JANESVILLE, WIS. – Five years ago, empty nesters Connie and Dennis Dregne told their two adult children to sit down to hear the news.

The couple, both 53 at the time, had decided to adopt three girls from Ethiopia — one 10-year-old and two 12-year-olds.

Their youngest child, Cory, was 30. The couple had five grandchildren. Connie and Dennis hadn't had a child living under their roof in a decade, and they had already downsized to a condo. Dennis had gone from working full time to part time.

Cory told his parents that they didn't know what they were getting into. Even Dennis had his doubts. "We already raised kids," he told her.

But on Thursday, the girls — Jerusalem, 16; Frey, 16, and Mezzy, 14 — will gather with their extended family for their fourth Thanksgiving.

Connie learned of the girls in 2010, when her daughter, Kia, and son-in-law, Josh, were adopting a 3-month-old boy, Esher, from Ethiopia. On a lark, Connie looked at the waiting list.

In Mezzy's bio, the girl wrote she was an orphan but became a child of God in the Christian orphanage where she lived. Jerusalem and Frey wrote something similar.

"I just felt we could give them a chance," Dennis said. "We stopped thinking about ourselves. When you quit putting yourselves first and put God first, it was a no-brainer."

He went back to work full time. Connie eventually sold her Whitewater salon to work out of her home and be near the girls. They have a cozy home and the easy way of a loving family.

The girls have gotten used to water fountains and hand driers. They learned to swim. After some urging, they decided they like beef jerky, licorice and trail mix.

The girls are now fluent in English. They get A's at Craig High School and play various instruments.

All three plan to return to Ethiopia to visit their beloved orphanage mother and family members.