Human Interest

Ga. Couple Adopts 6 Siblings Who Were Split Up in Different Foster Homes: 'A Dream Come True'

Angela and Elliott Turbeville of Columbus, Georgia adopted all six siblings, ranging in age from 7 to 14 years old, just ahead of the Christmas holiday

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Published on December 23, 2021 10:31 PM

Six foster children in Georgia, all biological siblings, got their wonderful Christmas wish granted this year.

Angela and Elliott Turbeville, who had been fostering the siblings for the past two years, surprised the group on Monday morning with a giant sign on the front lawn that said "It's Adoption Day."

The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer documented the moment the kids — one girl and five boys, ranging in age from 7 to 14 — were told they were going to the courthouse to officially become adopted.

"They have zero clue this is about to happen," Angela explained. "They've asked for two years, 'I just want to stay. I just want to be adopted.' Our little girl wrote her Christmas list and one of the things on the list is to get adopted. She doesn't know that Christmas is about to come early for her."

The Turbevilles, who are in their 40s and are already parents to three biological children, became certified foster parents in 2019.

Angela, a former elementary school teacher and tutor, said that the kids had previously been split up in different foster homes. The goal was to unite them together under one room in hopes for giving them a more stable future, she said.

"Their mom was a foster child, so we're trying to break that cycle," Angela explained.

"It's a good way to give these kids a chance to be successful," Elliott added.

Friends and neighbors have marveled at their decision to take on six more kids. "I always tell people, we had three, so what's a few more, right?" Elliot, an associate director at Pratt & Whitney, joked. "It's just a number."

"To me it's a dream come true to be able to adopt children," said Angela. "I hate that they were in foster care but at least we get to give them a good life."

For the big surprise, the Turbevilles rented a party bus to take their large family to the courthouse.

The family's adoption hearing took place at the Government Center in Columbus, Georgia, according to the Ledger-Enquirer, with Superior Court Judge Maureen Gottfried presiding.

"This is just a really, really, happy, happy day," Gottfried told them. "I'm so glad that all of you all are here to celebrate because this is really a celebration of a bad situation turning great."

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All six children, who are on the honor roll in school, expressed deep gratitude to their adoptive parents for not only adopting them, but taking them all in together.

"Coming right before Christmas, this is like the perfect time," the 13-year-old boy, whose name is being kept private, told the publication. "I'm just amazed and excited because we've been waiting for this a long time."

"We've been through a lot of stuff that shouldn't have happened," he said. "Our parents should have taken care of us. But now, we have these parents that actually take care of us and feed us every day."

"This is really rare," he later added. "They took this chance getting all of us. I thank them — and I thank God — for this."