How do you train a monkey?

I have never had a monkey before. I am not sure of how to care for them or keep them safe. Can anyone help me?
My monkey is named Logan and he is NOTHING like his older brother. We NEVER had to child proof with Alex. When he heard the word no he stopped. With Logan if you say no he just laughs and does it again. I fear for when he is older. We are going to max out our deductibles in February. Click on the picture to see a slideshow of our mischievous monkey.

The Birthday Bash!!!

We had such a fun weekend celebrating Alex's birthday. We started out with a friends party on Saturday. They watched Cars and had cake and Alex was spoiled by all of his friends.
Then another request of Alex's was to go sledding. We figured this would be easier to do on Saturday so we all bundle up and headed up to Old Main Hill. There was fresh powder and we had so much fun. I (mom) even went to the very top of the hill and that was a blast. We did not brave that with the kids. Alex had a lot of fun.
Then on Monday we went bowling with just our little family. Alex won, I guess bumpers and aimers really help:) All of us got a spare, even Logan, and mom was lucky enough to get a strike.
Then we came home for a birthday dinner of waffle sticks. Alex was dying to open presents so we finally did that. Thanks grandparents for the presents. He loves them. From mom and dad he got a new comforter and sheets set, Cars of course. We then had birthday cake. Overall it was a fun birthday weekend!!

Part 2

Ok so I posted the whole story this morning but apparently you can only type so many words. Here is part 2 so please read part 1 first.
We were told that he would be going to NICU for the night and we would not be able to stay with him. I was heart sick. I was not very excited about leaving my brand new baby by himself all night. After two days in the hospital we received some good news, the cancer looked like the kind that goes away on its own. Nothing would need to be done. I was elated that we could take our baby home. The next day the shoe dropped and I was not prepared for the phone call we received. The doctor said they had sent the sample off to three places, the first two said all was ok but the third one showed that it was worse than the first two so chemo would need to be done. We were heartsick. How do you give chemo to a one month old baby?
We then turned the situation over completely to the Lord. Our families, friends and wards had a fast for us and a lady in my in-laws ward, who works as a secretary for Elder Scott, asked if Alex could be put on the 12's prayer roll. We of course said yes. When she asked Elder Scott if he could be added he asked for the situation of the child. When Alex's story was shared he asked her to call us and see if it was ok if he gave him a blessing. When my mother-in-law called me I was shocked and of course said yes. We set up the blessing for the 15th of Feb., 5 days before the central line was to be put in.
When we got to Elder Scott's office he talked with us for a few minutes and then turned to my husband and asked who he would like to do the blessing. It was awesome to see an Apostle of the Lord acknowledge the patriarachal order of the Priesthood. My husband asked if he would give the blessing. Elder Scott commanded his body to heal itself. The angels were present that day and we knew that all would be ok no matter what the outcome was. That weekend I had conversations with both of our moms, at seperate times. I told them I had just had a really strong feeling that he needed to have another ultrasound. They both told me that they had had the same feeling. The central line was scheduled for Wednesday, Monday was President's day so I knew there was no way of getting it done then. I called first thing in the morning on Tuesday and could not get a hold of our doctor. I called other doctors that I knew throughout the hospital and none of them could order the ultrasound. Finally around 2 in the afternoon Dr. Wagner called me back. He was really annoyed with me and was wondering why I was calling all over the hospital. I told him I wanted another ultrasound and he said that he was not going to order it for me. I told him I would sit in radiology until someone agreed to do the ultrasound. I argued with him for a few minutes when he finally said, "Will this make a difference as to what you do tomorrow?" I said yes and he said that the insurance company would not pay for this as it was not necessary. I told him I did not give a damn as to who paid for it but it would be done. He said he would call me back. When he did he said you have 10 minutes to get up here. I did not have a car and so I called my mom and she came and got me.
The results of the ultrasound were nothing short of a miracle. The tumor had shrunk by 1/3 since the last ultrasound a week prior. I cancelled all chemo and the doctor asked me if I knew what I was doing to my child. I said yes I do. By April the tumor was gone and today we have a happy, healthy six year old.
Miracles do occur in our day and age. God leads and guides His people with His spirit. I am grateful for my husband and all those around me who hold the priesthood for their worthiness in holding that sacred power and their willingness to use it. I am grateful for all of the wonderful friends and family that supported us and helped us in so many ways. Most of all, thank you to Alex. You are a great kid and you have so much faith. Enough to pray and make the rain stop just for a picture. Thank you for teaching me so much!!! I love you!!!

