As Time Goes By

Happy Father's Day!!

2011-06-27T12:38:00.000-07:00

We have been getting around to things a little late this year. Especially me. On Father's Day JJ and I were both sick. So instead of tons of delicious food and a clean house for the man of the house, Josh got to take care of us. That is the kind of man Josh is. He may have been disappointed about the lack of a Father's Day but, he didn't fuss at all. Josh is so understanding and rational. Two qualities I lack.
As I was looking through photos for this post I came across this one. It is the day JJ was born. Josh's huge smile only gives a glimpse of the joy he felt that day. Josh loves being a dad and he is a really good one. He does more than his share of caring and taking care of our child. He loves us so much that he was even willing to do a crazy sleep schedule and only get 3 hours of sleep so he could spend more time with us. I really love this guy!

I love you because you love our child so much.I love you because you are so freakin' hot!
I love you because you are always willing to be the one that carries JJ. And you enjoy it (so does JJ)!
I love you because you are such a righteous man and you teach our son to be the same. You are such a good example to all of us.
I love you because you are so much fun.

We really think you great!! Sorry Father's Day wasn't much this year! JJ and I really want to make it up to you!

JJ's new hobbies

2011-06-25T20:31:00.000-07:00

Now that JJ is one, he has picked up a few new hobbies....

1.) trash collecting. (You can't pry it out of his hand if your life depended on it)

2.) Cooking. Somehow food tastes better if cooked on the ground with a few dust balls.
3.) Cleaning. I'm grateful this kid finally wants to start cleaning up after himself. He is sooo helpful. ;-)

4.) ART. We have a real Picasso on our hand here. So creative, not scared push boundaries and try new mediums.

Face Founatin

2011-06-25T20:06:00.000-07:00

Right before our friends left we decided to make a trip to the face fountain. Josh and I had never been. We have seen it many times but, have never gone and played. JJ wasn't thrilled with all the splashing. However, he did have tons of fun with his buddy Luke. Aren't they so cute together. JJ and I are really missing our friends!

I have such a cute kid!

Maybe they will grow up to be college roommates, mission comps, maybe even marry a set of sisters. I hope we can see our friends soon! I seriously want to eat these guys.
Wow! Elise and I are smokin' hot! Don't be jealous of my awesome hair and rock hard abs. I really think we should have worn our bikinis.

Happy Belated Birthday to JJ!!!

2011-06-12T20:45:00.001-07:00

Dear JJ,
We celebrated your first birthday exactly one month ago. You keep us pretty busy, so that will be our excuse to why we are just barely getting around to making this post. We threw you an awesome MONSTER birthday party. Mom made monster cupcakes and even a monster cake.
Look at that scary monster.
It was mom's first try at making a cake like this, so unfortunately it turned out scarier than she had hoped for. It began to self destruct.
You look so enthused.

You liked it at a distance....
but, it must have been a little too scary.
We had lots of friends come over (the Hall's and the Robert's). You had so much fun chasing the big kids around. We also had a really cool pinata that your dad and I spent hours making. You cried when people began to hit it. Hopefully you will enjoy it better next year. Happy Birthday JJ. We love you so much and we are so grateful for this year of joy and blessings you have brought into our lives. You are growing up sp fast and learning so quickly. We are excited for all the neat experiences you will have in the coming years but, we also wish we could pause time and keep you like this forever!!

JJ's first steps

2011-04-28T16:23:00.000-07:00

Willis Tower formerly known as Sears Tower

2011-04-27T17:24:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago Josh's family came to town to visit us before Josh's brother and sister head off on their missions. We took this opportunity to go to the Sears Tower. This is the first time we had done this in the 2 1/2 years we have lived here. I was surprised by the intensity of it all. In order to get to the top you have to go through metal detectors and security, take two different elevators (first one that goes down one floor, then one that takes you to the top). You also get to watch an interesting video about the Sears Tower and how they LOVE to recycle (I think they do this so people don't get impatient while waiting in massive lines). Anyway, it was way cooler than I thought it would be and JJ was pretty fearless stepping out on the Skydeck. My little dare devil. He LOVED it!

Every Tuesday looks a little bit like this.....

2011-04-09T14:33:00.000-07:00

So just to warn you this post is more for memory sake than for entertainment value. Be prepared to see lots of pictures of people you do not know and most likely do not care about.

I wake up to bowl of some this good stuff! where I then proceed to try and feed my child something with a little less sugar content.

I then head out to go see my chiropractor and am forced to walk by these outrageous gas prices. Crazy I know!! That's Chicago for ya.

This is my awesome chiropractor Dr. Bridget. She rocks but......

She makes me wear this on my head.

I then proceed to take the bus that magically whisks me off to school. Just like the Magic School Bus.

This is my awesome school right in the heart if downtown Chicago.

Which is right across the street from this.

And here I am in my speech class with Fred and Krissy.

This is part of my lunch crew. haha Alicia (A-lee-see-a) and Krzystof, we call him Kris. i love having friends that are 18.

My school is also across the street from this.

I get home and we all try to put some food in our bellies. Do I look frazzled in this picture?

Then we have bath time.

Then time for bed. I love this picture of Josh ;-) I don't think you can tell but, JJ is screaming in this photo.

This is usually proceeded by me crashing on the couch. Good Night all.

New Sleep Blog

2011-04-04T01:26:00.000-07:00

We will be taking this family blog private, so if you'd like to continue following my sleep experiment I encourage you to check out http://crazysleepschedule.blogspot.com/

Sleep Log Day 3

2011-04-02T00:36:00.000-07:00

I survived today. I had a few hours of uninterrupted work with a decent level of concentration in the morning, and then spent the afternoon spending money with my wife. She has been very supportive lately (would like me to finish school early I think), and even played with JJ in the backseat of our parked car while I took my 5 pm nap. For all of my naps today, I've fallen asleep rather quickly, but haven't felt totally refreshed after waking up. This was especially true at 1:30 am, and I washed the dishes and cleaned up until I felt I could manage some minor concentration (side note, washing knives when you're sleep deprived is not a good idea!).

We have a goal as a couple to cut all sweets out of our diet, and I imagine this will benefit my sleep adaptation. In some ways I feel like I'm not making much forward progress (and even slipping back) because the first night was so pleasant and productive. These last two nights have been much harder by comparison. I'm not planning on quitting any time soon though, and sincerely hope that my body adjusts sooner rather than later.

Day 2

2011-04-01T00:49:00.000-07:00

I'll admit I started to get a little droopy and worried tonight, but thank goodness for mindless internet games! I feel like I've managed to push through the hardest part of the night, and hopefully I may even get some work done now (I feel rather alert, so I'll try to read a few academic articles). I've held true so far though, and kept to my 1, 5, 9 schedule. That means I got around 3 hours of sleep on Thursday, and am on target to do the same today.

Reset Button: Day 1

2011-03-31T02:17:00.000-07:00

Starting something new and sticking with it takes a lot of effort. Especially when it involves sleep. The power of the pillow seems to grow stronger each year of my life (having a kid didn't help), but I'm determined to show my pillow who's master. This was a big part of my decision to drastically change to a polyphasic sleep schedule. I just don't want to sleep so much each day, and feel that especially now (young family, healthy, student) is a great time to be super productive. It's probably not far from the truth that what I accomplish in the next two years will determine the trajectory of my entire career (and possibly entire life).

