Easter

Easter is probably my favorite holiday and this Easter was definitely a wonderful time! Sun was shining Saturday, easter egg hunt with MJ was super fun, Bruce's Easter message was uplifting, I felt so rejuvinated leaving church and throughout the day, week, and even now! As MJ has always said, "Old church is the best"! It stinks that Marcus works on Sunday's and can't join us (except this last Sunday, which was a real treat) but there's just a family feeling that makes you feel so comfortable and special about Capital Vision Christian Church and that can't be beat! MJ enjoyed another egg hunt where he had actual competition, the girls, MJ and I had a wonderful brunch after church and then went to Centrailia to visit mom. She walked, HE ROSE, just all and all...very nice!

 Romans 1:4-5 And Jesus Christ our Lord was shown to be the Son of God when God powerfully raised him from the dead by means of the Holy Spirit. Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name. (NLT)

PS. I was also born on Easter Sunday and have heard my birth story many times and mom reminds me how it all went down every year! :) I was my mom's little Easter bunny girl, a care package sent from above, hence my middle name Care.

My dear Olivia Care turned 13 on March 19th

My dear Olivia Care
you're growing up to be
a lovely young woman
so special to me.

You're so sweet, so smart
and oh so charming
I love your style and sense of humor

Although sometimes alarming.

You started out
Just under 8 pounds
now standing five foot, four inches
I have also found'

that you've got so much to offer
your brains and your beauty
I feel as your mother
that it’s my duty'

to love you and cherish
all the memories we’ve had
to show you God loves you
and he’ll protect you when you’re sad.

So, remember Dear O-town
you're my shooting star
you are so determined,
I know you'll go far.

As you go on life's journey
I hope that you find
nothing but happiness,
you'll always be mine.

Love your mommy,

Sophia Care

All things are possible

My Madre, Laurella Jean St. Denis

On Monday, January 24th, I was driving home from work and called home to see if I could pick up anything last minute to go with dinner and while on the phone with Marcus, Providence St. Peter Hospital called and Marcus said he should probably answer because it was the second time they had called, back to back.
I pulled into the driveway and Marcus was outside. He let me know that my mom had suffered a stroke and she had a large bleed in her brain and immediately, my heart felt sick. I stayed calm, Marcus had already arranged for my dad to stay there with the kids and I gave them my love, grabbed a few things and Marcus took me to the hospital. We got there and she was in ICU and met the fantastic medical staff and they started explaining everything immediately. The neuro-surgeon explained to us (after reviewing her CT scan) that mom had a severe right brain hemorrhagic stroke. She could see that it had been over 24 hours since the stroke (because it was already showing up on the scan) and mom may have fallen and went unnoticed for a while,which caused her brain to bleed. She let us know, it's a life or death situation and the next three to five days would be crucial and the daily scans and MRI's would tell her if there was continued swelling in her brain, whether it was still bleeding and would shift anymore than it had already. She was conscience when we got there and very spirited, which the nurse explained is very common for neuro patients. They had her on blood pressure medicine to keep it regulated (not too high and not too low) and started a central IV line, feeding tube and put a catheter in. Mom kept insisting that she was going to get up with our help to use the restroom and when I reassured her that she had a catheter in and didn't need to get up, she told me to take a "walk about". It was funny, especially because I had never really heard her use this phrase before. She also didn't like it when I told her she would need to leave her bed controls alone as they didn't want her lieing flat because of the brain injury/bleed and she asked Marcus to come over to talk to her and she told Marcus, "will you tell your "old lady" to take a walk about"? She was cracking us up. She told Sloan and O that she didn't give a "rat's ass" what the Dr. said about where her bed position needed to be. It was nice to see that she was awake, talking and making sense. I spent the night with her and tried to calm her down when she would get scared, sang to her, prayed for her and started a prayer chain with family, church family and friends, mostly using facebook.
My brother, Mikie was leaving Washington DC the next morning and let me know that he would be there soon. Soren, who was in MN, signing papers on a house that him and Jaime made an offer on, he was also going to be coming and after calling the airlines, they decided to drive here as it would be too difficult and expensive to fly him, Jaime and the twins back to WA from MN, so they started their journey to WA after Jamie and the twins had just got to MN to see the house and sign paperwork only a day before the news and Wyatt had gotten an ear infection, maybe from flying and so they had to drive accoss country with a sick little guy and through tons of snow, not fun!
Things went downhill on Tuesday and mom's heart was taking on a lot of stress, her breathing was all over the place, mostly very high and they couldn't get her to be wakeful, much if at all, which for neuro patients is not good. They told me that I there was a good chance that I'd have to make some decisions on life support devices and because her and Adrian weren't married, it would be up to my brother's and I so I needed to be prepared to make these decisions if need be before my brother's arrived. During that time, I was there alone. Adrian had gone out to the island to get the animals and some of mom's things, Marcus had gone to get some things and talk to his boss and Mikie was in the air on his way to us. They gave me a moment and I went to the waiting room while they were running tests, taking chest x-rays and the Dr.'s and nurses were talking things over. A nurse from the quick response team came quickly to get me and brought me to my mom and the Dr. said I had to make a choice if I wanted life support to be used because they needed to use a ventilator to help my mom breathe - they asked me to sign a form and talked to me for a few minutes to explain things. I talked to them about the procedure itself, what risks came with it and what damage it could do to her body, temporarily or permanently. They reassured me that she needed this so give ease her breathing and that her body could not keep up the pace it was on for much longer. A nurse hugged me and said she would be there with my mom the whole time and that she would make sure she was well taken care of and she would come get me in the waiting room when it was in. I made it to the long hallway on my way to the waiting room, until I completely lost it. I prayed for God's hands to be put on my mom, for the medical staff and for strength and His guidance for our whole family. I called Marcus and could barely breathe, I also called Soren, Mikie, who was in Chicago for his lay-over and I also talked to Adrian and a couple of mom's brother's and sisters who were all faithfully praying. Later that evening, John and Sloan had gone to the airport to get Mikie and it was very nice to see him after such a long day. The nursing staff and Dr.'s were all incredible. The nurses showed me downstairs to the fitness center so I could shower, Marcus had brought me fresh clothes and I was feeling much better after a short couple naps. I left the hospital late that night with Marcus to go home and get some good sleep, it was nice to feel the cold night air. Mikie stayed there that night and I ended up getting some much needed rest. When we got back to the hospital, Mikie told me that the Dr. had let him know that if I hadn't made that decision, mom would've passed away on Tuesday afternoon before he had a chance to see her. Those words lingered in my ear, that she was that close to being gone forever!
I prayed a lot, listened to a lot of music and asked everyone for prayers and love. I felt so blessed that God, He who is Lord, always hears our prayers and I could see them being answered already and was excited for the miracles that would keep pouring in.

Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. (Ps 37.5)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. (Prov 3.5-6)

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. (Revelation 21:4)

Since that Wednesday, so much has happened. Soren got there, mom's sister Joyce, her son's Jerrod and Jace came from Redding, CA for 3 nights, mom had ups and downs, we found out she had lung disease and pnemonia, she was getting food through a tube, was very sleepy, she flipped off the Stroke Specialist during her neuro-assessment after not doing much of anything at all since being on the ventilator, her breathing was regulated, got off the ventilator, pulled out her feeding tube, passed a swallowing test to move her to honey thick liquid diet, moved up to the fifth floor and sung "moving on up, to the 5th floor" before she left the ICU, talked to us, cried, started passing her neuro tests, apologized for flipping the Dr. off, got moved to the 5th floor on Tuesday night right as we were leaving to take Mikie to the airport, Soren had left on Monday morning, Joyce, Jerrod and Jace left Monday night, I came back to work on Wednesday, mom's diet was upgraded to pureed food on the fifth floor, I visited mom during her lunch, fed her and after work, I came back and spent time with her, Thursday night, Marcus, Linni, MJ and I helped her move to the onsite, Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit where she'll be until about March 4th. Her diet was upgraded yet again to soft foods with more consistency, some things she's been loving, Wendy's chili, strawberry shakes, breakfast omelets and pretty much anything that you put in front of her. She started feeding herself and doing a great job, her liquids can now be normal without being thickened, she's sitting up in a wheel chair, her catheter was removed and she can roll over in bed with help, she can use the restroom with help. Last night she concentrated really hard and moved her left hand and toes for the first time since the stroke. She has a huge appetite, she is in good spirits and working very hard in speech, occupational and physical therapy six days a week. She has a lot of visitors, cards and care packages coming in from her family, everyone has been so wonderful and supportive. Her mom plans on coming to see her soon and bring her an apple pie because that is one of the first things she asked about when getting the ventilator out. I have spent every day with her whenever I can. It's been so nice, just loving her back to health! Mom, you are my sunshine and I love to love you and will continue doing so always and forever!

Some pics of mom in the hospital and a couple of her growing up, you always have and always will be absolutely beautiful mom, inside & out!

