Let’s Start At The Very Beginning….

…A very good place to start. So many of you have asked how we got into this, and I think you all deserve an answer!

The Discovery

Last spring (March or April, 2006), we stumbled across a brief column in the local newspaper about a “culture camp” for orphans from Ukraine that would be coming to Fort Wayne in the summer. It explained a program that enabled children ages 6-12 to visit the United States for about three weeks, learn more about the US, and get the experience of living with a family. While the hope is to find “forever families” for the children in the program, families could “host” a child without any plans to adopt.

When we first read the article, we thought of some friends who had been considering adopting from Ukraine. We set the article aside. As the days turned into weeks, it remained on the top of the pile of coffee table books. One day, Mark turned to me (or I turned to him…who knows?) and said, “Gee, maybe we should host one of these kids.” I (or he, who knows?) answered “Sure, might be fun.”

The Application

Mark promptly contacted the program coordinator to get details and see what was involved. We learned that while host families pay for travel costs and program fees for most hosting or exchange programs, this program was “risk-free” -- if you were not adopting the child, there were no hosting fees. We would need to complete an application, submit to a police check, and take an online course designed for families hosting or adopting an international child from an institutional setting such as an orphanage. The costs for the police check and the online course were minimal, so we thought, “still sounds fun!”

We sat down one evening to complete the application; that’s when the life changes began. One of the first questions was “Are you open to adoption?” Adhering to the “never say never” policy, we answered “yes.” Then came “why are you interested in adoption?” and so on. Each question innocently led to the next, making us think a little more with each one.

When we finished the application, we were still planning to simply host, but our hearts had been opened to the option of adoption…..

Choosing a Child

Once we were approved as host families, the fun began. The application required us to prioritize the age range and gender preferences, as well as to indicate how many siblings we would be willing to host. We had indicated that we’d prefer a single, older girl, but that we would be open to just about any child in need (that pesky “never say never” thing again).

Within a few days, we received an email with photos of two brothers, 8 and 9. They were incredibly cute; the both sort of looked like they had popped right out of a 1950s TV show. But the more I started thinking of the impact of TWO boys on this household, the more I started freaking out.

I called the program coordinator, Lydia, and asked if perhaps they might have any girls in the program…she immediately started sending photos with names and birthdays. We narrowed it down to three girls of various ages, and Lydia shared with me that she had met the oldest girl, Mariya, when she visited this orphanage last spring. When Mark got home that evening, we looked at the photos, debated a lot, and finally concluded that Mariya was the right choice.

When I commented to Lydia how pretty Mariya looked in her photo, she replied that this was a “bad” picture, and that the girl was even prettier in person. I found that hard to believe, but I would have to just wait and see.

Preparation and Education

We began to learn a lot about the orphanage system in Ukraine, and about the conditions these kids live in. Because their resources are so limited, everything they have is shared. Children don’t have clothes or shoes of their own, and we could only expect them to come to the US with one or two outfits. We were told that we would need to buy clothes and shoes for our host child, and that everything we sent back would be a gift and a blessing to all the children at the orphanage.

We also went through a web-based training program that outlined the structured environment that these children live in, and some of the challenges that they might encounter here. We learned that, once away from the rigid environment of the orphanage, many children test their boundaries and act out. We also heard that many of them become overwhelmed by the decisions that they are not used to, and that some of them become overstimulated by the things we are used to…like the grocery store, piles of toys, or lots of new people in a short time. We learned about attachment disorder, and the effects of trauma and loss that many of these children have suffered.

To prepare for her stay, we made a calendar on posterboard for the time she would be here, and we made post-it notes with some of the activities that were planned for her visit. The idea was to give her some way to know what was coming up, and to feel a little more “in control” and to adjust more easily…I can only imagine how scary it is to be thrown into a new environment, with strangers, and have no idea what anyone is saying or what will happen next!

The more we prepared, the more we started thinking about the potential of adoption, and of the possibility that this little girl would be more than a visitor in our home for three weeks. We were still really unsure, and while we were becoming more and more open to the idea, we still thought our main role would be to help find this child a home with another family.

The most important thing in preparation, though, was spending time with a couple who had adopted from Ukraine twice. We met their four kids and found out They were able to share many experiences and insights into the orphanage system, and to help us know what to expect while Mariya was here. Most importantly, they prayed with us that it would be clear to us what we were meant to be for this little girl. The rest is history!!

