Young House Love

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Maternity Portraits In Front Of The Christmas Tree

Before we took down the holiday decorations, we decided to snap a couple better-late-than-never seasonal pictures, since this will likely be the last time we can take a photo like this in front of the tree.

Christmas Bump

Kinda crazy to think that this was our last Christmas with just one little one (well, two including Burger – and about 30 if you count all of Sherry’s ceramic animals). What’s even crazier is that Clara stood still enough for this long of an exposure! If you want to take a photo like this, our tips are: use a tripod, lower the lights in the room so the tree glows, and use a long exposure and stand as still as possible. The results are so cool!

Christmas Belly 2

What did you guys wrap and unwrap this year? Do you do big gift exchanges with your other half, or just little fun things that you’ve been eying? Sherry and I like to keep it pretty low key, but we love hearing about giant surprises (were there any bows on any cars in any driveways?) and little thoughtful things alike.

Update: You can check out all of our favorite holiday decor finds here – many of which are under $15! 

Comments

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Ah yes, the face smack. I have gotten a few of those. Therefore John is 100% responsible for the collapsing/storing process. It’s pretty funny to watch me struggle with it though…

      xo
      s

  2. Steph says

    So sweet and Clara is absolutely adorable. I love that arrow necklace.

    No significant other here but my friends and I do a yankee swap every year so we did that a week before Christmas. And then Christmas day I did one with my family. There was about 20 of us total and we just figured it was easier (and cheaper) than buying gifts. There’s 10 grandchildren (& 9 of us are over 20. Ages range 16 to about 32/33. Anyone under 18 didn’t play, they get their own gifts.) plus all parents/aunts/uncles were involved. Which made the total age range 20-68! So much fun.

    Me and my parents exchange gifts too and I not-surprisingly got the call from my dad on the 22nd saying “help me figure out what to get your mom” so then I say “let me get back to you” and call mom. “what do you want?” It works. He figured it out himself this year though. First time since I hit college age! LOL Usually I’m buying it for him and sneaking it in the house.

    And my mom and I had this conversation…
    Me: Well, you told him to stop buying you jewelry.
    Mom: I did? Why did I say that? That was stupid.

    Apparently I’m chatty today. #endlongestcommentever

    Reply

  5. Emily Mc says

    Sherry between your adorable Barnacle-belly pics and how amazing Clara is becoming and my best friend with a week-old newborn, my never-having-kids-self is easing into some mad baby fever! I hope to have such a wonderful kiddo as yours and find a forever-house to raise them in too :) Happy New Years guys! Thank you for everything!

    Reply

  7. Molls says

    Clara is so full of life. & completely adorable to boot.

    I also loved the picture of S in front of your tree, how awesome.

    I think my favorite gift to my bf was this coffee mug I found at Target, it’s green on the inside, and the outside has a prehistoric scene, complete with a few dinosaurs. Once you pour your hot coffee in, the dinos disappear and only the skeletons are there. He love, love, loved it. Oh, that and the William Shakespeare’s Star Wars book…

    My favorite from him was this suitcase, complete with brown leather straps that button to keep it closed. It’s got a brownish vintage world map all over it, and he added a brushed gold [is that a color?] keychain that has a tree on it, the back says “hope, growth conservation” to represent our little family [Me, him, the kitty] and how we will be starting our own tree of life soon… The suitcase is to represent our crazy life of always moving! We’ve lived in 3 different states with 5 different roofs over our heads within the past 1.5 years.

    Sorry for the long-winded ramble. Can’t wait to see the cabin pictures!

    xo

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      The trick was just plugging in the tree and turning off the lights in a dark room. So the tree glows behind the person/people standing in front of it. Then put the camera on a tripod since the exposure is pretty long if you want that gleam :)

      xo
      s

  9. Shanna says

    Love the pictures of Sherry in front of the tree and Sherry and Clara in front of the tree. You will cherish those forever! I follow your blog regularly and love it (and your book). Your family is truly an inspiration!

    Reply

  10. Ashley says

    I got my husband a make-your-own root beer kit. Soda presents for everyone!
    In return, I was given a cheese-making kit. We may still be in an apartment, but at least we’re DIY’ing our food ;)
    Happy Holidays, Petersiks!

    Reply

  11. Erin says

    Our 2 1/2 year old’s favorite Santa gift was a set of 4 plastic plates. She even brought one to daycare the first day back! If Santa only knew he only had to spend $7 to make her happy…!

    Reply

  12. Nancy says

    I was so excited to see Dog Drool soda from Avery’s in New Britain, CT. (my hometown!) I have sitting next to me a favorite soda of theirs from a few years back – Swine Flu Tonic, complete with a cute pig in bed with a thermometer hanging out of his mouth.

    Where did you find Avery’s soda in VA?

    Happy New Year!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      No way! There’s a small independant candy store called The Sweet Spot here in Richmond, and they have all sorts of specialty sodas there. It was so much fun to pick out these four for John. I was seriously tempted to buy them all!

      xo
      s

  14. Kim R says

    You’ve gotta frame that belly shot in front of the tree. So beautiful. (At least as a Christmas decoration if not all year.)

