a decade, Bo was a constant, gentle presence in our lives — happy to see us on our good days, our bad days, and everyday in between. He tolerated all the fuss that came with being in the White House, had a big bark but no bite, loved to jump in the pool in the summer, was unflappable with children, lived for scraps around the dinner table, and had great hair. He was exactly what we needed and more than we ever expected. We will miss him dearly."

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Magnificent Mom

The "Renegades: Born in the USA" cohost honored his wife with a loving Instagram post for Mother's Day 2021. "On this Mother’s Day, I want to thank Michelle for being such an incredible mom to our girls," he wrote. "And I hope you’ll take a moment to thank the women in your life who love you in that special way that mothers do: biological moms, adoptive moms, and foster moms; single moms, grandmoms and godmothers; aunts and mentors — all the people who come to mind when you think about Mother’s Day."

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Birthday Throwback

Both Barack and Michelle honored their youngest daughter with Instagram tributes for her 20th birthday in June 2021. "Happy birthday to my darling Sasha!" the Becoming author captioned a throwback photo of herself holding her daughter. "I am so grateful for every laugh we’ve shared — and everything you’ve taught me over the years. You’ll always be my little girl, but I couldn’t be prouder of the woman you are becoming."

Barack added: "Happy birthday, Sasha! You’ve grown so much, and it’s been a joy to watch you become the person we always hoped you’d be. Your mom and I can’t wait to see where life takes you next."

Credit: Susan Walsh/AP/Shutterstock

Father's Day Love

Michelle commemorated Father's Day 2021 with a photo of her husband in the Oval Office with their two daughters. "Our daughters couldn’t have asked for a better role model," she wrote. "We’re so lucky to have you in our lives."

Credit: Alex Brandon/AP/Shutterstock

Proud Parents

Mom and Dad went the throwback route again for Malia's 23rd birthday in July 2021, sharing vintage photos of their eldest daughter via Instagram. "It’s been such a joy to watch you begin to make your own way in the world with poise, grace, and humor," Barack wrote. "I miss the days when you thought the fireworks were for you." (Malia's birthday is on the 4th of July.)

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A Poignant Tribute

On his 61st birthday in August 2022, Barack announced that the Water Garden at the Obama Presidential Center would be named in honor of his mother, Ann Dunham, who died in 1995. "My mother, Ann Dunham, was the biggest influence on my life. She had a core belief in our common humanity, and she made sure I recognized the inherent dignity in every person," the former politician wrote via Instagram. "The Ann Dunham Water Garden will be a special place for visitors and members of the community to come together and reflect. It will also feature an incredible new sculpture by Maya Lin, whose work I’ve long admired."