For more information on Adoption Adventures, please visit their website here. Programs are currently being planned for January and March 2007 in four cities!

It’s time for a long overdue update!!

As I type, we are driving back home from Indianapolis, where we were officially added to “The Grid.” Today, we were fingerprinted by the Department of Homeland Security, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. In the next two to three weeks, the FBI will conduct a final background check on us, and then CIS will determine if they will approve us to bring Masha back into the country as a legal citizen.

We hope to have the approval from CIS back around the end of this month; this is the last thing we need before we finalize our mountain of paperwork and send it all to be translated. If all goes according to plan, our docs will be translated and ready to submit to Ukraine on 1 January.

Earlier this year, Ukraine restructured their governmental agency that administered adoptions in an effort to reduce corruption and to better provide and protect Ukranian children. They stopped accepting applications for adoption as they restructured and worked through the backlog of applications already in their offices. 1 January is the “re-opening” date, when they begin accepting new applications.

Many families have completed their paperwork over the summer and fall, and are waiting anxiously for Ukraine to open back up. As a result, many applications will probably be filed in a short period of time. We are hoping that the government will see that they can more quickly process the applications of families that have participated in hosting programs….but you never know. We simply have to be patient and wait for the Ukranian government to issue us an invitation.

It could be as quickly as a couple of months, or as long as six. We just have to believe that God will work in our situation, and that we will receive our invitation according to His timing. We’ve heard from other families that this wait is the hardest part.

We are very fortunate that Masha’s orphanage has access to email, and we are been able to send packages, letters, and emails to her. Earlier this week, Mark fired up his laptop and found an email back from Masha!!!! It was short, but she told us she missed us, and that she thanks God for bringing us into her life. It was just what we needed to lift our spirits!

The Paper Chase

If everyone who gave birth to a child was required to complete the paperwork that is needed to adopt, there would be a LOT fewer children in this world.

As several of you have noted (some of you quite loudly), the blog has been a bit inactive the past couple of weeks. In my defense, I have been focusing on compiling the background documentation required for the social worker and pulling together our application to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS, formerly INS, a division of Department of Homeland Security--you gotta love bureaucracy!). But I am getting ahead of myself.......

Rewind almost three weeks......on 24 August, we put Masha on a plane back to Ukraine. The kids made it back safely, and are settling back into their normal routine. After several days of wandering aimlessly about the house in tears, I launched into "action mode." Falling back on my training, I spent the weekend following Masha's departure gathering information about our next steps and building a project plan for everything that needs to happen between now and her return. Yes, there is a "Bring Masha Home" project plan. Resources, timelines, dependencies. The things that make the world go 'round!

Once I had the basics in place, we began reaching out to the various partners that would help us through each stage of our journey. Our first and most critical decision: the Homestudy.

For those of you unfamiliar with adoption process, just as we were mere weeks ago, the homestudy is the first major step. Every adoption, both domestic or international, requires a detailed evaluation by a licensed social worker. The homestudy evaluates the home environment to determine if we are fit to be parents, to determine if we can afford to provide for the needs of the child, and to ensure that we are not convicted abusers or pedophiles. Apparently, this is done by killing thousands of trees for paper.

In all seriousness, it is very important to prepare adoptive parents for the process and the specific challenges that await them, and also to ensure that the home will be safe and supportive for the child. The social workers that perform these studies are performing a challenging task in the best of circumstances, balancing the regulatory requirements of the state against the needs and demands of families and children and the realities of keeping a small business afloat. Hats off to these kind-hearted people!

We had a couple of choices of homestudy providers, and we ended up selecting the agency recommended by the hosting program. This agency has worked with the program organizers in the past, is familiar with the specific requirements for Ukrainian adoptions, and was both fast and inexpensive. They emailed us a packet of documents to complete, and after about 15 person-hours of answering questions, writing and rewriting our life histories, and submitting fingerprints for background checks with the Indiana State Police, we were able to schedule a visit with our social worker.

Vicki came to visit us this past Monday to meet with us and tour our home. She confirmed a lot of the information provided in our background documents and chatted with us further about the hosting experience, our preparation for adoption, and how our lives will be changing. She was wonderful and kind, and, as an adoptive parent herself, was really able to relate to where we were in our journey. Based on the information she gathered through our questionnaires, references, and interviews, Vicki is drafting our homestudy report, and we hope to have it finalized by the end of next week. On a side note, we made poor Vicki look through our *entire* photo album from Masha's visit, and she did it cheerfully. After 199 photos, it's clear she belongs here!!

