BEST BUDDIES
I wish I could post a picture of Ammon and I but that just would be a lie. He likes me ALOT, even loves me but NOONE matches up to his grandpa (except maybe his mommy). When he is here and Lee comes home he literally starts to shake with excitement sometimes. I get dropped like a lead balloon (yes, Alex another one of my crazy phrases) and he is on to bigger and better things. Sunday he laid down to take a nap with me and said, "I'm going to sleep on my dad's pillow." It was Lee's pillow. Every now and then, to Jody's chagrin, he'll think he has two dads. And the feeling between the two of them is quite mutual. Lee works all week, is tied up with church all day Sunday and so only has Saturday to himself. That day is gladly monopolized hanging out with his best friend, Ammon. They have pancakes, go to the beach, go to Ace Hardware for popcorn, wash the truck, chase each other around playing "Monsters" or something and take a nap together in front of the tv. No wonder I am only a second thought!

ALONE TIME

Lee is off on one of his two annual elk hunting trips for 10 days. I have just started working a week on, a week off and this is my week off. At first I thought I'd go somewhere, visit someone but Lee reminded me I probably shouldn't spend more money so I thought I'd try a new concept. Staying home. So I've cleaned my house and organized the front area better so it doesn't look so random (we are renting and that room is kind of for storage till we start building in a couple of months). I've actually read and studied my scriptures every day, gone to Healthsport and worked out every day and walked every day besides (I love to walk in this one area where I hear this beautiful creek-the things one notices when they have time!) I've gotten my annual pap exam done and am getting a mammo tomorrow. I've watched movies and started the tv series Lost via CDs from the video store. I've gone through recipes and decided to try a few new ones in the next few days and I've been to a tile store, Restoration Hardware and browsed through Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel on line to get ideas for decorating the new house we haven't built yet. I even had time to take Kelly to lunch at Hurricane Kate's in Old Town yesterday. Add in a nap most days and I'm managing to stay busy and getting comfortable being alone. I'm even sleeping good at night now. (Considering that I was afraid to stay by myself till last year, that's saying a lot!) I've had time to smell the roses, watch what I want, go to bed when I want and eat what a want. Pretty nice. Would I trade it to have all five of my children young again and chasing after them??? You bet!!!!

ETHEL UPDATE
When I got to church today, the bishop's wife came up to me and told me that they had about twenty messages on their phone yesterday from Ethel. She was in a dither because she had heard from Tennessee but couldn't get through to us since I blocked her number. I felt bad that the bishop got all those extra calls and also feel bad that our 20+ calls from her will probably go to someone else. However, it has been so peaceful here that I don't feel bad enough to unblock her calls. The bishop has been begging more people to go to choir though and even though I don't sing that good, I went. I figured I owed him something!

AMUSEMENTS AT WORK BY "SWEET BABY"
I often complain that my job can be pretty mundane in the short stay unit for endoscopy. However we sometimes get some amusing/crazy patients who make it more interesting. Today was such a day. We had one woman in her 80's who complained from the minute she walked in. The light was too bright, every spot on her body hurt if you touched it and she didn't want to be there. Big news people-we don't get a commission on how many people come in. We were definitely the ENEMY today though. Wouldn't you know it, we had to try about 10 times to get an IV in her. I think that's a new record. We had to put a towel over her eyes (to hide the blinding light of Humboldt County) and one nurse tried 6 times and I finally got it on my 4th try. She tried every last nerve of mine and I was only in there for about 15 minutes-much less than the other two nurses. Then she reacted adversely to the Versed they gave her in the procedure room and she couldn't even have the procedure. My favorite patient today was a 52 year old rather hefty woman with a past that included "snorting" and other riotous practices since the age of 14. She kept calling me "sweet baby" and blessing me constantly. She has apparently found Jesus in the last few years and is reformed. One of her tatooes is a heart with the name Jesus in it. She told me how her grandson tried to commit suicide a few months ago and told me of every ailment she's ever had. She talked continually when I was in the room. Nonstop. The best was in recovery when she started a nonstop conversation with the woman next to her (poor lady). She also stopped one of the doctors who walked in and told him all about her ailments. Not too unusual except it wasn't her doctor. When I discharged her she walked over to her wheelchair (she's not as bedridden as she says). Before she got to it she stopped and held hands with her neighbor and started praying over her quite loudly. She then wrapped her arms around me and gave me a huge hug because I was such a "sweet baby". You gotta love people like her!!