Putting that in perspective provides a lot of motivation. But last night I wasn't thinking of any of that, just how dang tired I was walking up and down the hallway with eyes half shut. So I gave up around 1:30 am and crawled into bed with my wife for the night (she thought she was dreaming). I wish I knew why I never quite woke up from that 1 am nap (it was not refreshing at all). My mom would probably say it's because I'm doing something crazy and unnatural, but I tend to blame it on something more concrete, like possibly my diet or lack of exercise. Anyway, I woke up feeling a bit dejected and guilty, and took some time to think about why I want to do this and how badly I want it. Conclusion: I want it real bad.

So I hit the reset button and am trying to remove all the mental roadblocks that may prevent me from reaching this goal. I all in. I'm trying to brace myself for the sleepless nights so I can handle it better when I hit that wall. Tonight has started out a lot better that I anticipated (my only nap today was at 9 pm) and I got several hours of work done on my current research project. I'm guessing I'll have some nights (and even days) this week that are completely unproductive, but hope I have the fortitude to pay the cost to reach the gold at the end of this rainbow.

A Little Gem

2011-03-30T19:12:00.000-07:00

I couldn't stop laughing when I saw this picture! I am loving the double chin. As you can he know has 5 teeth total! I was feeding him and he kept throwing his head back which makes his helmet scrunch up his face. Anyway.... I think my kid is the funniest around but, I may be biased.

Sleep Log Week 2

2011-03-29T00:25:00.000-07:00

My life has been quite hectic grading exams, so blogs have taken a back seat. I'm still actively pursuing a polyphasic sleep schedule, with mixed results. March 16 was the last time I went to bed with my wife at night with the intent of sleeping until morning. Over the last 12 days I have had some setbacks, occasionally finding it impossible to stay awake at night and crashing in bed for longer periods of 2-5 hours. These nights typically occurred when my naps during the day were delayed or missed due to various social activities. Given this is an experiment, I have not been harsh on myself at these times but have instead tried to learn more about my body and tried to adapt. I don't think it makes much sense to punish me for trying something so crazy to begin with!

I have also had a couple 2-3 consecutive days/nights of a perfect polyphasic sleep schedule. For instance, last night (Sunday) I awoke from my 9pm, 1am, and 5 am naps alert and ready to grade (which was a common theme last week). Today I functioned quite well on a total of 3 hours of sleep, and while I'm drowsy right now (2:40 am), feel good enough to be reading news articles, blogging, and planning my week. I also took out the trash, organized our storage unit, and cleaned up dinner dishes.

My goal this week is to be much more rigid in my sleep schedule, not drifting much from a scheduled nap every 4 hours. Most of my troubles keeping this schedule seem to stem from waiting too long for a nap during the day, resulting in an uncomfortable and sleepy night. I've decided a 1, 5, 9 schedule fits best with school, church, and family. I hope that after a while I can be more flexible in when I take naps, but I think that adjusting completely to this schedule requires an initial fixed schedule. That's my conclusion anyway.

March Madness

2011-03-28T13:04:00.000-07:00

In my life March Madness has nothing to do with basketball ( although I did enjoy watching Jimmer throw those remarkable 3 pointers). In my world March Madness is what occurs to me right about now. March 20th comes and you think "HURRAY SPRING IS HERE!" You have one or two days of nice weather so, you pack up your winter gear. You do this not realizing that Mother Nature has played a cruel joke on you. The two days of nice weather are followed by snow, unrelenting wind and temperatures in the 30's! WHAT?!! By this time I am on the verge of losing my sanity. I have been locked up in my house with my beautiful child for months! We want to go to the park and go on jogs. Another problem that occurs this time of year is the inappropriate dressing, resulted from getting overly anxious for spring. You will often see many dressed like this freezing their butts off envying the wiser and less anxious ones in the second picture.
So what I am trying to say is SPRING PLEASE COME SOON!!

Progress

2011-03-22T11:45:00.000-07:00

Quick update: I just laid down, fell asleep, dreamed about a large white dog, and awoke without an alarm, and did it in under 15 minutes. When I awoke I was actually afraid I'd overslept! I feel remarkably great right now considering I've slept approx. 3 hours in the last 24 hour period.

Sleep Log Day 5

2011-03-22T01:18:00.000-07:00

This morning was rough. I think changing my 'nap' times on Sunday is the culprit, but regardless I ended up taking multiple short naps between 4am and 7am, but then managed to hang on until 11. Probably the biggest surprise is how suddenly exhaustion can come: I can be doing just fine one minute, and suddenly (about 4 hours after my last nap) my body starts to ache and mind goes fuzzy. It's pretty much clockwork, so I'm trying to work with the rhythms my body is making and not push too much beyond what it's asking for.

We went out to a Medieval Jousting tournament/dinner tonight. I mention this because it forced me to schedule my naps around the event to accommodate our plans. Barbie wanted to shop at a nearby Ikea, and was kind enough to take JJ with her while I took a 30 minute nap in the parking lot from 7:30-8 pm. I think I'll be napping in a lot of strange places (and times) during this experiment!

My 2am nap this morning went wonderfully. I do use an alarm (right now just my cell phone) and make sure it's across the room. I've heard that eventually the body will automatically wake up after 30 minutes, but that's only happened a couple times for me so far. I went down with a slight headache and sore throat, but awoke feeling quite refreshed and was able to grade a stack of exams. Productivity!

How is my wife handling this? Right now she mostly feels it's a nuisance I think. I admit it is quite annoying when I come home from school and instead of spending time with her have to head to bed for a nap. But it's only 30 minutes, so we're managing it right now. Her sleep schedule is quite messed up and she's having to adjust to sleeping without me in the bed (I take my night naps on the couch to avoid awaking her). The second day she crashed at 8pm, and the next she was up until 4am with me grading (I had taken plenty of naps, she hadn't). It's convenient to already by up when JJ cries (which isn't very often now) and I can see this schedule being great with a new baby.

How long will she let me do this? I like to think it helps that she awakes to a much cleaner house every day. I love getting so much more done. I hope this means I get to spend more time with her in the evenings. My intention is to do this for 6 months, but that could easily change either direction.

Sleep Log Week 1

2011-03-21T01:47:00.000-07:00

To understand this blog, you really need to read the previous one first: Sleep Experiment.

Everything I read indicated the transition into polyphasic sleep is not enjoyable or easy. You have to essentially sleep deprive yourself until your body recognizes that you're still getting adequate sleep, just at a different rhythm. I decided to make this leap during spring break when there would be far fewer things going on, but started the transition even before the break by getting in the habit of taking daily naps. I'm not sure why nappers are thought to be lazy, but I figured if I was doing this I couldn't let myself be concerned with what others think. I found a couple couches at school, brought a pillow to campus, and began taking a nap or two a few weeks ago.

During finals week I pushed myself farther by staying up later and only getting ~5 hours of sleep at night and relying more on my naps to get through the day. I was pleasantly surprised how well I felt, and found midnight-2 A.M. to be a very productive period. I considered just staying with that schedule, but curiosity really did kill the cat.

Thursday I gave my last review session, had no more tests to take myself, and made the plunge with my wife's modest support. This is now my 4th night, and I'd have to conclude the experiment is working! My weekend sleep hours looked about like this:

Saturday: 3-3:30 am, 6-6:45 a.m., 8-8:45 am, 11-11:30 am, 5:45-6:30 pm, 10:30-11:45 pm
Sunday: 3-3:30 am, 6-6:30 am, 8-8:45 am, 1-1:30 pm, 4-5:30pm, 11-11:45 pm
Monday: 2-2:30 am

It's now 4 am on Monday, and I'll be going down for another nap in a little bit. Crazy! As you can see, I haven't been exact at the timing between naps and have occasionally over slept. Sunday night in particular I hit a wall while playing games at a friends due to the large gap between naps. The 11 pm nap wasn't great, but I'm keeping with the program. I physically feel a lot better when I keep the schedule regular, but it seems there is some flexibility in the exact timing of the naps. My 1pm nap on Sunday afternoon was one of the best I've had: I woke completely refreshed and felt as if I'd been sleeping a long time. Right now I'll admit my head is a bit foggy and I'm not doing great. My worst time of day is the 6-10 am block, but even that will hopefully become productive and enjoyable time soon.