The next step after the homestudy is the USCIS application. In order to bring an orphan to the United States as an adopted family member, a formal petition to the US Government is required. This actually is less formidable than the six pages of instructions made it seem; some basic information and photocopies of birth and marriage certificates were enough to get us started. They also require a copy of the homestudy report, which will then trigger an appointment to go get fingerprinted (again!!!), this time for a Homeland Security check.

That's the point where we currently are in the process. We hope to have the draft of our homestudy next week (by the way, this is incredibly fast for a homestudy...hats off to Vicki Allen) and I mailed all of our USCIS paperwork out today. We hope to get an appointment soon for the CIS fingerprinting, and then just pray that their approvals move through quickly.

Following CIS approval, the homestudy and CIS documentation (as well as some additional documentation that we have yet to understand) is compiled into a package known as a dossier for the Ukranian government agency responsible for the protection and adoption of children. Those of you who know me well can probably imagine how crazy I am with not knowing the specific line items for this phase of my project plan, but I'm trying to deal with it one day at a time. I understand that the goal of every step in this process is ultimately to protect children, and that the inconvenience to me is incidental.

Because we are leaving God a little leg-room to roam freely through the process, we are indicating "up to three" children on all of our paperwork. It is important for us to be approved for the maximum number of children that we might want to bring home in one "adoption adventure." We have heard from almost everyone we've talked to that as soon as they get home with one child, they are ready to go back for a second or third, or more. In order to prepare for the possibility of falling in love with a second child, who might also have a sibling, and with whom Masha might also fall in love, we need to prepare.

As an extreme example, the director of the hosting program went to Russia looking for one child, and came home with five. The child that he and his wife met and fell in love with happened to have four younger siblings. They knew the day would come when their daughter would ask what happened to her younger brothers and sisters and why they didn't adopt them too. When they realized they couldn't come up with a good answer, they decided to bring them all home. While we don't expect to find five more children in Ukraine, we realize that our plans are not the final ones in this process, and we want to leave the doors open for God to move.

So....that's where we are. Once we get the paperwork under control, we will begin the daunting tasks of preparing for Masha's arrival, researching school/education options, learning some Russian, etc. We have several things we'd like to take care of around the house. We need to look into upgraded life insurance. We need to evaluate fundraising and creative financing options to cover the cost of hosting, adopting, and travelling to bring her home. We need to figure out which insurance plan she will go one, and how we need to add her. We need to work out the details of leave time for the trip and for settling in time once we all get home.

Lots of things to consider. Much to do. Maybe the wait isn't ALL bad........ :-)

Day 19 - Thursday, 24 August, 2006

Well, it's taken me close to a week to bring myself to write the entry for Thursday, the day we said Farewell to Masha. The day began early. Running on about 6 hours of sleep, we awoke to darkness for the first time since Masha arrived. She made some final preparations, checked her room for any final things she wanted to cram into her suitcase. The mood in the house was solemn, knowing that good-bye was near, and not wanting that to come. Masha ate her last American breakfast while Mark and I made last minute preparations.

At about 7:15, we loaded Masha's suitcase into the car. We've had a running joke about whether she or I sat in front while Mark drove; for the ride to the camp, Masha asked to sit in front, and requested that I drive. I thought it funny that Mark would have to sit in the back, until Masha said sadly to to me "Mark raboota?" Mark is going to work? NO! I smiled at her and explained that Mark was coming with us...relief flooded her face and she relaxed a little bit. Mark climbed into the back seat behind Masha. For the most part, driving distracted me from the fear of what was coming up; I only started crying once.

We were the second family to arrive at the camp, and Masha jumped out of the car to see Vica and Little Masha. They ran around the parking lot, talking and smiling, while Mark and I talk with their parents about saying good-bye to our little girls. We comfort ourselves by sharing plans for next steps, planning a package to send all the things that wouldn't fit in their luggage. Other families, escorts, and volunteers began to arrive, and the parking lot became a mass of activity.

Three moms volunteered to drive car-loads of kids to the Indianapolis airport. Once everyone arrived, luggage was transferred and riding arrangements were figured out. Kids and escorts scurried around to make sure that all the luggage was loaded up and that everyone had a seat. All logistics resolved, the hugging commenced and the tears began to flow. We had been prepared by the program organizers that this was the time for adults to be adults and keep it together for the kids. We tried that really hard, and I managed to keep it together as I hugged Masha and murmured "i love you" over and over again.

