The kids met Santa today

When Jim and Allan dropped me off at the mall this morning, they walked me in. Around the corner from the store, Santa and his helpers are set up in front of a wintery backdrop. There wasn't a line of kids, since it was a) the middle of the day and b) not even Thanksgiving yet.
I'm told that Allan ran up to Santa, hugged him, received a book and was ready to walk away. He wasn't scared, in awe or really even phased at all. He just saw the man in red and went in for the hug.

Tonight when the family picked me up from work, we walked Elaine over to meet Santa. She went over and told Santa that she wants "more barbies, hair things and more blankets." Santa gave her a book. I asked Elaine why she told Santa that she needs blankets. She has 4-6 kid-sized blankets that are only hers and recently, she's been borrowing one of my big comforters... so it's not like she's cold or anything. She just said that blankets would be a good gift.
She has lots of Barbies that I keep stored away, because they end up all over the floor. Only a handful of them are in her toy box. I think for Christmas I'm gonna TRY to find her one of those over-the-door Barbie storage things (they look like shoe racks) to keep her dolls off the floor and safe from her brother. That way, if Santa does get her even more Barbies, we wont end up walking on them, and the dolls she already has will be safe(r).

Elaine said the other day that Allan wants "A truck toy, Kung Fu Panda, more transformers and a hellicopter." When she told me that, I asked her, "Can Allan even SAY hellicopter?".
Elaine looked at Allan and said, "Say hellicopter."
Allan said, "hellicopper."
Elaine grinned at me, "See! He said he wants a hellicopter!!"

suspenders

Allan started wearing suspenders this week. We had them in with some hand-me-downs from friends. He wore jeans that were too big, so I busted out the suspenders and he loves them. He wants to wear them with everything, including shorts. It's adorable/ridiculous.

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We went to Fumie's viewing Friday night. It was nice to see Margaret and Katie again. Katie came up from Florida.

Bracing for Impact: We're about to lose a friend

Pics of Fumie with baby Elaine (2002)

Allan called and emailed us the other day to let us know that Fumie had a heart attack last Tuesday. She went to the hospital and they learned that she had this and that infection, which postponed the ability to test Fumie for different blockages. They discovered today that Fumie has calcium deposits INSIDE her arteries and needs a heart surgery for her to live. Fumie said "no". She essentially put her foot down that she is done. Fumie is on a dopamine drip for now to keep her blood pressure up.
When I got a call telling me about Fumie's decision, I talked to my boss and got off work early tonight. My family met Dave at the hospital in Garland. The kids waited in the waiting room while we all took turns visiting with Fumie and Allan. She is ready to go. She told me that she didn't know how long it would take.
Allan talked a lot about practical things. He said that he wants to make plans and decisions now, before he's running on auto-pilot. He wants Mary and I to go through Fumie's closet and clean it out in the very near future. There wont be a funeral. Fumie doesn't want one. There will be a viewing before she's creamated. She wants her ashes put at the Dallas Arboretum since she loves the flowers.

Fall Allan pics

multitasking

While Elaine was at school yesterday I took some pictures of Allan playing in the yard.
We are all healthy again here. Jim caught the stomach bug, before we were all done with it. But it's gone now.

Fumie is in the ICU after having a heart attack on Tuesday. Last I heard she is stable, but a pacemaker was about to be put in. Big Allan, Mary and Steven are maintaining their routine for her dialysis exchanges every few hours, since the nurses are not use to Fumie's medical routine.

Sick & Sicker

Saturday night at work I started feeling sick. I felt like I was gonna throw up and I had other stomach-related symptoms. When I got home from work, I was miserably sick that night. We missed church Sunday, because I had a fever and this stomach bug from the kids. I was off from work Sunday afternoon, so I kept my feet up all day and tried to rest.

This morning I went to work, but my symptoms continued. So they sent me home sick from work. Pepto isn't helping. Tonight Jim threw up and he's in bed now. So this bug has reached us all.

Both the kids are fine now that the stomach bug ran it's course. Elaine went to school today.

I don't work until 3pm tomorrow. I'm only scheduled for 36 hours this week, and getting sent home sick today has cut into that.

update (my day off)

Dirty Car Art:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1wfWPtjxMA

Elaine is loosing her fever. I hung out with her today while I cleaned my closet and pulled out my winter clothes. But Allan got a fever and began throwing up an hour ago. So I have the kids separated. I don't want Elaine to catch this bug back from Allan.