Sleep Experiment

2011-03-21T01:27:00.000-07:00

What would you do with an extra 30+ hours each week? Have you ever wondered why we need so much sleep and wished you could do so much more with less sleep? In the past I've tried getting by on less than 7-8 hours of sleep at night, but never found it sustainable. Sure there were crazy all-nighters during finals week, but these were indefinitely followed by crashes and 10+ hours of sleep. I think I finally found a plausible alternative, and am in the midst of a freakin' crazy experiment.

I'm not doing anything illegal. In fact, no outside substance is involved at all. The experiment involves training my body to immediately go into REM sleep (considered the most important of the 5 sleep phases) and bypass the other phases. This results in drastically shorter but more frequent sleep periods. How drastic? I'm currently sleeping for 30 minutes every 4 hours, or about 3 hours of total sleep in a 24 hour period.

I didn't come up with this on my own, but learned of it from a friend here in Chicago. Scientifically it's called polyphasic sleep and this particular version is know as the Uberman Sleep Schedule (USS). Check out this blog for a detailed log of one man's experiment. In a similar spirit, and at my wife's request, I'm going to track my own experience here.

Why am I doing this? Partly because it sounds like a fun experiment. Can I really survive on only 3 hours of daily sleep? How functional will I be? The main reason though is school. My school/personal/family balance has shortchanged the school part lately, and I'd really like to finish my degree on time and get a job sooner rather than later. I anticipate doing a lot of studying, academic reading and research, and data analysis with this extra time.

JJ's 3rd Quarter

2011-03-06T15:02:00.000-08:00

If JJ were a company, he'd now be heading into the 4th quarter of his fiscal year. That's how a nerdy accountant sees it anyway. So how was JJ's 3rd quarter performance? Months 7-9 were wonderful, with so many new skills:

Crawling
Three teeth
Pulling himself up on EVERYTHING
Walking along couches, cabinets, and while holding onto fingers
Transitioning from 3 naps to 2
Adding a few pounds a few inches: now 21 pounds (55th percentile) and 30 inches (97th percentile)
Getting his first toothbrush
Moving into lots of fun solids (bananas, pretzels, cheerios, avocado, rice cakes, sliced meats, etc.)
Emerging personality--he has quite the personality!
Excellent bathtub splashing skills
Lowering his crib...
First haircut

We love our little Munch' so much. I love hearing him just babble in the mornings, and that excited look he gets when we come in to get him from his crib. There are so many precious moments that we just don't want to forget.

I love you so...

2011-02-14T22:01:00.000-08:00

I love you being NICE,
and when you're CRANKY, too.
I love you without liking the NAUGHTY things you do.
My 'love you' DOESN'T change
like the temper of the days.
It's a CERTAIN kind of thing
in many DIFFERENT ways.

I CAN'T IMAGINE life
before you came along...
me there singing senseless,
no MEANING to my song.

Call it MEANT TO BE
or simply blessed fate,
you fill my heart WITH LOVE...
and for THAT I celebrate.

"I LOVE YOU"
"HOW MUCH?"
"SO MUCH."
"HOW MUCH IS SO?"
"WAY, WAY MORE than you know."

Boo Dawg...

2011-01-21T11:35:00.000-08:00

So I ran into this clip as I was trying to organize my photos and I thought I would show off my mad skills. This was when Josh and I were dating and he took me to some trampoline place. Anyway, be prepared to be awed by my amazingness.

Merry Christmas from the Madsen's

2010-12-30T11:27:00.000-08:00

JJ at 7 months

Merry Christmas!

Dear Friends and Family,

This year was full of blessings for our growing family. On May 12, Barbie delivered the perfect son and our lives have forever changed. There were some slight complications with his lungs, so our little boy spent a week in the NICU to make sure everything was fine. We found naming him so difficult! The nurses nicknamed him Trouble, and after a week we settled on Joshua Joseph Madsen. We love our little JJ so much!

Barbie spent nearly half the year pregnant, and kept herself busy with sewing projects and mother groups when she wasn’t battling kidney stones. This fall she enrolled in a few classes at a local college right in the heart of downtown Chicago, steadily pursuing the goal of a bachelor’s degree. She loves it! She has also delved herself into reading, through a local book club group, which has opened her interests into whole new genres. But more than anything she has enjoyed caring for and teaching our new son. She’s a wonderful wife, mother, student, and friend, and I’m so proud of her.

Josh passed his much anticipated core examination, putting him one step closer to a Ph.D. He loves his studies and can’t understand why everyone wouldn’t want a Ph.D. in accounting. He’s finished with most of his course work now, and was quite busy this fall working with a professor on a research paper (something about credit ratings…). The university sent him to Singapore and London as a teacher’s assistant, and we appreciate the help of family and friends who came to help Barbie. Josh was called to serve as the Young Men’s President in our church unit, and has thoroughly enjoyed working with the local youth in ways he never would have expected.

JJ is changing every day and learning so much. He’s growing quickly (already 20 lbs.!) and everyone comments on his cute smile and blue eyes. In November his doctor prescribed a correctional helmet to address some acute flatness on his head, and he’s handled the transition perfectly. He is rolling all over the place and has started getting into everything. We still think he’s the cutest baby in the world.

We’ve had a lot of fun as a family this year. We turned spring break into a “baby honeymoon” and spent a week on the road visiting friends and church history sites. A summer road trip to Utah, Thanksgiving trip to Branson, Missouri, and various activities in Chicago were all wonderful. Mostly though, we’re just grateful to be a family.

We’re grateful to you, our family and many friends, for the influence you have on our lives. We wish each of you a meaningful Christmas as we reflect on the birth of our Savior. We hope you’re year has brought you joy.

Sincerely,

Josh, Barbie, and JJ Madsen

Merry Christmas Barbie

2010-12-24T21:57:00.000-08:00

Gingerbread House Contest

2010-12-24T10:07:00.001-08:00

We need some referee's for our annual Sego Gingerbread House Contest. Which house wins the trophy this year?

Shutterfly

2010-12-03T19:33:00.000-08:00

Shutterfly is constantly having great promotions. They're giving bloggers 50 free Christmas cards for simply spreading the word! There are lots of different options and styles! And who doesn't love free stuff!--get your card printed on photo paper, quality stationary, or even a folded greeting card!

To apply for 50 free cards from Shutterfly, fill out this application. The deadline is December 10th!

Attitude of Gratitude

2010-11-20T18:24:00.000-08:00

Today has been an awful day. I know that this is a horrible depressing way to start a blog post, but there is an important lesson I have learned from this rotten day.
I woke up this morning grumpy and tired. Josh went to play frisbee early with other members from church. I am usually fine with this but since JJ got his helmet, nights have been a bit longer around here. I got up to take care of my beautiful child and felt no joy. I sat on the couch as he cheerfully played in his exersaucer. I thought to myself "how can he be so cheerful with that horrible thing on his head?" but he was as cheery as one could be. Meanwhile I was praying for his nap time to come quickly so I could go back to bed. This is how most of my day went. I just kept waiting for my day to begin and it really never did.
I have plenty to do and a huge exam to study for but for some reason my bad attitude kept me from progressing today. It was like a huge brick wall I didn't even attempt to break down. Instead I took a nap next to it and pouted about the cold weather.