Finally, the time came to say our final goodbye. Masha piled into the car, and held Mark's hand as they slowly pulled out of the parking spot. I hid behind Mark and cried as I watched her pull away. The only consolation was knowing that we would see her soon, and that we would never have to send her away again.

For those of you who haven't heard already, we have made the final decision to move forward with the process to adopt Masha and bring her back to the US as our daughter. Over the next few months, we will navigate our way through the jungle of the international adoption process. We will continue to post updates occasionally, answering some of the common questions like "How did you guys decide to do this?" and "What next?" I will also take the opportunity to post some of the other great photos from Masha's visit, so keep checking in.....

Day 18 - Wednesday, 23 August, 2006

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 the first week of camp. Not thinking too far into the future, we had moved that note to the side and did not worry too much about rescheduling. It was only when we discovered that Fun Spot is only open Saturdays and Sundays that we realized we had a problem.

Mark did some research into various options and we arrived at go-karts! We first went to the outdoor go-karts near Putt Putt. Despite their posted hours showing they opened at 10, we discovered that since school has started, no one will come in before noon. We moved to the indoor go-kart track up the road. We bought one ride to see how she would like it. We began the process by strapping Mark and Masha into individual go-karts; one lap around, Masha missed a turn and ran head-on into the track railing. She wasn't going fast, but it scared her. We extracted her from her car and let her ride a few laps in the double-car with Mark. When she realized how to operate the car, she got more excited, and decided to take a shot at driving again.

About the same time, Lisa and Khrystyna arrived, we belted both girls into cars, and off they drove! It's a good thing that the guys running the track were able to limit the speed on the cars, as we've discovered that Khrystyna's role model must be Danica Patrick. Her foot was nowhere near the brake, even around the hairpin turns. Masha was driving a bit more conservatively, but she still kept up pretty well. As the first ride for each of them wrapped up, the girls hopped out of the cars screaming "again! again!" We called a five minute break, strapped them back in, and turned the speed up a little bit.

We had originally planned to take Masha to Taco Bell for lunch, but since Khrystyna is a more choosy eater, we elected to go to Doggie's for gourmet hot dogs...her favorite. Of course, the moment we walked in, she decided she really had a hankerin' for a sandwich. Masha chose to order two sausage dogs, and then loaded them up with a variety of very strange toppings, including more mayonnaise than I've ever seen on anything! Oddly, the girls also decided that they did not want their photos taken, and hid behind single-serving chip packets.

As soon as lunch disappeared, we piled the girls into the car and took them to the DeBrand factory, where we met Fred for a factory tour. We thought this would be a great time for the kids, knowing how much they like chocolate. The video, however, did not impress them. Further, there was very little going on in the kitchens. They enjoyed the samples very much, but the tour was a bit of a bust. The girls horsed around a bit, and all the parents focused on keeping them from running over the elederly folks whose tour we were tagging onto.


We came back home for a final evening together. It seemed so wrong to have to send her back when she was really starting to settle in and open up. She was just beginning to horse around, doing gymnastics in the basement and climbing up the stairs feet first. She discovered the dartboard, and played around a lot with Simon. We did pop out to WalMart to pick up the final set of photos and we stopped next door at the dollar store to grab an extra small photo album in which to store them. She loaded up the album as we drove home.

We quickly shucked three ears of the sweetest sweet corn we have tasted in a long time, and gobbled it up along with a salad and some leftover pasta. Masha then wrote up thank-you notes for all the people who helped us out during her stay. I started out a list of two or three people, and she began adding names to it and writing them on cards. She even kept at it when Khrystyna called her from Cracker Barrel to chat. Masha was cradling the phone on her shoulder and continuing to write cards until Mark showed her the speakerphone. Relief flooded her face as she set Khrystyna down on the kitchen table and kept working!

After dinner, we called a translator to talk about the logistics of packing and meeting back up for the return trip. Masha's biggest concern was for her new earrings! We explained to her that we would divide the stuff in her room into three categories: 1) The items that had been borrowed from other people, 2) items that are hers to take back with her, and 3) items that are hers that we will keep here for when she returns. She quickly got the concept and threw all of her favorite clothes into the America pile!

