BY KATHLEEN LUCADAMO

December 25, 2007

The Farley brothers of Jamaica, Queens, will have a typical Christmas in most respects.

Richard, 13, hopes to unwrap Air Jordan sneakers. Emmanuel, 11, plans to open an Xbox 360. They'll stuff themselves with candied yams, collard greens, turkey and corn bread. They'll go to church.

But there is something special about this holiday for the siblings - it is their first Christmas as adopted children.

"I'm happy because by getting adopted I was chosen by a family who wanted to help me and give me direction in life," Richard said last week from the two-bedroom apartment he shares with his adoptive parents.

After 10 years in foster care, the Farley kids were adopted by Diane and Leander Dunk on Feb. 15, a day the boys recall with relief.

"It meant no more going to court sessions or going on visits when I didn't feel like going," said Richard, rattling off dates with caseworkers and his biological dad.

The Dunks have cared for the two boys since they entered foster care in December 1997, but red tape and good intentions delayed them from formally becoming a family.

The Dunks' goal when they received the babies was to reunite them with their biological parents, but after years of inconsistent visits, their mother lost custody. Their father forfeited his parental rights about two years ago.

Diane, a 59-year-old retired medical technician, and Leander, a 60-year-old mortician, couldn't imagine sending the young men to another foster family.

"This is what they called home and we wanted to keep it that way," Diane said.

The odds of preteen siblings finding foster parents who will keep them together are slim. The chances of them getting separated, shuffled from home to home and perhaps never adopted are high.

The city expects to make final adoptions for 1,300 children this year, but about 600 foster children still need homes, according to the Administration for Children's Services.

"We want to see children settled with the adults who are committed to being there forever," said ACS Commissioner John Mattingly.

The Dunks still remember their first Christmas with the Farley brothers. They considered the boys a gift, but Richard was withdrawn and Emmanuel couldn't walk.

"We wanted to make a change in their lives," Diane said.

It appears they have. The boys smile a lot, love basketball, are lukewarm about school - though Emmanuel aces his exams - and are close with the Dunks' grandchildren and biological daughters, Robin Martin, 36, and Tracey Crawford, 40.

Sitting in his living room next to a Christmas tree decked with white tinsel and topped with an angel, Emmanuel offers this advice for foster children who are in limbo: "Don't give up hope."

He never did.

If you are interested in becoming an adoptive parent, call (212) 676-WISH, or for toll-free outside of NYC, call (877) 676-WISH. You can also go to the Web (www.nyc.gov/acs).