Josh saw I was having a rough day so he decided to take me out to dinner. I would usually be elated over this venture but once again decided to complain how it gets dark at 4:30 and how my whole day is ruined because of it.
I have had many trials here in Chicago. Weather being one of them. Loneliness being another, or the horrible traffic or how dangerous it is. I have allowed these simple things affect my happiness and joy I feel in my life or lack thereof. I feel as though I have been acting so ungrateful after all my Father in Heaven has given me. I need to sit back and take in the bliss he wants me to feel. He has poured blessings upon me and he continues to do so. I have a beautiful baby boy, GORGEOUS! A loving and supportive husband. But what beats it all is that I know I have a Father in heaven you loves and cherishes me. I know I have a Savior who has atoned for my sins. The Lord has commanded us to do all things cheerfully. When I think of this I am reminded to not only do all things with good cheer but with an attitude of gratitude and be grateful for what I have been given.
This morning instead of being upset about the lack of sleep I got, I should have been grateful for the extra time I have been allowed to spend with my child.
Instead of complaining about how dark it is getting, I needed to show more gratitude towards my husband for taking a break from his busy school schedule to take out his whiny wife on a date.
Hopefully I have learned something from today and next time will remember President Monson's words as he spoke of the Savior "Let us follow Him. Let us emulate His example. Let us obey His word. By so doing, we give to Him the divine gift of gratitude."

Here are a few blessings in my life I am very grateful for.

This guy can always bring a smile to my face. I want to absorb him into my body. He is so happy and always smiles at strangers and we all know how contagious smiles are.
"A smile is very catchy.
And so when I feel sad,
I try to give a smile away,
And soon I’m feeling glad! "
I love these crazy people! They seriously rock! They are all so different and bring so many different blessings into my life. They are my lifeline.
Everyone needs a friend, and this is about the best they come. The kind that always know what to say. The kind that will love you always no matter what. I am so grateful that I have a friend like this. They are one in a million and not everyone finds one.

Above all I am grateful for this amazing guy who was crazy enough to marry me and loves me for all that I am. You are my rock and the shoulder I cry on. I love you more than words can say. Kocham ciebie.

Family Photos

2010-11-18T06:58:00.000-08:00

My sister took some family photos while we were out in Utah this summer. We've finally got them framed on hanging on our wall! Thanks Jess, we love them.

This is a photo we snapped at home on Sunday. I love my family.

Happy and Sad Days

2010-11-18T06:53:00.000-08:00

We're both feeling a mixture of emotions right now. We have a beautiful, happy, charming boy and feel so blessed and lucky to have him. We're a bit sad because this little boy has a misshapen head and needs to wear a helmet for the next 6-9 months. He got his new 'friend' yesterday, and so far I think it's much harder on mom than it is on JJ. What do you think?

Fall

2010-11-06T23:26:00.001-07:00

The many faces of JJ

2010-10-05T20:24:00.000-07:00

I love my baby boy so much. He is so happy and fun. He is typically in a good mood and completely content just chewing on his fingers. But lately more sides of his personality have been shining through with all his new facial expressions.

Fingers: This is his typical two fingers in mouth face. He really can't get enough of his fingers. He is pretty much obsessed with anything that goes in or comes out of his mouth. ex: fingers, tongue, feet, etc.KISS: I wanna be a Rock Star!

Scaredy Cat: I think he really thought we were going to make him go hunting. He looks so scared.
Bright Eyes: everyone is always complimenting JJ's eyes, he really does have bright eyes that exude happiness and joy!!

Loogie: drool, drool, drool.... what else can I say this kid loves to drool.

NOOOOOO: "please don't make me sleep!" face

"let me see if I can touch my nose with my tongue" face.

Gag me: How many fingers can I fit in my mouth.

Bored: Come play with me!

Blah: I want to lick your face.
Monster attack!: RAAAWWWWWRRR!
More Please: Yuuuuummmmmy!

That's all folks...

p.s. his 4 month stats were

Weight:16 lbs 8.5 oz

Height: 26 in.

Head Circumfrance: 17.25 in.

90th percentile in everything! we have a big boy!

JJ's Surprise

2010-09-15T08:02:00.000-07:00

I took this on my phone at the doctor's office yesterday. He got his 4 month checkup, and was so excited he did this:

Two Months of JJ

2010-09-13T18:08:00.001-07:00

We've done our best to keep track of our little wiggle worm's growth over the summer. We missed a weeks, but it's super fun to see the small changes that gradually emerge. Tonight he just laughed at Mommy while she read him a story--we think he loved the rhyming and bright colored pages. Being a parent is just so much fun!

JJ has become so much fun! His personality is emerging, and he definitely recognizes mom and dad. He seems overjoyed when we pick him up after a nap, and just loves attention. He is also easy going, and can lay on his mat, sucking on his little fists and completely content.

Here's some of his big milestones so far:

Typically sleeping through the night (7pm to 6am)
Rolling over from tummy to back (looks more like falling over when it happens)
Nearly sitting up on his own
Standing with a lot less "wiggle"
Weighs approx. 16 pounds!
Eats 7 ounces every 3 hours during the day
Grabs, pulls, and even chews on toys (managed to pull one toy off his play mat!)
Laughs spontaneously, without being tickled (this is just so cute)
Rambles and babbles to strangers everywhere
Has been exceptionally good to babysitters

We love him so much!

Summer Summary

2010-09-13T17:52:00.000-07:00

We can't believe that summer is over. We've been super busy with trips around the world, so now it's time to catch up on our blog. We figure this is mostly for us, so when Josh gets Alzheimers, Barbie can show him just how good a life he had, even if he can't remember it.
We made the bold decision to drive out to Utah, so Barbie could have a car while Josh traveled. It was quite fun to stop and rest every two hours, feeding JJ at random convenience stores and parks. He did really well, and everyone survived.
Barbie thought she'd be able to see some cool stuff here, but it turned out to be merely a gas station.

Mitchell, South Dakota is known for having an amazing corn palace. I guess once upon a time it was actually made entirely out of corn each year; now only the walls are covered with corn, while the building itself is brick and concrete. Bit of a disappointment.

Mount Rushmore, however, wasn't a disappointment. We spent a morning here, with Barbie scrambling over rocks and tourists to get the best possible photo. Neither of us had ever been here, and it was worth the extra three hours of driving to get here.

I love this photo. Doesn't her face belong engraved in rock as well?

Summer Summary Continued

2010-09-13T17:08:00.000-07:00

Here are the rest...
JJ is getting so good at tummy time!

Josh and JJ on the swing! Wee! I think Josh enjoyed it more than JJ...

Barbie's mission companion got married this summer. Barbie was so excited she was able to be there and catch up with other mission friends! She also got to help throw Clarisa a bridal shower.

It was so nice to be able to get 4 generations together!

JJ's first camping trip! He slept for 10 hours that night! We should live in the woods, we might get more sleep that way!

JJ was bundled up super warm! He looked like an eskimo, with his arms sticking straight out!

I unfortunately missed both Barbie's birthday and our anniversary due to travels. I tried to make up for it with dinner at the Roof, a nice Utah restaurant located on Temple Square. Really elegant!