    And John, if you ever lose the mice, I think my folks have the same ones at their place. Yay, McDonalds kids meals of the 80s!

    Reply

  15. Brenda says

    We hung Jaq and Gus the Cinderella mice on our tree when my children were little.. I too have passed them on to my daughters family. It warmed my heart to Clara loving them.

    Reply

  17. Jordan says

    I agree, the belly shots are perfect! And I love Clara’s pj’s and the picture-on-the-stairs tradition. :)

    Hubby and I keep it low key, now that we have a little boy that gets most of our money and attention! Haha. I got him a camo hood that matches his hunting camo (did you know those things come in particular patterns?!) and he got me some of the best little horseshoes I’ve ever owned and a cute shirt from Bass Pro. Our big gift to the little guy (17 months) was a teepee that I made that turned out way huge. Not exactly what I expected! My favorite gifts this year have been power tools (I’ve recently become very interested in woodworking- two saws, a marvelous hand sander, and a nail gun), a very cool Cake Boss cake carrier from my sweet mother in law, and a rocking airplane that I found two years ago while I was still pregnant that my in laws conspired to purchase and have had in their attic for two years now, just waiting for him to be big enough for it. It even got a custom paint job by his sweet and very artistic teenage cousin! We are so very blessed.

    Reply

  18. Miranda says

    I ordered my husband a distill-your-own-whiskey barrel from Etsy that was on back order and I requested tickets to a conference this spring so neither of us actually got to open anything on Christmas Day but it was so much more fun to give gifts to or niece and nephew. My husband dressed up like Santa and it scared my niece to death. There were some big tears…

    Reply

  19. Stacey says

    Looks like you guys had a wonderful Christmas! Funny how Clara didn’t even wince about the shelf being sticky, knowing stickiness is customary around your house. :) Happy New Year!

    Reply

  20. Kate says

    CCAC Chocolate Soda! Cooper’s Cave Ale Co is right around the corner from my house and I even did a little waitressing stint there. They make all of their sodas homemade. Chocolate is good, but their grape is way better! How did you come across it?

    Reply

  21. Keeley says

    Those bump shots are amazing! I love Clara’s PJs and your tradition of having Santa give some, but not all, of the gifts. You gave me some great ideas for future holidays with our son. He’s 17 months old and he said “yeah!” and “wow!” for the first time on Christmas. Ah, kids.

    Reply

  23. Dawn Lowe says

    We got our six month old a big Activity cube. It’s actually for 9 months and up but it was a steal (Aldi’s for 40 bucks) and I think he’ll get lots of use out of it. Daddy helped him unwrap which he had fun doing and then he went crazy playing with it! After a while he started getting tired and over excited and crabby. But we had to hide it out of sight because he wouldn’t take his bottle or go to sleep as long as he could see it! It was too cute! :-) glad you guys had a nice Christmas. :-)

    Reply

  24. Jill says

    I just wanted to say that I think Clara is one of the most joy-filled children I have ever seen. Her excitement for life is beyond precious!

    Reply

  25. Isabel says

    Awww, so sweet! Can’t wait to have kids, they really take Xmas to another level! Your bump is so cute too, it’s definitely out there now! We had a very low key Xmas, just the 2 of us and the dogs. We slept downstairs though so we could wake up by the tree and fireplace, and in the process bid adieu to our old sofa, which we’ll be replacing next week. So all in all, not a bad Christmas :)

    Reply

  26. Annelies says

    Is that the crib you had bought once for Clara’s doll? Did you do something to it?
    Love the presents and the pictures!

    Reply

  27. Amanda says

    This post makes me SO EXCITED for Christmas with children…next year will be our first and it all just looks so exciting! I got one of those camera reflectors too (along with a brand new Canon 6D because my husband has way more faith in my photography “skills” than I do) and I’m kind of terrified of it – you’ll have to let us know how it works out for you…maybe then I can be brave enough to try mine!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We’ll keep you posted! So far we have used it for a few shots of stuff (like the gifts on the table – soda/jewelry/etc) and it has been nice for diffusing light!

      xo
      s

  30. Misty says

    Look at that sweet girls smile!! *heart* I can’t believe how big she is getting! It goes too fast doesn’t it? And word of advice, it seems to go even faster with the second! :/ Love all the pics, thanks for sharing with all of us! Happy New Year Petersik Family, I know it will be amazing!

    Reply

  31. Rebecca says

    I’m so glad I’m not the only one who still has decorations up! The plan is to come down today though, I hate it. :( that video is so sweet! The bump kiss was precious.

    Looking forward to nursery plans (soon?)! ;) I’m not pregnant yet but my husband and I are already talking about how we would decorate a nursery so I’m anxious for y’all’s ideas for the barnacle!

    Cheers to the new year and storing Christmas decor and finishing cabinets!

    Reply

  32. Jennifer says

    So funny–I have those same two mouse ornaments from when I was little, and our 10-year-old loves them, too! He gives them a place of honor on the tree every year! THanks for sharing your Christmas with us!

