Michael and Masha

We got up early and went down to breakfast. Michael ate some cereal but decided he really didn't like the milk. I think it was whole milk and they keep it warm. He did like the pastries but he thought the eggs looked like Mac & Cheese. They are a unique color. After breakfast, Alexey and Masha arrived and we went to visit Masha. You could tell that Michael was very excited. He tried to play it down by telling me repeatedly that he didn't need his heavy coat. This has been an ongoing complaint since we left Minneapolis but I am not going to be scolded by the Babushkas because my son is running about with too thin a jacket.

Masha came straight in and was very social. Michael was great, he moved really slow and let her warm up to him. She seemed really at ease with us. I was worried that she might not remember us but if she didn't, she seemed to decide that she liked us anyway. Alexey had brought a kitchen set for the babyhouse and Masha really liked it. She had lots of fun playing peek-a-boo and feeding the baby doll that came with it. However, as is true the world over, she REALLY REALLY liked the BOX! She played with Randy and she played with me. But Michael was king. And he has the bruises to prove it! She acts just like Caelia and Lera do around Michael. They bully and push and make him perform for them (and they crack him up in return) and invariably he gets swatted in the face or head. He seems to find it amusing but not as amusing as they do.