JJ got to meet his great Grandad Joseph Howard, after whom he got his middle name!

Dear Wife,

2010-07-28T05:17:00.000-07:00

Do you know how much I adore you? You are strong and reliable when challenges arise and our family needs you. I'm sorry I had to leave you this summer--I know it can't be easy taking care of our little boy on your own. Yet I know our son is safe in your watchful hands. Your love binds our family together, weaving our lives into a beautiful tapestry. Thank you for doing this. Thank you for missing me, yet taking care of our family while I'm away. I need you. I miss you. I'll hurry home. Please always be waiting for me.

Love,

Your Husband

Swimming!

2010-07-18T11:40:00.001-07:00

We visited family in Naperville this weekend and had a blast. On Saturday we were invited over to swim at a neighbor's private pool--the perfect setting to test out JJ's breaststroke! Barbie bought a cute swimming shirt and shorts, and so he was looking hip. He wasn't really interested in splashing around at all, but the rolling motion of the pool put him right to sleep. We now know how to get him to sleep when all else fails!

Thanks Nancy and Daren!

MONTH 2!!!

2010-07-13T20:40:00.000-07:00

So our little boy is getting chubbier by the day! He is so stinkin' cute and cuddly! Sorry that the pics aren't that great this week, he was pretty tired and not really up for the task of modeling.

Oh how I love this little boy! My heart is so full, it feels as though it will burst! He is so cute, this week he has started to make cute cooing noises and is pretty much holding his head up all on his own. I wish I could slow down the clock. I can't believe it has already been 2 months! Oh boy.

Summer Time Begins

2010-07-08T20:46:00.000-07:00

Do you meditate on how you feel? Or do those feelings just naturally come? Can a deep thought be forced, or is it part of 'the moment'? These are all questions my wife is asking me, and I haven't a clue what the answer is. I think life comes in small bursts, with thoughts and impressions hitting us a million different ways each day. Some stick, some go by unnoticed, some will be missed, others are better off ignored. That's my take on deep thoughts at least.

But this post is supposed to be about ME! I took the general exam for the accounting department this week. The school locked me and three fellow sufferers in a room for 10 hours and asked us to type essays until we developed carpal tunnel syndrome. Now a panel of professors will decide if I'm ready to enter candidacy and start working on a dissertation. Let's hope they let me stay!

We celebrated the end of a long journey with pizza in the park. The last few months (and especially weeks) have been pretty grueling on the whole family, so this was a treat for everyone. I'm completely indebted to Barbie for being quite selfless lately and a wonderful help meet. I love you Babe.

I started playing with JJ and this photo is just too cute not to share. Don't judge us for being bad parents, please.

4th of July?

2010-07-07T17:49:00.000-07:00

So our 4th of July was pretty much non existent. I woke up sick and slept most of the day, then Later on Josh started to not feel so well. SO our day pretty much consisted of playing airplane with JJ, an awful game of settlers (where I lost) and a lot of sleeping.
At around 8:45 we realized there was going to be a firework show by the lake. We were feeling a little better so we got in the car. Little did we know Hyde Park goes crazy on the 4th of the July. All roads accessing the Lake were blocked off, there was no parking anywhere and the streets were swarming with people. OH BOY! So we drive around and around and ended up parking the car in the Village Foods parking lot. We ate our Cheezits and saw this...
JJ didn't have much fun either.Pathetic I know... It wasn't the best 4th ever, so hopefully we can show JJ how it's really done next year.

Week 7!

2010-07-05T10:16:00.001-07:00

This week has had lots of ups and downs. We are trying to put him on some sort of schedule. He has been a little opposed to this but the upside is he has slept for a solid 6 hrs two nights in a row! Hurray for sleeping through the night! he has been a little sick, so we have been dealing with that. Poor guy.(this is why we thought it appropriate to take his pic in his PJ's this week, since that is all he has been wearing) Overall he is the cutest and sweetest little boy you will ever meet. He will look you straight in the eyes and you give a huge smile! He exudes love. We love him so much and are so grateful for him in our lives.

Genetics...

2010-07-04T15:51:00.000-07:00

Genetics are amazing. You put two people together, and a unique individual is created. Yet however unique, there always seem to be traces in the child of mom and dad--little hints that give bragging rights. You know it. So who does our little guy look like? Whose nose, mouth, eyes, hair, head did he inherit? Don't be shy, let your voice be heard! There definitely isn't a consensus yet between mom and dad, so we need your thoughts.

Baby Blessing Day!!

2010-06-29T16:43:00.000-07:00

On Sunday June 27th our beautiful baby boy Joshua Joseph received his baby blessing. Lots of family members were able make it. It was such a special day. His daddy did such a good job and it was so touching to see many of the important men in my life joined together to celebrate our little man.

Granpa Madsen, Grandma Madsen, Daddy, JJ, Mommy,Uncle Jason, Abigail, Uncle Daren, Nancy, Cameron, Uncle Derek

A few things that were mentioned in JJ's blessing:

*always choose good

*to have a discerning spirit

*cleave unto good things

*strong body and a sharp mind

*quick to serve others

*blessed to serve in the priesthood

*desire to serve a mission

*an influence to cousins, siblings, teachers

*marry in the temple

*to be happy and content

*he is loved much

The spirit was strong and I feel so blessed to have such an amazing family! We sure have a special little boy!

WEEK 6!!!

2010-06-28T21:28:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my baby boy is 6 weeks old!! He is too freakin' cute! Don't you want to squeeze him? He is in his blessing outfit because this picture was taken the day he got blessed! Hurray!

These are a few new things that are goin' on with JJ in week 6

*He can now SMILE!

*first bus ride

*first train ride

*first concert (Gavin Rosdale at the Taste of Chicago)

*was blessed

*met Gma and Gpa Madsen, Gpa Sego, Uncle Derek, Uncle Jason and cousin Abigail

*ROLLED OVER front to back!!! (and he was naked! It was during a diaper change!)

*first cough! (oh no!!)

*first ferris wheel ride

Our baby boy has had a very busy week! We love you JJ!

Father's Day

2010-06-21T08:40:00.000-07:00

So I had the best first Father's Day. Barbie was so good to me, and having little Josh here is such an amazing experience. Barbie had a friend take this picture as a surprise (thanks Lisa Allen!). She gave me a copy in a really nice frame for my desk at school. My wife and child are just so beautiful! I LOVE this picture.

JJ also showed his love with a cute outfit. Barbie made an amazing steak dinner (filet mignon) and topped it all off with strawberry shortcake. I feel like the luckiest dad alive!

Month 1

2010-06-20T18:54:00.000-07:00

We received a great tip: document our son's growth with a picture from the same position everymonth. Here's how our adorable son looks now. I can't even imagine him getting any bigger, but he's already outgrown his newborn outfits.
Here's JJ with his best buddy, Sock Monkey.

Life with JJ

2010-05-30T15:20:00.001-07:00

We can hardly believe JJ's been with us for 3.5 weeks already! So what is this guy like? He likes noise, motion, and light. These seem to be the best environment for him to sleep! When he does sleep (which doesn't happen to be at night, unfortunately) he often snores (just like his daddy). He's definitely a cuddly baby, and will fall asleep in our arms (but not in his crib). He makes tons of funny faces, and often times Big Josh gets blamed for potty noises that Little Josh actually makes! He is fun, healthy, and most times quite a happy baby. On Wednesday he weighed in at 9 lb 4 oz., so the little guy is getting big way too fast.

