Lalie and Her Sister

Lalie has been asking for a sister for years and is so excited that we're finally getting closer to that reality.

Almost a year ago, Lalie drew a picture at school of us going to Ethiopia to pick up her sister. 

The class theme was something about how to make the world a better place.  She said she could make the world better by "adopting a kid from Ethiopia." I think we are the lucky ones being able to bring home a wonderful daughter/sister to join our family but it's a nice sentiment. The picture shows she and I outside the orphanage and our sweetie is waving to us from the window. Click on it for the larger version.

In October, Lalie wrote a poem for the PTA Reflections contest. The theme this year was "I Can Make a Difference By..." and again she wrote about adopting from Ethiopia. Her poem received first place at her school and went on to the district-wide level. Below is her poem.

I'm in the grass thinking about a sister.

I'm imagining her standing in the wind with her hair blowing.
I asked my mom if we could adopt a sister who could be five or six or seven years old.
She thought and thought until she said, "Yes."
We will probably have her maybe in January or February.
She is going to be from Ethiopia.
I want to help someone who needs a home.
I needed a home.
The law was you could only have one or two babies.
I was in an orphanage in China.
My mom gave me a home.
She was helping someone who needed a family.
Now I'm helping someone who needs a family.
I feel great.
That's how I can make a difference in life.