About a year ago, my brothers and I were about to go to sleep when our parents came in and started talking about what it would be like to have a new sibling. Then my mom showed us some pictures of kids.

I wasn't sure at first, but then I thought it was a cool idea. We spent months talking about adopting a child and started to look for a child to share our home.

In April, we learned of a little boy named Wondimu and his sister, Birhanesh, from Ethiopia. We knew they needed to be a part of our family. We started to get their rooms ready. I had so much fun picking out stuff for their room and buying them clothes and toys to make them happy.

Jet Lag and Jitters
When we left for Ethiopia in June, we went on a plane ride for a very long time. It was exhausting. I have never been on a plane ride that long.

When we first got to Ethiopia, I was kind of scared because we got there at night. When we got to the orphange, we had to be really quiet. But we couldn't sleep; we were not used to the time change.

The next day while eating breakfast, we heard children. We went over to the window, and we saw all of the children playing below. We instantly knew who our brother and sister were.

We went downstairs to meet them, and all of the children started climbing all over us. It was so much fun meeting Wondimu and Birhanesh, who we know call Lincoln and Abby, for the first time.

New Faces, No TV
We went to their school and did things, like make horns out of paper. We played with toys and read stories to all the kids, who were learning English.

The care center did not have a TV. My mom thought this was great. We brought cards and played them with the friends we made there. We also made up lots of games and listened to really cool Ethiopian music. A care center friend even gave us a CD to bring home with us.

We made a lot of friends there that I had to say goodbye to. This was hard for me because I had so much fun with everyone there.

The Comforts of Home
When we came home eight days later, we showed Lincoln and Abby their new home and rooms, which they loved. As they tried on all their new clothes, Lincoln kept asking, "Mine?"

They got to meet all of our relatives and friends. Abby likes to give hugs and kisses. It took Lincoln a few months to trust that we were gonig to be his forever family.

Lincoln's favorite thing to do last summer was swimming. We went swimming about two or three times a week. Abby loved to cuddle with my mom on the rocking chair on our front porch. She is so happy. She waves to everyone who passes by our home.

Adopting Lincoln and Abby was a great experience. I always tell my mom that I can't remember what our life was like without them. I will never forget getting them both from Ethiopia. I love them so much.

About the author: Marcus Augenstein is 10 years old and lives in Riverton, Utah, with his parents, Paul and Susan, and his siblings.

Learn more about adopting from Ethiopia