What have we learned? That being parents is not easy, and it's a wonder to us that any couple ever has more than one child. He is really cute though, and a huge blessing. The whole thing is definitely an adjustment, and Barbie and I are **patiently** working through the struggles of deprived sleep and crazy hormones. We really love each other, and that's what makes family special, right?

Here are a few pictures from the hospital to his first bath. We love this guy so much.

Joshua Joseph Madsen

2010-05-16T19:36:00.001-07:00

So he finally has a name. Picking out a name is nowhere as easy as I thought it would be. We've been talking about names since we got engaged, looking through books and debating 'em for the last 9 months, and came to the conclusion that we'd know his name when we saw him. Not true. We've spent the last four days frantically "trying out" names on our little boy and not feeling very confident about any of them. We decided on one, and then spent that night in agony wondering if we'd made the right decision. So the next day we tried another name, and so on. We finally got pinned down when a nurse came to help us fill out our birth certificate and went with our gut on Joshua Joseph Madsen. We really do like his name, but I'm comforted that we can call him whatever we want (JJ, J, Joshua, Josh, Joshy, Joey). We love the guy more than words can tell.

Baby Madsen!!

2010-05-12T16:17:00.000-07:00

Introducing baby Madsen! Barbie is my ultimate hero and did such an amazing job today. I was overwhelmed by the experience and so grateful and happy to be a daddy! I feel bad making a post before we give the tyke a name, but that's the way it is. He weighed in at 7 lb 11 0z and 21 1/2 inches long. He's struggling a bit to breathe on his own (they suspect some fluid in the lungs) so he's currently being watching in NICU, but is doing well and hopefully comes home with us on Friday. I am such a lucky man.

Sunday walk with our new camera...

2010-05-02T14:32:00.000-07:00

Here in Hyde Park there are so many beautiful places to walk around, so we took advantage of the great weather to go try out our new camera. We are now photographers and models!!

Here's me 39 weeks and 2 days preggers!! I am getting pretty impatient for this little guy to make his appearance. I pray he doesn't come late. We are so excited to meet him and have a new little subject to photgraph!
I thought there were better pics of Josh, but this is the one he picked.

I say this one could be a screen saver!! Dang we're good!

BONFIRE

2010-05-02T14:06:00.001-07:00

Josh and I planned a Bonfire last night and it was a success!! We couldn't have asked for better weather or better company. We didn't get pics of everyone who came but it was really nice to chat and roast some dogs and mallows!

Dan and Josh
Jonathan and James

Monica

Hunter and Violet

There were no pictures of me in which I looked hald decent so I opted out of posting them for your benefit!!

Oh.. and these are the AMAZING shoes my wonderful husband surprised me with. Every pregnant woman should own a pair!

Preggers

2010-04-03T09:55:00.001-07:00

So the turkey's almost done--Barbie's belly button is pushing out pretty far now at week 35. For those that don't get to see how beautiful she is everyday, here's a recap of how the pregnancy has gone.

Week 19

Week 26
Week 32Week 35

My Husband... The Chef

2010-01-17T15:26:00.000-08:00

Josh made this pumpkin roll from a REAL pumpkin. I was a little hesitant to taste it at first (because I didn't know what "real pumpkin" would taste like), but it was the best pumpkin roll I have ever had! Sorry Mom.

We're having a ...

2009-12-10T10:42:00.000-08:00

Barbie went in for an ultrasound yesterday. Unfortunately, it was the only time slot available before we skidattle out of Chicago for Utah and I had a school conflict so I wasn't able to make it. But we had the nurse seal the gender image in an envelope so we could find out together! That was probably one of the longest waits in Barbie's life, but I got home eventually and we found out...
We're having a BABY BOY!
We celebrated by buying a cute boy outfit and looking at all the essential baby "stuff" such as cribs and strollers. We're entering a strange new world here, and I've got a steep learning curve ahead of me. Somehow I'll figure it out, and hopefully my child will always know how much I love him and will do anything to provide for and protect him. Let the adventure begin!!!

My Quilt is FINALLY Finished!!

2009-12-04T16:51:00.000-08:00

So this is the quilt I started in May!!! Yes, like forever ago. But, today I finally finished it with some wonderful help from my good from Jenny and much encouragement from my husband. I FINISHED!!! HURRAY!! It is now time for me to take my bow and everyone applaud. It is really sad that this took me so long, but I am notorious for starting lots of projects and not finishing any of them! Right now I haw 2 half finished scarves, an afghan and 3 cross-stitch projects sitting in a box unfinished!!! Josh keeps telling me how proud of me he is for finishing this one. HAHA. That is so sad. But, TaDah!! I finished one, and isn't it cute!

2009-11-11T08:59:00.000-08:00

Last month we drove to Indiana with some friends to go pick pumkins and apples! We had a blast!

YUMMY! Golden delicious! Josh kept eating them off the tree!

HE was very excited about this pumpkin until he accidently broke the stem off it!

Madsen's and the Croft's! The Thompson's and the other Madsen family in the ward were with us there also, but we just didn't get any pics.

This was my pumpkin. I was so excited that I got to pick it off the stem. We had a great time and can't wait to do it again next year! Our favorite picture of the day and only one of us together is in the header of our blog!

Summer in Review!

2009-11-08T11:58:00.000-08:00

As time goes by certainly summarizes our summer, and left little room for updating our blog. Sorry! We have certainly done many things since that camping trip oh so long ago, and pledge to keep a higher standard of blogging.

First things first: WE'RE PREGNANT! Barbie is somewhere past the first trimester, and starting to feel marginally better (depends on the day though). We're simultaneously excited and scared out of our wits to be parents. We both have great families, and hope we can give our kids what our parents gave us. There will certainly be more commentary on THIS important topic in posts to come.

The other highlight of our summer was a trip to England and Scotland. Josh had the opportunity to TA in London, and Barbie just couldn't let him have fun without her (not that it would have been fun without her ;-). Here are some highlights.

Josh and Big Ben!

Barbie on her birthday - Broadway in London!

The famous Tower Bridge.

Oxford.

Hadrian's Wall--Roman ruins that marked the northernmost boundary of the Roman Empire.

William Wallace's monument, overlooking the site of his famous battle.

Well, that was our big summer vacation! How are we going to beat that next year???

Camping!!!

2009-07-14T21:39:00.000-07:00

Over 4th of July weekend we went camping with all of Josh's family! We really enjoyed ourselves. We ate really good food, played lots of games and enjoyed nature.

A Lot of this was done as well.... ... so nice to relax.

JOsh and I were in charge of a breakfast... Josh woke up super early to get it started I followed about 30 min. later.

This is what I thought to be the half way mark of a very grueling hike!! Less than half of us decided to go on from here. It was beautiful scenery but my body was not happy!!!

We saw tons of aspens, beautiful creeks, and wildlife. I don't even remember how much elevation we climbed but it was A LOT!!!! We thought the hike was only going to be a little more than 4 miles long. and at the half way point half the people were going to turn around get the car and meet us at the end to pick us up. So i figured well it's only a little bit longer of a hile to keep going than if I were to turn around. So I figured what the heck! During the first of what i thought to be the second half i was litterally running up the steep hills, and going super fast!! Think ok only one maile left. Then after that one mile Sam would look at his GPS and say well actually we still have another half a mile, and once we had had gone a half mile up very steep terrain he would look at his GPS again and say "well actually according to the map on the GPS and the curves of the river we have passed we still have about a mile!!" i wsa definiately the hare in this story. I was not diligent and steady. I was the last one to finish and my body was broken! We had a blast though. the scenery was beautiful and it was great to have that experience with my husband! He is so sweet he kept offering to carry me!! HAHAHa. Neither of us would have made it if I would have taken him up on that offer! But it was extremely sweet. Josh is so selfless. I love him so much. He never gives up on me and is always by side to push me along when things are tough! LOVE YOU BABE!

