march…

President Obama stands by a cut-out picture of First Lady Michelle Obama during a visit to Miami Central High School, Fla., March 4 (Pete Souza)

…greeting Miss Florida Memorial University Morisa Jagrup at Miami Central High School, March 4 (Pete Souza)

…in the Blue Room before greeting recipients of the 2010 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal, March 2 (Pete Souza)

…. greeting guests during the International Women’s Day reception, March 8 (Samantha Appleton)

….holding up four-month-old Alia Jawando as her father, William Jawando, Deputy Associate Director of Public Engagement, and her mother Michele look on in the Oval Office, March 9 (Pete Souza)

…. welcoming Make-A-Wish child Kennedy Alexander to the Oval Office, March 15 (Pete Souza)

…. greeting Halle Major during a Make-A-Wish visit in the Oval Office, March 29 (Pete Souza)

….greeting the daughter of a United States Secret Service agent before a departure picture in the Oval Office, March 1 (Samantha Appleton)

…. passing staff from the White House Military Office as he jogs along the Colonnade following an event that ran late, March 1. The military personnel and their families were lined up to take departure pictures with the President in the Oval Office. (Pete Souza)

…reading from his book, “Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters,” during a visit by Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and his family to the Oval Office, March 2. Joining them, from left, are Justice Breyer’s wife Joanna Breyer, grandson Eli Essiam Breyer and daughter Nell Breyer (Pete Souza)

President Obama, Prime Minister Julia Gillard of Australia, and members of the Australian and American delegations look up at the presidential seal in the Oval Office ceiling following their bilateral meeting, March 7 (Pete Souza)

…. talking with Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny and his wife, Fionnuala Kenny, in the Green Room before a St. Patrick’s Day reception, March 17 (Pete Souza)

…. with President Sebastián Piñera of Chile, wife Cecilia Morel, and their family for a photograph during a dinner at La Moneda Palace in Santiago, March 21 (Pete Souza)

….greeting children during the U.S. Embassy meet and greet in Santiago, Chile, March 21 (Pete Souza)

Chilean First Lady Cecilia Morel, right, talks with First Lady Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia during a cultural event at the Museo Interactivo Mirador in Santiago, Chile, March 21 (Samantha Appleton)

…. at an official dinner hosted by Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes at the National Palace in San Salvador, March 22 (Pete Souza)

Lots more photos here

guests of honor (video added)

At the official dinner in Santiago, hosted by Chilean President Sebastian Pinera and his wife Cecilia Morel, President Obama offered a toast to his Chilean hosts. He said he and his family and staff, as they flew in this morning on Air Force One, were “struck by the incredible beauty of the Andes”.

“To you, and the people of Santiago and Chile, thank you for the extraordinary hospitality that you have shown both me, Michelle and our daughters. … thank you for the friendship and strong bonds.”

“For many years, this was a symbol of how Chile lost its democracy. Today, it stands as a testament to how Chile regained and rebuilt your democracy. … At a time when others around world are reaching for own rights struggling for their own sense of dignity, Chile sends a powerful message.”

Obama referred directly to the democracy movements in the Middle East and North Africa before offering this thought: “Democracy can’t be imposed from the outside, it must spring from within from the hearts and souls of those who seek it.”

a warm chile welcome

Chilean Foreign Minister Alfredo Moreno welcomes U.S. President Barack Obama to Santiago, Chile

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, stand with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera and his wife Cecilia Morel, during the arrival ceremony at La Moneda Palace in Santiago

First ladies Michelle Obama and Cecilia Morel walk together in La Moneda government palace