Jim talked to our landlord today. Elizabeth said that her hubby might have just been ticked off the other day when he said he wasn't doing any of the repairs. She doesn't know if he really will or not. She said she doesn't think we need to move out. But Jimmy says we will still keep an eye peeled for a rental house in the next few months, in case our current landlords flake out about the repairs here.

Overwhelmed with things to do

Elaine woke me this morning, when I heard her vomiting in my bathroom at 6am. She crawled in bed with me and soon after my blanket needed to be laundered. Then Jim's blanket. We tried to get her to drink water (to get the taste out of her mouth). But she almost instantly through it up. She feels warm to the touch, not just her forehead. So we kept her home from school. Jim's been taking care of her all day, since I had to work at noon. He had my boss, Regina, drop off some Gatorade and children's Tylenol at my house, so he would not have to take Elaine to the grocery store. Janneth drove me home from work, so again, Elaine could stay home. **Man, I need to get on the ball about learning to drive!** Elaine still has a low-fever. Jim said she has been asleep most of the day. I don't know if she'll go to school tomorrow.

I'm off of work on Friday... yes, a full day off.

Jim just told me that he got a call from our landlords today. These are the people who own the trailer, not the land. They recieved a letter from the trailer park management with a laundry list of new repairs that have to be done on this trailer in the next 6months. Our landlords asked Jim today how much longer we want to live in the trailer. He got the impression that they may move the trailor or let the bank foreclose on it. They told Jim today that they don't intend to do ANY of the repairs. Jim is gonna go pay rent tomorrow and talk to them about what they plan is. If we need to move out in the next 5 months, it'd be good to know.

I got a 50cent per hour raise at work.

Rick made me a copy of the Mall's mandatory "Holiday hours", so I can let him know of any time-conflicts. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, the mall is still open until 6pm. On 'black Friday', all the stores in the mall have to open at 7am!! I'm supposed to let Rick know of any time conflicts as soon as I hear about them.
I already told Rick that I want off on Elaine's birthday in December. He said that if I want them, I can get LOTS of hours this November and December.

He's also looking to hire a new assistant store manager with dance background. At any time, the store needs someone who can cashier and someone who can fit dance shoes. Both Yvette and I can do both, when neccesary, so we get the most hours at the store. We all want another person who can run the cash register and fit dance shoes correctly. That way Yvette, myself and the Cheathams aren't working crazy hours this holiday season. We could trade off more.

Election Day

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I learned that in the last two weeks I worked 140 hours. It's much slower at work now. I've begun the process of washing all the rental costumes which are still returning from the 31st. Tonight I closed the store, so Rick could go home and see his son.

We saw Dave yesterday and it sounds like we'll see him again this weekend. He brought Jimmy a computer monitor that was gonna be discarded at his job. So that was nice of him.

I'm trying to get caught up on laundry now that I'm back home more. I also drug out the kids winter clothes from the shed and started hanging them up. I've been weeding out the clothes that are too small for Allan, to give to Pamela's son, Cole. Allan is definitely set for fall and winter clothes. His closet is packed tight. He has four different jackets that should fit him this winter. So that's all a relief.

I've lost 8 pounds this month. I joke that I worked my butt off, but the weight actually looks like it's gone from my arms and rib-area.

Elaine said she voted at school today "for the one that looks like us." She pointed at McCain on TV. I don't know what to think about the way she phrased it. It sounds kinda bad, but that's the innocence of youth for ya.

Allan insisted on brushing his teeth three times this morning before I went to work. He's showing off.

Jim showed me some Polaroids of the kids that were taken at Rick and Regina's church on the 31st. I need to scan them into the computer to show yall.

Happy Hallelujah pictures

My hours should get back to normal at work. There were nights this week when we worked til 2am cleaning up after customers and preparing costumes for pick-ups.

Me, Jennifer and Yvette at work.

On Thursday and Friday the store was CRAZY. People waited in lines for 40 minutes to rent costumes! The customers trashed the store. There were costumes on the floor, ripped packages and lots of customers who were annoyed that the 6 of us were not omniscient.

After work on the 31st, Rick and Regina wanted to take the staff and my family out for Mexican food, while we still had our costumes on. Jim and the kids met the rest of us at El Guapos. Earlier that night Jim took the kids to two church Fall Festivals. The kids got lots of Candy that we have stashed away.

Regina and Elaine

Today I got off work at 6pm, so I'm resting up.