17 Ways Our Beloved Barack Obama Continued Livin' It Up in 2018

"We envision a destination — a dynamic place for Chicagoans and visitors alike to gather, exchange ideas, learn, and also have some fun," Barack wrote on Instagram. "Today, we're taking a big step towards the start of construction."

Seriously, how cute are they?

In January, he joined David Letterman on his Netflix show My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, where Barack not only shared a special tip for all the dancing dads out there, but David also shared his own story about Malia Obama's playful dis.

While his tribute for Michelle was sweet, her Spotify playlist for him was even cuter.

After touching down in Johannesburg in July, Barack delivered the Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture on the 100th anniversary of his birth. It marked Barack's first major speech since leaving public office.

His love notes are always the best!

Joe Biden officially returned to Instagram in September, and Barack, of course, welcomed him with open arms — and a selfie.

Barack surprised Michelle with flowers during her Becoming book tour and melted hearts all over the world.

In December, Barack was the guest of honor at the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Awards in NYC. "I'm very humbled by this honor. I'm not sure if you've heard, but I've been on this hope kick for a while now," Barack said. "I gave a big speech on hope. I ran a couple of campaigns. Hope. It's my kind of thing. . . . So I'd like to thank all of you for officially validating my hope credentials."

In December, Barack made a surprise visit to the Children's National Hospital in Washington DC and "put smiles on everyone's faces." Aw!

Yep, we can all probably agree that Barack had a better year than most of us.