We had also learned that the kids would not be allowed any carry-on luggage for the trip. This presented a bit of a challenge, as we had already given Nataliya the larger of the two suitcases that we planned to send back. We only had a small rollaboard suitcase for Masha, and were really counting on her backpack to carry a couple sets of clothes as well as Barbies, coloring books and colored pencils and markers to keep her occupied on the long trip back. We got everything crammed in, with only Sloan the Elephant left to carry! I just hope the zippers hold!

In the middle of all of this, we ran out to Ritter's to meet Mark's family for final goodbyes. Masha ordered the granddaddy of all cones...a chocolate dipped waffle cone with multi-colored candy sprinkles. She had it filled with peanut butter frozen custard, and promptly emptied it! She played with the Maxwell kids, and we all posed for many photos before the hugs began.

When we finally made it back home, Masha took a shower, climbed into her jammies, and joined the family for the first Harry Potter film. Yes, we know we watched them backward, but that logic was not of critical importance to Masha. Masha settled into our bed and watched while Mark and I took care of a few final details, including writing a letter for her to take back home with her. Everything finally finished, we joined Masha for the end of Harry Potter, and then tucked her in for the last time.

Day 17 - Tuesday, 22 August, 2006

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 play together. Masha had never been down a pool slide before, and it took a lot of encouragement from everyone to convince her to take the first plunge. Once she accomplished that, she was invincible! Khrystyna was not so lucky...the deep end was a little much for her and she was pulled from the pool once with a pole and a second time by a fully clothed man!


After the pool party disbanded, Mark and Masha moved on to Tokens and Tickets. Masha wanted to play every game in the store, but proved to need a little practice. The deck was stacked against her when Dad accidentally selected the expert level of the guitar game, but she sure tried hard. Masha insisted on riding the kiddie horse, and further wanted to choose Barbie items from the prize store prior to actually winning any tickets! When she finally had her fill of games, Mark and the attendand finally steered her toward a nice necklace with a Jesus fish, and a fancy ring.

Mark and Masha returned home anticipating dinner at McDonald's. I finished working, and we set off for the newly remodeled McDonald's on Washington Center. A Number Six and a Polly Pocket for Masha, and she was a happy girl. She took a couple of passes through the Human Habitrail and we were off again. Despite Masha's pleas of "Harry Potter, pleeeaaasssseeeeee" we decided to enjoy a family round of Putt Putt.


The first couple of holes were a little rough, leaving us to question the wisdom of choosing this activity. We have discovered a perfectionistic streak in Masha much like my own. But about three holes in, Mark worked with her a little, showed her how to putt, and she settled into a serious game. At the end, we worked on math skills by totalling up the score. When Masha discovered that she had earned the highest score among the three of us, she danced and cheered for herself! We didn't have the heart to explain golf scores.....


The final promised activity of the evening: Ice cream and Harry Potter. Mark and Masha created mega-cones full of Nestle Crunch, Peanut Butter, and Sundae Cone ice creams, and gobbled them down in front of the television. Simon joined us to wach The Chamber of Secrets, and we pretty much ignored bedtime.

Day 16 - Monday, 21 August, 2006

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 while I squeezed in a little work). Then began the Harry Potter debate. Masha found Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in the cabinet below the TV in our room, and insisted, despite a previous thumbs-down, that she LOVED Harry Potter, and that she would DIE if she didn't get to watch him right now. I agreed that if she would go peacefully to the dentist that we would consider an earlier Potter flick later in the day. Reluctantly, she hopped in the Jeep.

Two fillings later (thanks to Dr. Roach for his gentleness and generosity!!), we put The Prisoner of Azkaban in the player and I checked email and made a couple of calls before dragging her kicking and screaming to Lenscrafters. Note that she went to the dentist peacefully, almost cheerfully, but that the idea of wearing glasses was completely abhorrent.

The visit to the eye doctor presented its own special challenges! Our new friend Nadia was hosting two sisters from the orphanage, and Olena, the older sister, also needed a vision exam. Nadia is a refugee from the Ukraine; she and her family came to the US about 3 years ago, and she speaks Russian fluently. Nadia has been a tremendous blessing to the hosting program, acting as a translator and a surrogate mom for all of us! While Nadia translated during Masha's eye exam, I wrangled Olena and Marina.

In the end, Masha chose a beautiful pair of glasses. Because of the distortion associated with the correction for her astigmatism, the doctor encouraged her to wear the glasses for just a few hours a day for the first three or four days. After that, she agreed to wear them all the time. We'll see how that goes.