The Miracle that is Alex (This is long and just a rambling of thoughts)

It was exactly 6 years ago today that I went into the hospital to deliver my first baby. I knew this would be a new learning experience but I was so excited to start the journey called motherhood. Little did I know how much my little boy was going to teach me about our gospel plan.
On Wednesday January 16th, Dr. Ashton was doing the going home exam and Andy and I were getting the bags packed and ready to take our baby home. The doctor felt something that he thought was a pronounced liver, he was not too concerned about it but he wanted to do some tests. Alex had numerous blood tests done and an ultrasound. We would not be given the accurate diagnosis until he was 8 days old. They kept us in the hospital until the 18th when they finally released us to go home. We had an appointment with Primary Children's the following Tuesday. I remember that day and it was a day of hell. We went from test to test to test with no one telling us anything at all. Alex had to drink contrast for the CT Scan, that was fun. I just held my baby the whole time and tried to tell him it would all be ok. I was scared to death inside not knowing what we may be up against. After all the tests were done we were still told nothing except to come back and meet with Dr. Wagner in Oncology the next day. Oncology, what, my mind was reeling. I knew what that word meant but there was no way that my baby could have the awful C word. Please God, no.
The next day it was confirmed he had stage 4S cancer. In stage 4S, the following are true:
the child is younger than 1 year; and
the cancer has spread to the skin, liver, and/or bone marrow; and
the tumor is in only one area and all of the tumor that can be seen may be completely removed during surgery; and/or
cancer cells may be found in the lymph nodes near the tumor.
I knew what spreading to the liver meant it was his death sentence, my nine day old baby was going to die and I had to be the strong one for him. I had to tell him it was all going to be ok. But was it? They did a few more tests and scheduled him for a biopsy on February 4th, the anniversary of me entering the MTC. Coincidence? I do not think so. That was a spiritual journey that I entered that day and now I was in for another of the most trying times of my life. We blessed Alex on the 3rd so he would have all of the ordinances possible in case the worst happened.
On the 4th we took him in for the biopsy first thing in the morning. By 5 o'clock he was still not out of surgery I was panicking. I was calling all over the hospital to find out why the 2 hours surgery was taking so much longer. Finally they called me and said they had given him to much anesthesia and that he would need to stay in NICU for the night. (See part 2)

Sledding!!

Here we are sledding on ice down Old Main Hill. Both of our runs our together on the video. Enjoy!!!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

My Two Boys

For Christmas the boys got some cute new Sunday clothes from the grandparents. They looked so cute I had to take pics. ENJOY!!!







PS Thanks Jenn for helping me get the pics loaded, who would have thought about a third party server.

Tech Problems!!

I need to send an apology out to my blog stalker. I can't get any pics or videos to post on here so that is why there are no new posts. If anyone knows why this is happening please let me know.

Candy Canes, not just a Christmas Treat!!!

If you know me at all you will know that I am obsessed with peppermint. If anyone complains about an upset stomach, I hand them a candy cane. For anyone that has morning sickness I take them a handful of candy canes. This obsession is a family one that has been passed from my grandpa, to my mom, to me and even Alex knows the magical cure. It goes back to Brigham Young, who use to grow peppermint in his garden for this purpose.
Well yesterday I could not breathe due to a stuffy nose. I could not find anything to unclog me but I did come across the bottle of peppermint oil I used for labor. I tried it and it worked plus I smelled wonderful.
I bring this up because now is the time to go stock up on this Christmas treat. We always buy a lot of candy canes to last us through the year and any ailments that can be cured with this magical treat. Who knows maybe the cure for cancer can be found in peppermint?