So as many of you know, my parents were supposed to come visit us here in Mali but then that all had to change and we ended up meeting them in Senegal. Turned out to be probably the greatest trip that I've ever been on- quality family bonding time, beautiful beaches, delicious meals, and just all around happiness!

For my daughter, it was a trip of firsts:
- first plane ride: it was pretty exciting at the Bamako airport and because of the French military presence, we got to see tons of military planes and even got to see 2 mirage fighter jets taking off. The plane ride was really cool and she (and my husband) were super excited. He hadn't been on a plane in 10 years.
-first time seeing the ocean: she was entranced by the ocean! Running away from the waves at first, later we had to keep her from throwing herself in
-first time staying in hotels, trying new cuisines (Thai, Moroccan, etc), bowling
-first time meeting her grandparents in real life

We spent the week in Senegal- half of it in the capital city, Dakar and the other half in a small beach town. We spent most of our days at the beach or in the pool. It was really nice to get out of the hot, polluted, dusty city where we live and enjoy some relaxation time with a nice ocean breeze.

But the best part of the trip, by far, was watching my parents being grandparents. My SO and I talked about how incredibly accepting they are and how they let this little girl in their hearts as their own grandchild. I am really blessed to have such amazing parents, a happy, loving daughter, and a supportive husband.

Enough words-- here are some pics!