Nadia had been wanting to spend time with Masha for a while, and we agreed that Monday afternoon would be a great time for Masha to spend with her and the girls. They went to the chinese buffet where we finally discovered the ultimate capacity of Masha's stomach. Mark and I were both surprised when she said no to dinner, and downright amazed when she said no to ice cream.

We finished the evening by watching the end of Harry Potter; the family congregated on our bed, complete with dog and hedgehog!

Day 15 - Sunday, 20 August, 2006

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. As soon as the food was gone, Masha disappeared back up to her room. Mark spent a little time uploading photos, while I got directions to the Stewart's house for Masha's afternoon engagement.

We arrived at the Stewarts a little after 2:00, fried from listening to the same Russian children's song at least 17 times on the drive up to Butler. As soon as Masha spotted Vica and Little Masha, she shrieked and ran up to give them big hugs. The three quickly changed into their swimsuits, and were in the pool before you could say Ukraine! They played in the pool with Vica and Masha's Papa while the rest of us chatted on the patio.


Eventually, the girls got cold, climbed out, and dried off. They changed back into their dry clothes and tormented the Stewart's son Joe for a while. A snack of watermelon and bananas refueled the girls for more play, and they chose to set up shop outfitting the Stewart's extensive collection of Barbies. After a very fun and full afternoon, it was finally time to bid our hosts farwell. They filled our arms with fresh garden tomatoes, and we were on our way back home.

We snacked on tomatoes still warm from the sun while we prepared baked ziti and a salad. We finally have found the limit of Masha's stomach, as there was actually food left on her plate when she left the table. She did, however, grab an apple ten minutes later as we chose a video to follow our English practice.

Masha rocked through the English flash cards AND the three page ESL lesson that Mark found on the Internet. Lesson complete, we had a short debate about bedtime, then started Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. About halfway through, we hit the Pause button, and Masha began her long and involved bedtime preparations. We finally got goodnight hugs about 9:30, but it was a great end to a great weekend.

Day 14 - Saturday, 19 August, 2006

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 the performance of the group on Friday. Because of the Benadryl she's been taking for a little skin irritation, Masha was pretty dazed, so we left around 12.

After lunch and a bit of a rest, we went to Becky & Eric's for play, swimming, and ultimately, Laura's birthday. Masha stayed pretty mellow until the kids hit the pool after gifts and cake. The water woke her up a bit, and she swam with Rachel, Jared, and Julia for over an hour. Finally, hunger drove the kids from the pool, and after a short snack of pretzels and cheese, we headed out.

On the way home, we stopped at Meijer for a steak and a bag of salad for dinner (and some string cheese!) As Masha and I walked through the store, ! Her eyes popped, and she caught her breath...she spotted the lobster tank. She ran over to it and started pointing at the critters crawling around in the water; it was almost as if she was asking to take one home as a pet. I pointed too, then rubbed my stomach and said "Yum." To my surprise, she got a big grin on her face, rubbed her stomach, and gave me a big thumbs up. Seems she knows that lobster is really good! A giggle and a kind "Nyet" and we were back on our way to the steaks. Where most kids would ask for candy or cookies, on the way out, Masha begged for kielbasa, ground beef, pepperoni, and sweet corn...what a kid!

When we got home, we fired up the grill and threw together steak salad, shucked and boiled the corn, and toasted some garlic bread. Masha gobbled it all up like she would never get to eat again, and then raced downstairs to watch Shrek in English. I fell asleep right after Princess Fiona was rescued, and slept right through the final credits. Mark and Masha woke me up and prodded me off to bed.

Day 13 - Friday, 18 August, 2006

Not every morning can begin smoothly. After a particularly difficult time waking up, Masha made a couple of poor breakfast choices, and I invoked the Parental Veto. I'm sorry, but leftover ice cream and diet coke might be a great breakfast for me, but it's just not appropriate for a growing girl! The strangest thing? I felt perfectly comfortable holding a firm line on this! "Nyet." Period. Because I said so. (Yes, I feel certain that my own parents are all howling right about now!)

Masha doesn't hold a grudge for very long, and once we had the Barbie Princess and the Pauper soundtrack blaring in the car, all was forgiven. We made it to camp in fine spirits, and had a great day. I fully intended to head back home to work for a couple hours before catching up with Mark and returning for the kids' final presentation in the afternoon, but my plans have not been executed the way I'm used to lately! I ended up staying at camp, and working via cell phone, while helping with crafts and chatting with some of the other parents.

