It’s hard to believe that it’s been two and a half weeks. In some ways, it seems like Masha has been here forever, and in other ways, time has flown. For Masha’s final day, Mark and I both scheduled time off from work to hang out and enjoy our time together. Our first trouble came when Masha came wandering into my office with a post-it note stuck her her finger. Fun Spot. Originally scheduled as a field trip for the day camp, the afternoon at Fun Spot in Angola was cancelled when the Vice Consul announced a surprise visit during […]

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Tuesday was Masha and Dad day. The plan was for me to take Monday off while Mark worked, and then for Mark to take Tuesday off while I worked. While I got to take Masha to the dentist and eye doctor, Mark took her for a Fun Day. Mark and I both got up and got to work about 6:30, and let Masha sleep in a bit. They watched some TV and played some games, and then joined the rest of the kids for a pool party. The pool offered a great opportunity for kids from two different orphanages to […]

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Some battles are worth fighting; for others, capitulation is the right option. This morning, I vetoed potato chips and coke for breakfast. As an alternative, corn on the cob seemed to be the Breakfast of Champions. Added to Fruity Cheerios, buttered bread, string cheese, and grapes, it soared right over the top. Every day, I say to myself that I have never seen a girl so small eat so much! The crazy part of it is that she followed this up with an apple! Once the wild hunger was appeased, we watched the end of Snow White (well, Masha watched […]

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For the second time in as many weeks, the Niles family made it to church EARLY! For those of you who know us well (or who understand Pathway Time), this is a minor miracle, and proof of the hand of God! Rachel and Masha signed in for KidZone and the adults sat together again for worship time. When we got back home, Masha went up to her room, listened to music, and organized her toys until lunchtime. Mark made tomato soup and toasted cheese sandwiches; the toasted cheese was a hit, but the tomato soup was not a particular favorite. […]

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We took Saturday as our only opportunity to sleep in for the week, and we let Masha sleep until nearly 9:00! While she slept, I ran to the store to get milk and fruit and laundry soap, and Mark started to make pancakes and fried eggs. Masha was up and going by the time I got back, and we thoroughly enjoyed Mark’s culinary handiwork. Following breakfast, we drove up to Auburn to introduce Masha to my mom, step-dad, and brother Scott. We showed them all of Masha’s photos, shared some stories from the past week, and watched the video from […]

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