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

"Last Christmas we wished for a baby more than anything, and this year we’re holding two!" Emma tells PEOPLE

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

The couple is enjoying the holiday with twin sons Duke Thomas and Ford Patrick, 6 months, for the first time, and Emma tells PEOPLE they could not be more thrilled.

"Last Christmas we wished for a baby more than anything, and this year we’re holding two! Christmas the last two years has been so heartbreaking, considering we lost MK just days before it," she says, referring to the death of daughter Mary Kate 19 weeks into her pregnancy. "Having the boys here now has brought back so much joy and magic in the holidays for Ryan and I. We couldn’t be more thankful."

"Since Ryan and I were born, coincidentally, both our parents started this tradition of buying us an ornament that represented the biggest or their favorite milestone of ours that year. And they wrote a note inside the box describing the milestone or story behind the ornament they chose for us that year," Emma continues. "For example, this year will be 'Baby’s first Christmas,' and we will write about what miracles our boys are, and how much they overcame — fighting for their lives in the NICU for their 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."

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Related: Ryan Kelly and Wife Emma Celebrate First Thanksgiving with Their Twin Boys: 'Never Been More Thankful'

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

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

"Thank you for never giving up on us and I’m so glad Ryan and I never gave up either. Every storm has lead us to this beautiful beginning and I’ll never get over it. Thank you to all our people who weathered it all by our sides and to this community for keeping us encouraged when we felt we had nothing left 🫶🏻."

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

"After 85 days in the NICU and living in a rental home, we are finally reunited as a family," Emma said in an exclusive statement.

"I still can't totally believe we are finally home as a family of four, but every time we see one of the boys, we are thankful for the journey that got them here," she added.

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

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