Friday's field trip to the Fire Station was great fun for all the kids, and I drove the Four Musketeers (Masha, Khrystyna, Vica, and Little Masha) there and back. The firefighters put on a great demonstration and tour, showing the kids the specialized equipment on the trucks. One even donned a full protective suit to teach them to run *to* the fireman and to not be scared of him if they get trapped in a smoky or burning house. It was an engaging lesson for them, and they all had a blast!



We returned to camp in time for the kids to rehearse their program one more time before the parents arrived. Once everyone was in place, Natalia led the kids through their songs, dances, and a recitation where each child had several lines. Everyone gave a GREAT performance, and the cameras went crazy through the whole show. Being the oldest, Masha and Vica both had "starring" roles in the performance, and they both performed beautifully.

After saying our goodbyes to everyone and heading home, we enlisted the help of Google Images to offer Masha a choice of pizza or chinese for dinner. She picked a photo of a yummy-looking shrimp lo mein, and we popped out to Golden China for a 10-minute pickup. We had dinner on the table around 7, and then watched Shrek in Russian.

Just before bed, Masha found a couple of toys she wanted to give to Laura for her birthday. I pulled the wrapping paper bin out from under her bed, and she commenced wrapping. She also found a card, and tried to use the online translator to write a message in English. A combination of spelling challenges, exhaustion, and frustration resulted in a card written in Russian, which will actually be more special to Laura, but was a little disappointing for Masha.

In the end, we all hit the sack close to 11, but it was a great day anyway!

Day 12 - Thursday, 17 August, 2006

I admire parents. All of them. I finally understand the challenge of balancing priorities of family and work, as Mark and I had scheduled Thursday as my "focus on work" day. I dropped Masha off at camp, staying only for the first ESL class where they focused on weather and the appropriate outerwear and accessories (a critical lesson for a fashionista like my Masha!)

When Mark arrived at camp to pick Masha up, she volunteered him to drive for the afternoon field trip to the medical clinic. Although Masha had already been to both the doctor and the dentist, she wanted to go with her friends, and she was very helpful with the younger children.

Once she decided she'd had enough, Mark took Masha shopping for a gift for cousin Laura's 2nd birthday. Masha helped choose a doll stroller, and also prodded Mark into purchasing a dozen roses for me. They are beautiful, and she helped me arrange them when they got home!

The big event of Thursday night was a trip to the studios of Bentz Photography for a professional photo shoot. Masha chose several outfits to take, and made sure that Simon was included in the family photos! She began with a double-camoflauge ensemble, with a hot pink cammo hoodie paired with lighter pink cammo jeans. Sara and Steve masterfully posed her to minimize the jarring visual effect, and even those photos came out great!!

Masha loves being in front of a camera, and really got a kick out of moving from one backdrop to another, changing clothes, choosing props, and posing. She worked hard to get Simon to cooperate and pose with her, but he was much more interested in interfering with the entire process!

In the end, Steve and Sara delivered a CD full of brilliant photos of Masha, and a few not-so-terrible ones of Mark and me as well! They even got Simon to sit still for a few good ones!

While the photo shoot was a highlight of Masha's trip so far, the pièce de résistance had to be the after-shoot visit to McDonald's. We have attempted to shield Masha from fast food and soda and all the nasties that are my personal weakness...we've even begun eating meals at the table! However, we do realize that every kid loves McD's, and that fast food is great in moderation! We were especially pleased when she chose Diet Coke, and even more thrilled when she determined halfway through her ice cream cone that she was full. She found a space in the freezer for the remainder of the cone.

Day 11 - Wednesday, 16 August, 2006

A week and a half into Masha's visit, we are finally settling into a groove. Masha has adjusted to the time change well enough for us to get familiar with her natural sleep cycle. She is definitely my child...she likes to stay up late, and to sleep in!! As each day goes by, it's harder and harder to wake her up. I feel certain that this is God's little payback to me!

Once she wakes up, though, she gets up and around quickly. She makes her bed, brushes her teeth and cleans her new pierced ears without being reminded (OK, so not so much like me after all!).

Having to get a *little* work done this morning, I dropped her off at camp and headed back home for the morning conference calls. While she was at camp, volunteers from Child Evangelism Fellowship visited the camp to work with the kids. At the end of their time, Masha approached one of the volunteers and spoke with her for quite a while through one of the translators. At the end of the conversation, Masha prayed with them and accepted Jesus!