    Reply

  33. Vanessa says

    I LOVE that picture of you and Clara. So beautiful! I am glad you guys had a great Christmas. I am so happy for you guys and the new baby.

    Reply

  34. Deena says

    When I was growing up, we had the pic on the stairs tradition. However, my family lives in a 1 story these days. So, to add excitement, “Santa” left red & white streamers hanging in a candy stripe pattern in my daughter’s doorway (proof he had been there, obviously!). She loved them so much, we were just able to take them down yesterday. Haha!

    Reply

  37. Leigh says

    We give each other ornaments on Christmas too! We typically pick up an ornament when we travel and the rest come as Christmas gifts. We are also low-key gift givers. My hubby got me a 50mm lens for my DSLR and my mom got me a tripod so I’m a happy girl with lots to learn! I gave my hubby what he asked for – video games! The little man got trucks, cars, ships and plastic people among other things. My favorite part of Christmas this year was listening to my 2.5 year old say “whoa” “wow” as he unwrapped each gift. I wish I had remembered to get it on video because it was the best moment of the whole time. Our tree is still up so maybe I can put a video together.

    I love the belly shots Sherry! Those are so beautiful! I need to take some of those too though at 15 weeks, I haven’t really popped yet. And there’s no way my son would stand still long enough to get a shot of me and him on a long exposure!!!

    Reply

  39. Brit [House Updated] says

    What a cute family! Love Clara’s happy faces – aren’t those smiles the best on Christmas? And super love the end-of-post photos! And I have to say, I am really looking forward to Monday’s post for the cabinets – good luck finishing those up this weekend!

    Reply

  40. Katharine says

    So, these comments are both for John:

    1. We also have Ralph and Gus-Gus on our tree! My sister and I got them when we were little (from McDonalds, as I’m sure you remember), and we still love hanging them every year.

    2. As part of my graphic designer duties, I often end up being a photographer’s assistant. Those reflectors can be a pain to get folded back up, so my secret technique is a little something I like to call The Taco Twist. Step one: fold into a taco shape. Step two: twist. That’s it! All folded up!

    Reply

  41. Dana says

    Looks like you had a great time!! I just adore that picture of Sherry in front of the tree!! So special!! Defintiely a good one to bring out in a frame every Christmas :)

    Reply

  42. Laurie says

    Christmas morning is so fun with kids. My nephews were like Clara and it was JOY and ripping wrapping and chaos. I loved it. They were equally passionate when they decided something wasn’t as fun as they would like. Such as when my 5-year-old nephew unwrapped about the 4th book in a row and decided that was enough! Only books!

    It was pretty funny actually. And yes, he did get in trouble for that little tantrum and none of us laughed in front of him. I guess you can only take so much Curious George.

    Reply

  43. Samantha says

    Love all the pics and gifts! What fun :-)
    I wanted to caution you, however, on convos about good ole’ St. Nick. Some little believers can read and actually love to read about Clara and see what she got for Christmas. And at some point Clara will be able to read and might want to look at posts about herself. I wouldn’t worry as much about what goes on in the comments, but in actual posts themselves, I’d be careful. You’d hate to be the grinch that stole Santa. ;-)

    Reply

  45. Laura W says

    So funny, I got the exact same bracelet and ornaments from the hubby! No wonder I love your style! Happy New Year!

    Reply

  46. Darcy says

    Oh Sherry — those last 2 pics of you, the bun,and Clara are just beautiful! Thank you for sharing them with all of us! I hear you on the short torso – I am the same way – I popped really early with both pregnancies, however, I do get bigger and bigger. With my 2nd I was showing and not able to hide it before 12 weeks – like had to tell work before I hit 12 weeks it was so obvious — how crazy is that!

    Having 2 little ones on Christmas morning is really just double the fun, if you can imagine!! Our youngest was born 12/18/12, so this wasn’t his first Christmas, but it was the first that he was not in the newborn fog/sleeping, so it was soo much fun — I will never forget his little face when he saw the tree with all the presents under it!! Its just so much fun! I love the idea of taking a picture sitting on the stairs before tearing into the presents! We had lived in a ranch for most of my childhood, so my family never did that, but I have seen it mentioned before but totally forgot that I love that idea! I hope I remember it for next year!!

    Reply

  47. Kate says

    The bump shot in front of the tree…. love! I wish I had thought to get one like that last year when I was 36 weeks at Christmas. Maybe I’ll remember if we end up having a second one. :)

    Reply

  49. Diana says

    Awww, love you guys! Love the pics and belly shot is amazing!!!! Love this blog! So refreshing and glad I found it a cpl houses ago hahaha! Keep up the good work! Your house is beautiful! I have a little 3 yo boy and he was so fun to watch open his presents this year too (along with four of his siblings and a guest from China)~yes, hectic but fun. Happy New year!!!! Can’t wait to see baby pics! (i’m going to be a grandma any day now! Sooo Excited! oxxoox

    Reply

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