Ryan Kelly and Wife Emma Celebrate Twin Sons Duke and Ford’s First Christmas: ‘We Couldn’t Be More Thankful’

NFL player Ryan Kelly and his wife Emma are celebrating a very special Christmas!

The couple is enjoying their first vacation with twin sons Duke Thomas and Ford Patrick, 6 months, and Emma tells PEOPLE they couldn’t be more thrilled.

“Last Christmas we wanted a baby more than anything and this year we have two! Christmas the last two years have been so painful, with us losing MK just days before,” she says, referring to the death of daughter Mary Kate at 19 weeks pregnancy. “Having the boys here now has brought so much joy and magic back into the holidays for Ryan and I. We couldn’t be more grateful.”

“Ever since Ryan and I were born, coincidentally, both of our parents started this tradition of buying us an ornament that represented the biggest or their favorite milestone of that year. And they wrote a message inside the box describing the milestone or the story behind the ornament they chose for us that year,” continues Emma. “For example, this year will be ‘Baby’s First Christmas,’ and we’ll be writing about what miracles our boys are and how much they overcame — fighting for their lives in intensive care for the first three months.”

“That way,” she adds, “even long after Ryan and I are gone, our boys will always be reminded of our love and pride for them, especially around Christmas time.”

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Ryan Kelly and wife Emma are celebrating their twin sons’ first Christmas.

Emma Kelly

Ryan Kelly and wife Emma celebrate first Thanksgiving with their twins: ‘They’ve never been more thankful’

Back in October, Emma brought the twins to cheer on their dad at their first Indianapolis Colts game.

“We prayed so long and hard for days like yesterday 😭❤️‍🔥 If you had told me at this time a year ago, we would be standing where we are today, I’m not sure I could believe you. THANK YOU, GOD are the only words I can find lately,” she wrote alongside photos from that day on Instagram.

“Thank you for never giving up on us and I’m so glad that Ryan and I never gave up either. Every storm has led us to this beautiful beginning and I will never get over it. Thank you to all of our people who got through it all with us and to this community for encouraging us when we felt we had nothing left 🫶🏻.”

Ryan Kelly and wife Emma are celebrating their twin sons’ first Christmas.

Emma Kelly

The couple revealed the arrival of their baby boy exclusively to PEOPLE in October.

“After 85 days in intensive care and living in a rented house, we are finally reunited as a family,” Emma said in an exclusive statement.

“I still can’t quite believe that we are finally home as a family of four, but every time we see one of the boys, we are grateful for the journey that brought them here,” she added.

The couple’s miracle babies come after a nearly two-year journey that included fertility struggles and in vitro fertilization.

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