How lovely.  First Lady Michelle Obama just revealed her brand new official portrait in the White House Garden, which she aptly created and calls the Kitchen Garden.  Check out her new pic with First Dog Bo, plus what she's revealing about her brand new book about her signature project of a garden....

Mrs. Obama and Portuguese Waterdog Bo sat for the first official portrait in the White House Garden recently.  All in preparation of the First Lady's new book about the very garden her family eats from.

First Lady Michelle is well known to pick fruits and vegetables from the garden with school kids and chefs as she continues her mission of health and fitness across the country. 

She created the garden as part of a change of eating habits and health for the First Family, and the White House chefs use ingredients from the garden everyday.  In her upcoming book releasing April 2012, she speaks on the joy and productivity her new creation has brought people's lives.

According to the publicity blurb from Crown Publishing Group, First Daughters Sasha & Malia "were the catalysts for change for their family's eating behavior which inspired her national initiative to address childhood obesity and resulted in the idea to plant a vegetable garden on the South Lawn."

On why she chose Bo to pose in the official portrait with her:

“It is me and Bo and we’re in the garden. And one of the reasons we did this picture is because we get so many letters from kids, mostly, who want to hear about the garden, they want to see it, and they also want to see Bo. Bo is really the most popular…We’ve heard so many great stories from kids who’ve been inspired and doing things like changing the way their families do things. And those letters are always just a joy to get. So we want to have something a little more tangible than just a letter to give to kids, because often it’s the visual thing that makes it real.”

She told the NY Times about the First Family's involvement in their Kitchen Garden:

"Virtually the entire Obama family, including the president, will pull weeds, “whether they like it or not,” Mrs. Obama said with a laugh. “Now Grandma, my mom, I don’t know.” Her mother, she said, will probably sit back and say: “Isn’t that lovely. You missed a spot.”

By the way, Bo just turned 3 a couple of weeks ago.  Cute!