Tuesday evening

Friday morning

Monday afternoon

Monday afternoon, mom's sister Joyce and two of her son's Jerrod & Jace

Tuesday afternoon (Wind up Here toy store, downtown) before Mikie left for airport

Otown and MJ in Wind up Here

Mom's high school graduation picture

Mom and Mikie :) (I love you, big brother)

in Minnapolis, MN when Mikie was about 6

On Tuesday, we let Linni & Olivia stay home from school to spend one last day with their uncle before he had to go back to DC and we went to the hospital to visit mom and after that, we spent the whole day away from the hospital, doing fun things with the girls and MJ. We had so much fun and it was greatly needed to have this time together and just be out of the hospital. Thanks Mikie and kiddos for a great day! Sloan wasn't able to stay home as she was taking her finals, we missed you - especially eating our 7,000 calories of ice cream! (each)

Keep up the hard work mom, you're doing amazing! Thanks be to You, God for your miracles in mom and Your continued work in all of us!

One less ovary

I didn't know much about ovaries until last week, I'm still no expert but a little more in "the know" after Monday. I had my right ovary removed after having issues with ovarian cysts. I found out that you don't really need both ovaries and I could actually still get pregnant IF we wanted to, which we don't. Life carries on the same, the only difference is that I no longer have an IUD and will now be taking birth control pills, which I haven't done for many, many years. Along with that comes having a period, cramps and possibly PMS. Poor Marcus, now he will have 3 out of 4 girls in the house experiencing these symptoms, yikes! I'm so sorry babe, I'll try to take it easy on you.

I didn't work all week, last week. Stayed home, slept a BUNCH and spent time with my wonderful family! That part was really nice, everyone did a great job taking care of me - I'm so thankful. I went to watch some basketball on Friday, went out afterwards with Marcus, Dad, Kyle and Ashley, I was going a little stir-crazy from being at home all week. It's refreshing to be back at work, especially to feel good enough to be at work. I miss being home too but there's something about getting dressed, combing your hair and going to work like a big girl. :)

Jaws by Linni Marie-Care St. Denis & Marcus Vincent Alan Sledge

Two Thousand WHAT? Eleven

Wow 2011, how did you get here already?!

We had my brother and family here for New Years, we had good times, let's see, we had a family kick ball game on New Years Day which was dad's idea, the kids did apple cider toasts on NYE with dinner and for the ones that stayed standing, (Marcus, O-town, Pito, Linni, Rena and me) we watched the ball drop, participated in Marcus' fireworks display, smacked glasses with our fancy champagne flutes outside in the freezing cold, ran around outside like crazy people banging pots and pans. When we got everyone to bed, Marcus took me downtown for a few dances at the Royal, which was so much fun! Earlier, Jaime and I drank a mimosa or maybe I had a few more, we had a great dinner as we usually do when they are here, Soren made steaks from Mike's meats and I even had a little bonding time with him during their time here, which was nice. We stayed up late one night and watched a comedy show and watched some Minnesota Twins videos on the computer, we also watched the last part of the movie, Meet Joe Black together. I'm going to miss him and after Jaime and the kids leave from Wenatchee, I'll be heart-broken not seeing them as often as we have had the privleage of lately but I'm happy for Soren and the possibilities this new job will bring their family too. I just wish we could move there too along with Marcus' parents and brother, then I'd be set! They left on Sunday morning and Soren left for good on Monday to MN, he had been coming home to Wenatchee and going back to MN and now he'll be solo until Moya's surgery in March, when they go to Germany. It will be Soren, Jaime, Moya and Wyatt. So, Sarena and Hudson will be home in Wenatchee with Jaime's family.

NYE pics to follow...

Right now, we're in the thick of things with basketball. Three out of our four kids are playing in a league and Olivia in TWO leagues! Heck, we should get Pito playing with the Y, and why not...we should coach too. :) So our evenings consist of quick dinners, practices every day except Sunday for Sloan, Everyday except the weekends for O and two nights a week, she has double practices, Linni also practices two nights a week with games on Saturdays and Sloan & O-town playing in games for their school leagues two nights a week and Olivia also playing on the weekends for her AAU league, South Sound Pride! Wow, now that's a busy schedule. O didn't even start her homework until after 9 pm last night, then showered, made a lunch and picked out her clothes for school. That's just crazy and she's only a 7th grader, Sloan's a 10th grader and she is swinging with the varsity crowd this year, she plays the 1st quarter with JV and she's allowed 3 quarters with varsity. She's learning and starting to play varsity speed, which was the one thing that her coach said was holding her back from playing varsity. Now if we could get these girls to start pumping I-RON (as Pito says) they'd really be weapons on the court. I'm so proud of my girls!! So, here's my shout-out..."GO BLACK PANTHERS (I know, I know, that was the name the girls voted on), JEFFERSON JAGUARS, SOUTH SOUND PRIDE & CAPITAL COUGARS! SINK IT LINNI, O-TOWN, SLOANIE, SINK IIITTTT!!"

