Michelle Obama had a special reason to smile this week as she celebrated her youngest daughter, Sasha‘s, 23rd birthday. Despite a difficult few weeks following the death of her beloved mother, Marian Robinson, the former first lady took to Instagram on Monday with a touching tribute.
Michelle marked the occasion by sharing a never-before-seen photo of herself and Sasha posing together on what appears to be a rooftop. In the candid snap, Michelle looks effortlessly stylish in a sheer black dress while Sasha wears a multicolored maxi dress paired with rainbow heels.
“Happy birthday, Sasha! You make me so incredibly proud,” Michelle captioned the sweet mother-daughter photo. “Hope this year brings you everything you want and more. Love you.”
Sasha’s dad, former President Barack Obama, also paid tribute with a celebratory post on his own Instagram account. Instead of a current photo, he opted for a throwback image showing a young Sasha leaning on his lap while seated on the grass.
“Happy birthday, Sasha! It’s been such a joy to watch you make your own way in the world…and you’re just getting started!” the doting dad wrote.
The youngest Obama daughter is based in Los Angeles, studying at the University of Southern California. She lives with her older sister, Malia, 25, with whom she has remained incredibly close after spending their childhood primarily in the White House.
Despite their extraordinary upbringing, the Obama sisters have managed to stay grounded thanks to their late grandmother, Marian, who helped raise them during Barack’s presidency and shielded them from the spotlight as much as possible.
Marian was the only living grandparent to the Obamas’ daughters — her husband, Fraser, died in 1991, and both of Barack’s parents died before he even ran for Senate in 2004. She was frequently pictured accompanying the family aboard Air Force One or at certain public events.
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