I picked Masha up from camp at about 1:00, and we headed over to the Maxwell's for Masha to swim and play and for me to do several more conference calls! Special thanks continue to flow to Becky and her family for helping out and making Masha feel such a welcome part of the family! She had a blast in the pool all afternoon, and it was comforting for me to watch her out the window while I was working!

Masha has really settled into the family, and has enjoyed the time she can spend with her host cousins. Rachel and Masha perform handstands in the pool together, and Masha patiently tows the Jared and Julia around the pool in tubes. All in all, they are having a great time being kids together!

As the day wanes, we say our goodbyes and head home for dinner, a short video, and some much-needed sleep!

Day 10 - Tuesday, 15 August, 2006

Tuesday morning's alarm blared entirely too early, and we all staggered downstairs to make tea and coffee, and to scarf down the new breakfast of choice--Fruity Cheerios! Once the bowl emptied out, Masha joined me to make her own sandwich for lunch. She also filled up the Pringle Keeper, holding one perfect single serving of pringles, and she added an apple, an orange, AND a banana to the lunch bag.

Masha and I went to camp, where I set up camp in a hallway of the church and took a couple of conference calls, sticking my nose into the classroom between calls. In class, the kids each traced their hands and feet, and attached them to a paper doll of themselves. The teachers then worked with the kids to learn the English words for the body parts, calling out "Arm" and watching all the kids point out the arm on their doll. Masha's doll is the one with the big feet!!!!!

For the afternoon, Masha went over to Khrystyna's house to hang out. They played in the spa, watched videos, played the piano and sang all afternoon. Two exhausted girls were pulled out of the hot tub at 5:30 when Mark got there to pick Masha up!

Mark threw some salmon on the grill, and I made a salad and sugar snap peas. The salmon and salad were hits, the sugar snap peas...not so much! But today, dinner was just a quick break on the road to tonight's much-awaited Ear Piercing Extravaganza. Masha and I picked up Rachel, and the three girls hit the road!


Claire's was not busy at all, and Masha quickly chose starter earrings with a pretty pink flower. They started with the left ear, but the earring only shot halfway through her earlobe. She was such a trooper as the woman pulled the earring out, re-positioned the marks for the piercings, and tried again! Masha winced a bit when they went through, but she held up great!

We were in and out in a flash, and the girls decided that some exercise (mall-walking) was in order....all the way to Cold Stone Creamery! Rachel ordered Cake Batter with Kit Kat crumbles, and Masha got Strawberry with Gummi Bears, both in waffle cones. I watched and swiped a taste from each of them!!

Day 9 - Monday, 14 August, 2006

There's only one way to say it...Mondays suck! After a great weekend of relaxing and playing and having fun, reality set in on Monday when Mark and I had to go back to work, and Masha had to go back to camp (Aww...poor girl!). We had a little photo session on the way out the door, with Simon as a very reluctant model!

Masha is becoming quite fond of the camera, and loves being both in front of it and behind it. She has even succefully found a way to enjoy both at the same time, and has taken many pictures of herself. Photography provides great in-car entertainment!


Monday's camp schedule included a morning of ESL and playing with friends, lunch at the playground at Franke Park, and then an afternoon at the ZOO! Unfortunately, I had already skipped a bit too much work, and had to skip the afternoon's adventures. I dropped Masha off at camp, avoided leaving as long as I could, but finally drove back home to check the dreaded email.


I trusted Lisa, Khrystyna's Mom, to capture the joy of the afternoon, and she did not let me down! Judging from the photos, the girls had a blast doing all of the things kids do at the zoo...They rode ponies and the carousel, brushed the goats and held little chicks at the petting zoo, and had an all-around great time.


Masha and Khrystyna are clearly having a great time, and this accurately represents their two personalities!

After camp, Mark picked Masha up and surprised her with a trip to TJ Maxx to shop for a new backpack. After some serious debate, a bright pink backpack with black accents and lots of pockets was chosen. It even has a little pocket for a cell phone...but only a make-believe one!!

When they got home, we gobbled down a quick dinner before Mark's cousin Stephanie came by to visit. Masha showed off her room, and then played while Mark, Steph, and I caught up for a bit. We enjoyed Stephanie's visit greatly, and wish we could see all of the Greencastle/Indy family members more often!

***

OK, this last bit is just indulgence on my part....I couldn't settle on just a few photos for today's entry, so here are a couple more of my favorites. In the second one, Masha stood beside a photo of Mark and me on our first cruise, and took a picture of herself with the picture of us. We both just thought it was tooooo cute!