Olivia's "Pride" basketball team, she's in the upper left corner

Warm ups

Here's "blackjack" coming through the fan line

More basketball pics and some of Linni too to come...

My baby's not a baby anymore!

Sloan Christine Jackowich,

My Sloanie Bologna

Oh how you've grown!

soon you will be leaving me, your childhood and your home

Be there for you, yes, I will

Until the very end

And even after that

I'll always be your mommy, your friend!

I love you SO BIG!

Love,

   your mom

The girls' new green room!

We finished their room just before Sloan's 16th Birthday on December 7th, we're so happy to be almost done with this, only have a couple finishing touches left. The girls absolutely love it! Good work babe, you did a great job! :)

The green looks a little obnoxious in the pictures but it really does look great

They especially love the big mirror (in the pic, you can see lines or streaks but it's just the flash) to get ready in front of and they can actually see their clothes too. Only full length mirror in the house. They all sit in front of it and do makeovers too, very cute! I invited myself down there the other night to a slumber party, we all watched 50 first dates and I slept with Sloan in her new bed, they tried to kick me out but I wouldn't go...they loved it! (so did I)

We love because He first loved us. John 4:19

We were blessed with a magical Christmas this year, an amazing family, clean and cozy home decorated with ornaments and lights, incredible food, health, Christmas joy, cheer and love! Glory be to God and happy happy Birthday to our King and Savior, Jesus Christ! Woo Woo!

Christmas eve

Christmas eve

Christmas eve

Mom & Dad Sledge on Christmas eve, sure is a nice coat Mom! I think Dad was singing in this pic. :)

Linni adding her special touch to the mini pies on Christmas afternoon

Matt & Turk, enjoying themselves during Pito and Gammy's naptime

Pito ponging it up on Christmas eve

Sloan & O are growning up, they are so beautiful and all around good girls! As you can see, after presents Linni was nowhere to be found. She was downstairs having fun with her the new Wii game, Sing It. (which she'll have mastered in a week if she hasn't already)

Sloan leaving with her dad and O on Christmas, this is HER car that John & Kim got her for her 16th Birthday. She drove away on Christmas and it hit me that in a month she'll drive away by herself. Wow, I seriously can't believe how fast time flies! I love our kids so much, it's bitter-sweet seeing them grow up.

My husband's masterpiece picture, just adding the finishing touches to the table

Our mini pie display

We had a Merry Christmas with Papa too!

Jr out cold on Christmas night

Pito's idea to rock his Christmas tie with cozy pants. :)

Pito with his 2nd best buddy, Barkley

We had a beautiful Christmas, it was the first year we've had Christmas at our house. Turk, Jackie and Matt joined us on Christmas Eve afternoon and we had dinner before we went to church. We started what I hope to be a tradition of having Mexican food on Christmas eve, it was so delicious! Marcus made tortilla soup and Matt made bomb chicken enchilada's. Church was great and was so great to be there as a family! It was a perfect night, brought the ping pong table up into the dining room, which sounded like a good idea but I think we'll leave that out next year. It was fun though! The kids all played and Matt and Marcus had a pong dual too. I think Matt won in OT. :)

Marcus and I tried our mini pie recipe late that night and I had so much fun with him and the mini pies turned out so cute and yummy too. We saved the rest to have Linni help with. The kids and adults slept in, woke up at 8:15, Marcus' parents & brother came a few minutes later so it was perfect timing. We also put the beef brisket in the crock pot on low on Christmas eve so it was already done and smelling delicious Christmas morning. We opened presents and gammy and Pito took a nap in Sloan's new bed and everyone relaxed and watched sports, home alone and a little bit of the Christmas story, we did Birthday toasts for Jesus, which was so cute seeing Pito do, he sang Happy Birthday to Jesus too and we celebrated with a Christmas feast. Marcus made his first prime rib and it was mouth watering! Everything was beautiful and the dinner was just delicious! The girls couldn't be there to enjoy it but we'll have leftovers tonight and I think they'll be pleased, plenty of gammy's mac n cheese left too. I thought about hiding it so they wouldn't eat it all but my pants are already tighter today so I left it to be devoured by the wolves.

Fun was had by all!