20 | January | 2010 | The Obama Diary

Jan. 20, 2009 “President-elect Barack Obama was about to walk out to take the oath of office. Backstage at the U.S. Capitol, he took one last look at his appearance in the mirror.”

Jan. 20, 2009 “We were on a freight elevator headed to one of the Inaugural Balls. It was quite chilly, so the President removed his tuxedo jacket and put it over the shoulders of his wife. Then they had a semi-private moment as staff members and a Secret Service agent tried not to look.”

Feb. 1, 2009 “During a Super Bowl watching party in the White House theatre, the President and First Lady join their guests in watching one of the TV commercials in 3D.”

Feb. 22, 2009 “This was the first formal function at the White House in the administration: the Governors Ball. The President dances with his wife while singing along with the band Earth, Wind and Fire.”

March 2, 2009 “Washington had its first big snowstorm and I knew the girls were home from school. I suspected the girls might try to sled or make a snowman, so I asked the Usher’s Office to call me if the girls headed outside. I got there just in time to catch the First Lady helping the girls sled down a hill on the South Lawn. This picture now hangs on the wall of the President’s study.”

March 5, 2009 “The President was walking back to the Oval Office when he encountered his daughters, Malia and Sasha, after they had returned home from school.”

March 9, 2009 “To appreciate this photograph, one must know the iconic photograph by Stanley Tretick of John Kennedy Jr. crawling out from the trap door of this same desk while his father, President Kennedy, worked at the desk. Caroline Kennedy had stopped by to see President Obama, and when she mentioned that he was using the same desk as her father, the President immediately remembered the Tretick picture and tried to open the trap door. It was locked and no one had a key.”

March 15, 2009 “The Obama family was introduced to a prospective family dog at a secret greet on a Sunday. After spending about an hour with him, the family decided he was the one. Here, the dog ran alongside the President in an East Wing hallway. The dog returned to his trainer while the Obama’s embarked on their first international trip. I had to keep these photos secret until a few weeks later, when the dog was brought ‘home’ to the White House and introduced to the world as Bo.”

April 7, 2009 “President Obama fist-bumps a U.S. soldier at Camp Victory in Baghdad. The President was treated to an overwhelming reception by the troops.”

April 21, 2009 “President Obama escorts Sen. Edward Kennedy to the motorcade from the Oval Office en route to a national service event at the Seed School, where the President also signed the Kennedy Service Act.”

May 8, 2009 “A temporary White House staffer, Carlton Philadelphia, brought his family to the Oval Office for a farewell photo with President Obama. Carlton’s son softly told the President he had just gotten a haircut like President Obama, and asked if he could feel the President’s head to see if it felt the same as his.”

May 19, 2009 “The President was leaving the State Floor after an event and found Sasha in the elevator ready to head upstairs to the private residence. He decided to ride upstairs with her before returning to the Oval Office.”

June 3, 2009 “This was at a fishing pond nearby Camp David. The President was relaxing while he watched his girls fish and ride canoes.”

July 4, 2009 “President and Mrs. Obama were watching the Fourth of July fireworks from the roof of the White House. What a great vantage point to not only see the fireworks, but early watch the Foo Fighters who were performing on the South Lawn.”

July 7, 2009 “Family dinner is usually private time. But I heard they were having dinner atop their hotel in Moscow, which overlooked the Kremlin. When they first sat down, Sasha was just having some fun with her dad.”

July 11, 2009 “When I tell people this is the departure ceremony from Ghana, they ask ‘why is he walking away from the plane.’ His motorcade had just brought him to the airport, and the First Family was walking to the stage where he was to give his farewell remarks.”

Aug. 14, 2009 “Fly fishing in Montana, the President and his guide react after both thought he had hooked a fish; unfortunately, he hadn’t. Later the President joked that it was ‘catch and release.’”

Aug. 25, 2009 “On vacation in Martha’s Vineyard, the President shared a moment with his young niece, Sevita.”

Oct. 8, 2009 “The President jockeys for a rebound with Congressmen during a basketball game at the White House. I think opponents are always surprised at how tough and competitive he can be.”

Oct. 13, 2009 “Much to Sasha’s chagrin, the President starts dancing to the music at the Fiesta Latina event on the South Lawn of the White House.”

Oct. 30, 2009. “The President plays peek-a-boo with the daughter of White House staffer Emmitt Beliveau in the Outer Oval Office.”

Nov. 5, 2009: “The shootings at Fort Hood had happening a few hours earlier. As meetings continued into the night, I walked outside the Oval Office to photograph looking back in as the President talked with one of his national security aides.”

Dec. 3, 2009: “President Obama heads along the White House colonnade to the residence after leaving the Oval Office for the day.”

Dec. 19, 2009 “We returned from Copenhagen to a huge snowstorm in Washington. At one point, it didn’t even look like we could land at Andrews Air Force Base. Later that day, a Saturday, the President surveyed the snowfall from the Oval Office.”

Dec. 19, 2009 “Snowball in hand, the President chases Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel on the White House Colonnade. To escape, Rahm ran through the Rose Garden, which unfortunately for him, was knee-deep in snow.”

Dec. 19, 2009 “The First Lady, Malia and Sasha were outside in the midst of the snowstorm playing with the family dog, Bo.”

Dec. 24, 2009 “It was Christmas Eve. The Senate had voted early this morning to pass health care reform. The President was about to leave for Hawaii on vacation. Everyone was in a good mood as the Vice President talked to the President and Rob Nabors, the deputy director of OMB.”

Dec. 29, 2009 “I thought this was an interesting juxtaposition between his role as a father, and his role as Commander in Chief. On vacation in Hawaii, here he is hugging his daughter Malia while NSC chief of staff Denis McDonough waits to connect him on the latest conference call following the attempted Christmas Day terrorist attack.”

Photographs and captions by White House photographer Pete Souza. See more here