Malia Obama: Happy Tenth Birthday!

Senator Obama's oldest daughter makes it into double digits today, with a picnic and parade in Butte, Montana, and a private party later on.

Auntie Maya Helps Malia Obama Turn 10

Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng (second from left) is a professor and teacher in Honolulu, Hawaii

Independence Day is also Malia Obama's birthday, and this year she goes into double digits. To help celebrate, Aunt Maya Soetoro-Ng (half-sister of Senator Obama; they share the same mother but her father is Indonesian) is joining the family on the campaign trail. 

No idea if cousin Suhaila, age 3, is coming along, but one of Malia's birthday stops will be in Butte, Montana, where she'll be marching in the town parade.

Photo Source: barackobama.com

Malia Obama: It's About Time!

Senator Obama, appearing with Hilary Clinton at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington D.C yesterday, said that thanks to the hard work of many people, his daughters now take it for granted that we could have a woman and/or an African American president:

...He told of being surprised that his 9-year-old daughter Malia had been well aware of the historic nature of the Clinton-Obama duel. Her father, she knew, could be the first African American president. But she also observed that Clinton could be the first woman. "Then she said, it's about time, and rolled over and went to bed," Obama said.

Photo Source: Barack Obama via Creative Commons.

Malia and Sasha: Is Rap Good For You?

Barack Obama told Rolling Stone magazine that while rap music has helped to desegregate America, he worries about some of the lyrics:

"I am troubled sometimes by the misogyny and materialism of a lot of rap lyrics," he said, "but I think the genius of the art form has shifted the culture and helped to desegregate music."

He said hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons and rappers Jay-Z and Ludacris were "great talents and great businessmen."

"It would be nice if I could have my daughters listen to their music without me worrying that they were getting bad images of themselves," he added.

Senator Obama will appear on the cover of the magazine's July 10th issue, and already has their endorsement. Wonder what the oldest First Daughter wannabe left in the race, Sidney McCain, music mogul and general manager of V2 records, thinks of that?

Michelle Obama on Malia in the Limelight

Appearing on The View, Michelle Obama shared the savvy response of her oldest daughter (Malia, 10) to a question about life as a First Daughter wannabe.

Question: Do you get nervous in front of crowds?

Malia Obama: I realize those people aren't here to see me. I'm just a kid ... They just think I'm cute. I wave and smile and then I'm out of there.

Sasha and Malia Tune Out Dad's Sermon

I like how Sasha and Malia's Mom doesn't stress that the girls aren't paying much attention to Dad's sermon -- even though they're being photographed. But what's Malia reading?

Malia and Sasha: Dad's Not A Geek Yet!

Can't a pair of daughters and their father enjoy a bike ride beside Lake Michigan without him getting a nasty fashion critique about looking geeky? Apparently not when he's got a 50-50 chance of becoming the next President. Good thing Malia and Sasha haven't reached the stage when everything your father does, is, and wears reeks of geek. Malia turns ten on July 4th, so that whole take on Dad is probably coming soon.

Photo courtesy of barackobamadotcom via Creative Commons

Malia Obama Grows Past Daddy's Shoulder

Think about one quarter of your life. Now imagine your father's been campaigning for that long. Check out how much Malia Obama, age nine, has grown since her Dad started his candidacy for President (the first photo was taken February 2007; the second in May 2008):

Photo Source: Acaben via Creative Commons

Photo Source: Black Celebrity Kids

Sasha Obama: Daddy's Gonna Win!

Malia and Sasha weren't in school yesterday. They joined their parents on the trail in Des Moines, Iowa instead, probably because it's looking like their father's going to clinch the Democratic nomination soon, and they want to be there when he does. Sasha can tell you that he's a serious, focused competitor -- and fun, too:

Photo Source: Munoz Family via Creative Commons

Play Dates For Malia and Emma Claire?

With Emma Claire Edwards' father endorsing Malia Obama's dad, Sparrow can't help imagining two ten-year-olds (they're both nine now) giggling and eating popcorn as they watch Shrek 5 in the red plush White House movie theater. Now that's a play date. If Senator Obama picks John Edwards as his running mate, Malia and Emma Claire could also have sleepovers at Number One Observatory Circle.

Sasha Obama: "Vote For Daddy!"

Sasha and Malia Campaign in Indiana

Since it's right near their home state, the (real) Obama girls joined their parents on the campaign trail for the first time since Iowa. TIME reports that they enjoyed two picnics and a roller-skating party, and watched their Daddy play a game of pickup basketball.

Malia and Sasha: Dad's Job is BO-O-O-R-ING!

Barack and Michelle Obama chatted with Rachel Ray about date nights, helping Sasha and Malia eat right, and the girls' take on their Dad's exhausting campaign:

Malia Obama: My Pain, America's Gain?

The media's talking about Malia Obama's asthma as proof that her Dad's committed to getting rid of air pollution. That's tough for a nine-year-old kid. Thanks to your political parent, even your personal struggles and sicknesses can't just be about you -- they've got consequences for the entire planet.

Sasha and Malia: Let's Go To Grandma's House!

Scott Helman of the Boston Globe describes how  Marion Robinson, Michelle Obama's mother, is taking care of the Obama girls (the real ones, his daughters) while their parents are on the campaign trail.

Grandma's good at following her daughter's strict rules while at the Obama house (organic food, one hour of television per day, 8:30 bedtime), but when they come visit her turf, everything relaxes:

"I have candy, they stay up late - come to my house, they watch TV as long as they want to, we'll play games until the wee hours," Robinson said. "I do everything that grandmothers do that they're not supposed to."

Sasha and Malia's Grandmothers

NBC news is covering the candidates' "Family Ties," and recently zoned in on Barack Obama's relationship with his mother, Ann Dunham, who died of ovarian cancer ten years ago. That means the girls never even met their grandmother on their Dad's side. Meanwhile, they're spending a lot of time with their other grandmother, Marion Robinson, who quit her job at a bank to help take care of Malia and Sasha during the campaign.

Sand Castles For Sasha and Malia

We thought Senator Obama's girls were getting some quality time with Daddy at home in Chicago. Instead, they spent Easter on a Caribbean beach:

The Illinois senator took a short break from the campaign to spend a few days with his family at a resort on St. Thomas. "...We did a little Easter service here, because we couldn't go to church, and the kids read some Scripture and we had Easter dinner, and I've been mostly playing with them in the pool," he said.

Senator Obama's Grandmother

Barack Obama with his mom's parentsPhoto courtesy of the Munoz Family via Creative Commons
In his recent speech, Senator Obama talked about his grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, pictured above:

[She is] a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe.

I sure hope he asked her permission to confess her sins, because she's still alive and well in Hawaii. And how did Malia feel hearing her Dad describe her great-grandmother's fear of black men? Tough stuff to handle when you're nine -- not that it doesn't need to be said, and heard, and explained, because kids sometimes handle truth-telling better than grownups.

Daddy Makes Lunch For Malia and Sasha

Even though Senator Obama can cook Indian and Asian fusion, his daughters like cheese:

Who Let The Dogs Out?

Here's a message from a strange blonde dog to Sasha and Malia Obama:



We've got too much leisure time in America, people.