HURRAY! We made it! from this sign I practically had to be carried the 100 feet to the car! Oh BOY, I was wiped out.

This is what we did while we waited for our food! YIPPEEEEEE!!
This is what Josh did!!! CRAZY!!! This water was so freezing COLD!!

Camping was so much fun. It was great to be with family, considering it's only a couple times a year we get to see eachother!! Miss you guys already!

To My Wife,

2009-07-13T05:13:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I'm in Singapore! The University sent me here for a week to TA an MBA accounting class, and while this is a great opportunity it just isn't the same without my wife.

Barbie, I love you so much and really appreciate all the smiles, joy, and laughter you bring into my life. Each day is an adventure with you, and I love all the little things--the wrinkles around your eyes when you smile, the gentle way you hit my hand as we walk side by side, the excitement with which you jump into my arms when I get home... and so much more. I really am such a lucky guy, and love you more than words can say. Thank you so much for completing me and making me a better man.

St. George

2009-07-12T11:06:00.000-07:00

We took a trip down to St. george over Father's Day to visit my wonderful Grandad. While we were there we were able to go and see Footloose at the Tuacahn. it was really well done!My Grandad did a huge dutch oven dinner. Lots of family was there! Grandad makes a deal that if you beat him in cribbage he will make you a cribbage board. Now these aren't just any old cribbage boards. They are made out of beautiful wood and hand carved. He made Josh and I both one. We love Grandad.

This is seriously the LARGEST dog I have ever seen!!!! This picture doesn't do it justice!

Baby Shower

2009-07-11T10:42:00.000-07:00

A good friend from Utah just had a baby. So while I was in town my mom and I decided to throw her a baby shower! It was so much fun. I should go into the party planning business!Our onesie banner!!! Super Fun!

This Valerie (the mommy)!!!!

Darla, my mom and I stayed up for hours rolling the diapers to make this diaper cake!! It was worth it though it turned out super cute!

Te RE Queiro Hermana Stanfield!!!

2009-07-10T13:34:00.000-07:00

So mission compi Stanfield (also known as Camilla) happened to be in Utah the same time as me! With the little amount of time we had together, we had a BLAST!! We laughed our heads off as usual. We were trying to find a restaraunt that happened to only be 2 miles from the south towne mall and we ended up almost driving all the way up to Lagoon!!!!! But as usual she always finds a way to laugh at the situation and make it a great memory!!!! She was my second companion and lets just say I was a pretty intense "newbie" missionary. I would have died without her!!!! I was quite bummed I wasn't able to hook up with some other comps in the area. Hope to see you next time Clari! Te Quiero!!! BESOS!!!!!

IN THE WILD WILD (MID)WEST!

2009-06-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

We "roughed" it for a whole night in the Kankakee State Park, and had a lot of fun! This place draws a lot of fishermen, large spiders, camp trailers, and of course us! We borrowed a tent from the Thompsons, grabbed a LOT of blankets for padding, and made an adventure out of it! What a great wife I have--she's a hoot. :)
Tin foil magic: hamburger, potatoes, carrots, onions, seasoning, and some hot coals. Turned out perfect!
It was fun to just sit and talk by the fire. No magic scout liquid needed to start this baby!
See that bump? This is the official waterfall on the Kankakee river. It's on the maps, trail guides, road signs, etc. Not quite on par with Yellowstone or Yosemite, but this is Illinois. I miss my mountains. :(
America's Next Top Model. Watch out.
Don't be decieved. She looks good, but felt miserable. There were a lot of mosquitos and her allergies were going CRAZY. But even then, Barbie is still a lot of fun to be with.

SOMETHING ILLEGAL!!!

2009-06-13T08:55:00.000-07:00

So Josh joined an intramural soccer team this fall! He was the only one on the team who wasn't a law student. They didn't win any games but they had fun and Josh even SCORED a goal!! Chelsey, Elise and I had fun "watching" the boys play!
This is Josh showing off that he uses my old highschool cheerleading bag for his soccer game!
This was Jared's battle wound...... You should have seen the other guys!

PS. We failed to mention that "something illegal" was the name of the soccer team. Sorry to all those who read this post expecting an exciting story or a funny joke....

Adorable Abigail

2009-04-16T15:46:00.000-07:00

Here's to show we have some awesome dancers in the Family!! This is my niece Abigail. She is so dang cute and really knows how to work a crowd.

Green Green Green

2009-04-15T16:41:00.000-07:00

The Saturday before St. Patrick's Day the city of Chicago turns into a violent green mess. I'm guessing there are a lot of Irish and Irish wannabe's here, and the parade and river are quite a marvelous site. Enjoy!

This one's for Chausse!

2009-04-08T17:23:00.001-07:00

I have such a HOT husband! Dang I'm a lucky girl.

I know all you girls out there are wishing your husbands knew how to clog!

Bonfire!!!

2009-03-29T16:35:00.000-07:00

Spring in Chicago is so fun! It's rainy, cold, snows occasionally, great bursts of wind that chill your bones--heck, it's almost utopia here! So we took advantage of all these great elements and decided to heat things up with a bonfire out on the point! For those who've never been, the point is a beautiful park in Hyde Park right on the lake with spectacular views of downtown. No weather could stop us, or the other couples who braved the fierce wind (and their kids!). In reality, I don't think a smore has tasted so good in a long time...mmmmmThe Bratt'sThe Meier'sThe Hall'sThe Robert's

Violet loved the sticky messy chocolaty smore!

The Madsen's!

And Barbie saw a rabbit. Two actually.

Mojito!!

2009-02-28T12:55:00.000-08:00

What do all students have in common? We love FREE stuff! There's just something special about the word free when you don't have a job and are pinching and saving to get by. And what happens when you combine the word free with food? Something that reminds me of piranhas!

The business school host a Liquidity Preference Function (LPF, aka Happy Hour) every Friday, and this last one was held at the restaurant Carnival. The appetizers were oh so yummy, and it was just hilarious to see waiters running across the room and flocks of students chasing after the scrumptious food they carried!

One dedicated waiter really wanted to get us a drink, and when we informed him we don't drink alcohol, he made us a delicious concoction called a Mojito--YUMMY!

Ingredients:

Rum (we skipped this part)
Crushed mint leaves
Sugar
Soda Water
Lime

Scrumpdiliumptious!!!

Attention All Snowboarders

2009-02-28T12:43:00.000-08:00

I know Utah and Colorado have some great options when it comes to getting groovy on the slopes, but if you've never experienced snowboarding in the great city of Chicago, you are missing out! Check out these black diamonds...
This was a competition, with contestants coming from all over the midwest, held on Michigan Ave, downtown Chicago. We could not believe how serious everyone took this and the number of spectators it drew. It was tower of wood and metal, a couple rails, and that's about it. The difficulty of finding good slopes in the flat midwest...

Valentines Day Dance

2009-02-27T13:20:00.000-08:00

In honor of Valentines Day Josh and I went to the ward Valentines Day dance!!! It was a BLAST! we danced up a storm. For all who know us well, know how much we love to dance! We even won 2nd place in the dance competition! Stanley Cannon was just on FIRE!! Impossibe to beat! It was tough competion with Spencer Clives groovin' moves and Matt hutchinson! Dang they gave us a run for our money $$$$.
and MONICA!!!!! She was HOT STUFF!! We had tons of F U N !!

