My husband and I have adopted 4 chidren but we have had 6 of our own we have:
Brenan who is 11
Peyton who is 9
Parker who is 7
Rowan who is 5
Isabella who we adopted from russia when she was 2 and is now 5
Carmilla who we adopted from Asia who is now 3
Jake who is 2
Cameron who is 18 months
Lily who we adopted from india when she was 2 months and is now 18 months
and last but not least Ebony who we adopted from Africa and is 1 month
I am saying all of this bacuse yesterday my daughter rowan asked me why they look so different and why don't there real mom and dad want them any more and what is abandonment and just why they are'nt there real sister's and I could use some advice on what to tell them

You mentioned Rowan, the daughter that seems to express the most curiosity, is 5 years old...I think she is a little young but I agree that it's not sensible to leave her curiosity hanging...Um, you could say the following:

"They come from different places all around the world"

"Their moms and dads weren't ready to look after them so that's why we have all the love in the world for them and they are our family"

"Abandonment is when something is left behind, like if you left your dolly at the toy store"

"They are your sisters by love"

I think you should give her an example that she can relate to, something for her to think about, and just something simple that won't confuse her and make it seem like everything isn't awkward.

Rowan is not the only one who is curious she is just the most recent to ask me a question about it they all ask me and I try to explain but they just don't understand but thinks for the advice

Regarding what Rowan asked about real brothers and sisters...

I'm not quite sure how to explain this, so I hope you can get the general idea of what I'm saying and be able to translate to your daughter. If you believe in an afterlife or Heaven, you can explain to her that you will all be a family up in Heaven and that God considers you all real brothers and sisters and mom and dad because you love each other as such and treat each other that way. That it doesn't matter where they were born or where they came from. What matters is how you all treat each other now and that you make your journeys together as a family.

I hope that makes sense and helps! Good luck!

Looking at their ages I think maybe something they would relate to more is a movie like Lilo and Stitch. You could all watch it and discuss why they ended up being a family and what that means. Plus it might give them a relatable reference that they're excited to share with their friends. Another idea is a children's book on adoption, I know Jamie Lee Curtis wrote one. The other thing is that with some form of movie or book they can review it whenever they want and continue to ask questions they come up with as they go along. I know it seems like using props to talk to your kids, but due to their ages I think it will hold their attention better, and encourage an ongoing discussion at their level. I hope this helps

my 2 older brothers are adopted and my parents told us that they came to make our family complete. they also explained that because they chose to be mat and glenns mommy and daddy that they were real brothers. they said their real mom and dad did want them but they werent able to take care of a child so they asked us to help them do it. mat is from Lithuania and glenn is from russia so we never encountered the issue about how they look. just make sure they know you love them all the same, and the rest will be fine.