NO MORE ETHEL
For those of you who know Ethel, please relax, she is still alive and kicking. She just can't call our house 20+ times a day anymore. I've blocked her calls. I know it's evil and mean but my sanity could not stand it anymore. Ethel is about 75 years old (looks 90) with no teeth and some severe dementia. Her house is dark and musty and she smells like moth balls. Her clothes are all soiled and her hair is stringy.The stories I could tell about her are endless and hilarious. She lives alone and calls ALL DAY to members of our church for entertainment. She will call, you talk to her and 5 minutes later she calls again. In the course of your conversations, she will ask you the same thing over and over again. She has about 5 family favorites but I am convinced we were #1 because Lee is her "adopted son" and is so nice to her on the phone. He would tell her these outlandish stories when he talked to her like when she asked about me, he'd say I was at BYU trying out for the cheerleading squad. He told her Lindsey was in the CIA in England. She would believe it all. Her opening line for us is, "I just heard from Tennessee." Lee's parents are in Tennessee and "supposedly" she gets multiple calls a day from people who visit them and she needs to tell us the latest news about them. She'll call at 9:00 and tell us this (midnight in Tenn). Lee will say how late it is in Tennessee and she'll say, "That's what I thought. They stay up late." Five minutes later she'll call and say the same thing. She says her uncle is Ronald Reagan and she used to sing at the Grand Ol' Opry. She and her late husband also helped build the church building here (it had no lay builders), the Medford Temple (he'd died before then), and every other establishment in McKinleyville. One day she told Lee, "You're a good looking fellow Lee. And I'm not telling you that to get you all spunktified!" Hilarious! When he does his home teaching she'll try and give him all these old things she has in her house (junk). One day she gave him an old remote controller after insisting he took it. Before he got home she had called me and said, "Lee took off with my remote. I don't know why he would take it". Once she said she had left her keys to her house in a shed that was locked. Lee and his dad went over and had to pry it open to get them. The next time he was over she took him to the shed and told him someone had broken in and tried to steal her stuff (pointing to the area they had had to pry the shed's lock open. Ethel stories are legendary in our ward and in our home. When I talk to my children on the phoneI can hardly hear a conversation because she is trying on call waiting to get through. Over and over again. When people are here visiting they are shocked by how many calls we get from her. I know it's mean but I couldn't take it any more. Ethel has left the Iorg household. (Lee is her home teacher and will call once a day to check up on her but at least we'll have some peace and quiet now!) Someday I'll get a picture and post it.

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW PAM?
Take the quiz and find out. See Results (Thanks Kelly for the idea!)

EIGHT IS GREAT

Some of my greatest blessings call me grandma.

Kaden is the oldest grandchild at 4 years of age. He is an adorable prankster. I always tell Kasey I can tell the minute he gets up if he has the devil in him and sometimes he does. He and his grandma are great buddies though. We love to get monster popsicles together and go to movies and on walks when I go to Iowa. He loves to go to Trinity Lake and stay in Grandma's "Big Bus" (trailer).


Madison,3, is absolutely beautiful and charming. She gives the best hugs of any of the grandchildren and always runs up and makes everyone feel like they are the most important person in her life. At Trinity she always wanted to swim with GramPam (she also made up that nickname which I love!)

Alexa is our spitfire. I bought her a t-shirt that said "little body, big attitude" and that says it all. She is 3 but acts like a teenager, complete with hormones. She is a tiny, gorgeous creature and an absolute riot. Best of all, she loves being with me!

Ammon, also 3, is the sweetest boy ever. He is very tenderhearted with the biggest imagination ! He continually is playacting at being something: Tarzan, a dog, Bill the chimp from our zoo, Spiderman, Superman, King Kong, etc. He loves me but his true buddy is his grandpa.

Sweet Kyle just turned 1 in August. He has the sweetest smile. He is also the busiest little(?) boy around. Constantly on the move, exploring. His little smile melts his grandma's heart.

Believe it or not, Cohen was born the day after Kyle. There is a huge difference in size but both are adorable. Cohen eats non stop. I swear he could sit and eat all day if we let them. He also knows right where Grandma's cereal is kept and makes a bee line to it constantly. He has the cutest mischievous smile and eyes that twinkle when he smiles.

Beautiful Sienna is 5 months old and is the sweetest, best baby. I always swear the 3rd baby is extra good and she is! I have hardly ever heard her cry, she is always smiling or entertaining herself. I think Matt's Hispanic blood shows in her exotic beauty!

Last, but not least, is our 4 month old British beauty, Isobel. I think she looks like a Porcelain doll with such classic features. She is such a good baby too. She laughs and coos and occassionally "squawks" her displeasure about things but seldom cries. We love her to bits!

HAIL, HAIL THE GANG'S ALL HERE!! (ALMOST)
I think I'm the last person to post about our family's reunion at Trinity Lake over the Labor Day weekend. It started out that Lindsey and Alan and Isobel were coming over so we planned a trip to the lake. We told Chris that he and his family should come down and be with all of us. I mentioned it to Kasey never thinking she'd be brave to fly with all three kids to join us (Matt's in Dental School and couldn't come) but she did. Brave, or crazy girl! Then at the last minute Alex and her two friends decided to drive from Provo for the weekend. What a wonderful time to have all your children, most spouses, and all eight granchildren together. I absolutely loved hearing the words "Grandma" or "GramPam" continually. I loved it when the ALL wanted to go swimming with me or cried when I wasn't on a boat with them. The four oldest slept with Lee and I in our cabin and I was able to eavesdrop on some absolutely adorable conversations. Beautiful children, wonderful spouses, delightful grandchildren. I am blessed.
p.s. When I got home and looked at the pictures I'd taken I realized it was all of the grandchildren. We really did have adults there, next time I'll include them.

THE EMPTY NEST
Well it's official, Alex has flown off (or driven) to Provo and we are now officially empty nesters. It was hard to leave her but I am also so excited for her new experiences and fun times. Kelly and I drove her out there and had a great time eating at all of our favorite places and shopping together. Our empty nest was only empty for two days when happily Lindsey, Alan and isobel arrived. They have been here since so the real empty nest won't happen till next week. Some things are better to procrastinate.