The aftermath...

It is soooo fun for us to put up our Christmas decorations, but it takes an act of Congress to get them all down. lol Tonight was the night. I could not stand to look at them a minute longer. Keep in mind, I start celebrating Christmas in late August so I am READY to move on once it is 12am December 26th. :) I HAD to take pics of the mess as we started taking everything down. I have to put everything in front of me before I organize it into it's proper bin so for half the night, stuff is everywhere. I am happy to announce this house is Christmas decoration free and now it is time to bust out our Valentines decorations! :)

Below: A little someone kept trying to "help" Daddy so Daddy had to give him a little upside-down tickle. :)

Below: After we took the tree down and put away some bins...

Looks naked huh? I think it's time for curtains...

Above: I can't decide if I want to put the bins back in the game room or in the garage. I like for them to be close to me so I can protect them all year... lol

This one is for Grandma

My mom sent Poopie this suit so after church on Sunday, I snapped a couple of pics so she could see how handsome it looked on him... :)

What was

the #1 song when you were born? I stole this from a friend and it is really fun to look up everyone you know... lol

Click here to see yours... http://www.joshhosler.biz/NumberOneInHistory/SelectMonth.htm

The #1 song the day I was born was "I Just Want to Be Your Everything" by Andy Gibb. Who is Andi Gibb?

I forgot these pics...

Above: Santa's number one helper showing his Christmas muscles... :)

Below: The last Christmas story of the season...

Who is ready for...

2009?????????? The Hill Family! That's Who! I am soooo ready for a new year and the renewed sense of enthusiasm that comes with New Years Day. :)

Hill Family Christmas :)

We had a great day today. It started with a wonderful morning and then we had some neighbors/friends over for dinner and games. This year, our family sent a lot of gifts from Cali so we wrapped them all and made the kids wait until Christmas morning to unwrap them. We also wrapped every item (ex: if there were two shirts, we wrapped each shirt individually or if they had a book set, we took the set apart and wrapped each book as it's own gift) so it would look to the kids like they had a million gifts. :) My mom gave us a train a few years ago but this was our first year of putting a train out for Christmas morning.

Above: Eric's sister sent this to Poopie and he is a "Cars" freak so he was sooo happy. :) Above: Daddy had video duty...

Below: Uncle Isaac (Eric's brother) is one of Poopie's heroes because he is a "Cops" as Poopie calls him (he is a LA County Sheriff) so he sent Poopie a real replica of a LA Sheriffs car that came with a REAL police patch/badge. Poopie LOVES his police car and in this pic, he is showing us his Cops face. lol

Below: Miguel found one of the gifts I had hidden in the tree. I like to hide other gifts around so it keeps the fun going after they thing it is over. :)

Above - this year we had a WONDERFUL secret Santa who brought the kids some really cool gifts. Andi LOVES HSM and she was THRILLED to get this CD from Santa.
Below: Every year, we collect all the paper and let the kids play in it like fall leaves. the paper is the best part of Christmas! :)

Below: Checking the loot in their stockings...

Below: Pops & Nana sent us SEASON TICKETS TO SIX FLAGS! (aka Magic Mountian for you Cali peeps. :)

For Christmas Dinner, we had our friends and neighbors Joni & Kent, Stephanie & Gabe, Lillie and Connor. (the kids) We had a gift exchange, shared dinner, played a game and enjoyed each others company.

Below: Poopie calls Gabe his "best friend." :)

Below: last but not least, here is our 2008 "Wall of Love." We started this tradition the first Christmas after we were married. I love walking past the wall and looking at the cards every day. Do you see you card up there? :)

Our Christmas Eve... Pic overload! lol

I am happy to announce that "Operation Cookie Drop" was a success again this year. :) We loved leaving goodies for our friends and neighbors. This year, we gave out 23 plates of cookies. In keeping with our Texas Tradition, we ended at the home of the Opfars who again by tradition are the only "at the door pics." Thanks Andrea and family! lol Please don't ever move because you will ruin our tradition. :) hahaha

Anyway, tonight we hung our "real" stockings up on the fireplace, (I keep "for looks only" ones up until Christmas Eve) and the kids opened one gift each which were new jammies from Eric's parents. After leaving cookies for Santa, they eagerly went on their way upstairs. I LOVE this time of year. I love traditions, family time and experiencing everything through the eyes of our kids. So... with no further a-do... Here are the pics of the Hill Family Christmas Eve...