Madsenowie

2009-02-22T19:21:00.002-08:00

We've been "The Madsen's" for six months now!!! Hurray hurray! Whooop whoop! hubba hubba!$! What does six months of being married to your best friend get you? Read on, dear reader, to find out!

What I've learned about Barbie:

1. She looks SO good in the morning! She's cute in the evening too, but there's just something about the pure freshness of her sizzling presence that gets me in the morning.

2. She can cook a mean Chicken Cordon Bleau~just watch out!

3. She is fantastic at supporting our family in praying together, reading scriptures nightly, and holding FHE~ if there ain't FHE, she ain't a happy girl!

4. She is a true book worm! I guess we were just too busy during the courtship to find out, but she can get addicted to a good book! And the best part is we love reading together outloud.

5. She is super caring, sensitive, and involved. She cares deeply about how we are doing and in doing our best as a couple. She is my best friend.

5 Things I've Learned about Josh

1. He is really good at balancing school and marriage. He's always home for dinner, never makes excuses to cancel FHE, and always makes time to read a good book with me.

2. Josh is truly competitive. He is always up for a good game of scrabble.

3. Josh is a really good cook. He loves to cook by my side.

4. He is a spiritual giant and always is an example to me. he may not be 100% obedient to everything I tell him to do (mr. stubborn) but is always obedient to the Lord.

5. He is always trying to improve himself and our marriage. He is so supportive of all my goals and helps me reach them. I love him so much, he is my best friend.

2009-02-22T19:21:00.001-08:00

Fire! Fire!

2009-02-20T21:35:00.000-08:00

About 7:10 PM we got a loud bang on our door. Barbie and I were baking a birthday cake for a friend and getting ready to go play games with the Hall's. It sounded urgent, but nobody was at the door. I heard some yelling, and climbed the stairs to see what was going on (we live in the garden unit). Then I smelled smoke, saw a thick haze in our building hallways, and rushed outside to see smoke just billowing from the mansion next door--and in Chicago next door means 5-8 feet from our building wall to theirs.
Our street was lined with fire engines, men rushing wildly around the house. Loud crashes filled the air as windows were smashed, and as the front door was forced open the entire back porch erupted in flames--flames that would envelope the entire house, consume walls, roof, porches, and eventually softly lick even our own new home.
A nice couple lives there, and had left that afternoon. Nobody was hurt, and the inspector says the brick walls (for that's all that's left) are stable and won't crash in and kill us in our beds. Our building was evacuated, and it's something else to see valiant men working to save your own home.
Four hours later, and the fire is out; the street is blanketed in a layer of ice as water still spews from the fire hydrant. An answer to prayers, not even the screen windows are damaged on our building; the wood porches and outside stairs are wet (but not charred!) and we still have a home. I wish I could say the same for our neighbors.

Chicago Booth!

2009-02-01T19:14:00.000-08:00

My school recently received a generous contribution and was renamed the Chicago Booth School of Business! Barbie came down this last Friday (hoping to cash in on some free food, but like most free things in a student town, it went fast!) and we did a small photo shoot! I love having Barbie around--she makes even the simple things in life grand!
Here's the neat cafeteria, where I have yet to purchase anything. But it's great for a free fork and spoon!
Here's a classroom--Professor Madsen!
I hang out here a lot :)

GOIN' DANCIN'!!

2009-01-25T13:41:00.000-08:00

So last night Josh had a wonderful date planned. Josh had gotten an E mail saying that there was going to be a dance at the Gleacher center. HURRAY!!! I was so excited they said they were even going to have dance instructions before hand... so we both get dressed up. I even wore my contacts. We get there and this is what we find!ok so the picture isn't of the best quality, but it shows that we were the only ones there!!! hahaha It was an awesome room surrounded with glass windows overlooking the river. So we figured we couldn't let this dance floor go to waste so Josh got out his cell phone that he has conveniently downloaded songs onto and we danced anyway! It was a lot fun. All that dancing gave us an appetite so we decided we would go out to eat. As we walked to the Cheesecake Factory we walked around the tribune building that has rocks from all around the world built into it. It has rocks from the Great Wall of China, The White House, etc. But this one was my favorite!! And yes it was as cold as it looks... -20 degrees with wind chill.... we were dying!! Here is one more pic of the delicious dessert we had! may I recommend the lemon raspberry cheesecake! Now it was REALLY to die for... the walk up michigan ave. in the freezing cold was worth it.

A trip down memory lane

2009-01-15T14:40:00.001-08:00

A trip down memory lane...As I can never think of things to blog about I have "borrowed" ideas from other people's....Here's whatcha do.:
1. As a comment on my blog, leave a memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember.
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses.
3. Remember, if you can't say something nice, don't say nothin' at all ☺
4. Consider this a Tag: if you've read it, you have to do it!

(I copied this from Clarisa so she better at least write something!!! LOVE YOU CHICA!)

Referee Please

2008-12-07T11:53:00.000-08:00

I need to get something off my chest. It's been a long, drawn-out discussion, and we need a referee to get things straight. A friend recently posted on her blog that some things she's just now learning about her spouse after several years of marriage. We've almost hit the four month mark, but I didn't just learn this. It's been bothering me every time I set the table, every time food of any sort is going to be consumed and a utensil is required: do you use a spoon or fork?

What if it is served in a bowl? Of course, the rational, reasonable, and correct answer is that a spoon is required! How else can you get everything off the bottom of the bowl? Forks leave so much wanting in this sad realm, and yet Barbie seems fixated that if it has any solid-like mass, a fork has to be used. Examples include stew, macaroni, even ice cream on occasion! It is just unreasonable
And then question 2, the one that leads up to question 1: do you serve the meal in a bowl or on a plate? Of course, if it's something solid, it should go on the plate! Take spaghetti for example: it clearly belongs on a plate, so that a fork can be used. In a bowl, a spoon would be required in order to get all the sauce left on the bottom, but a spoon clearly won't work for spaghetti! Some plates have lips, and I agree that these are preferred for things with sauce such as spaghetti, but to go to the extreme of a deep dish bowl? I rest my case.

Bloody Spinach!

2008-11-29T09:20:00.000-08:00

Wednesday was a very traumatic day in the Madsen home. As you all know Josh and I started a new diet where we eat tons of veggies. Well... Wednesday evening after Josh got home from school he decided to make one of our delicious spinach shakes (he was starving because he had failed to eat all day). He sticks the spinach in the blender all by itself, but it doesn'y liquefy. He then turns off the blender and sticks his hand inside the blender to move around the spinach. The only problem was that the blades to the blender were still whipping around. YIKES!! Josh ripped his bloody hand out of that blender sooo fast!! Luckily it only cut up one of his fingers. No serious damage! We move into the hall so I can get him a band aid, and as I am putting a band aid on his finger he says, "Babe I feel really light headed." He starts leaning forward and completely collapses! His face was completely white and he wouldn't respond!! he had completely passed out!! Putting it lightly I was freaking out!! He was just laying there!!! I ran to the phone and called 911!! Josh finally got up! The paramedics came, although Josh thought it was all unnecessary. Everything turned out fine, my husband is still alive and breathing, and I've calmed down a bit (says Josh). haha. We think his passing out had to do with lack of food--My poor boy!

Veggies are yummy!

2008-11-21T10:19:00.000-08:00

So Josh and I have decided to start something called "a cleanse". It is where all you can eat is veggies, some fruit and some very yummy spinach shakes. HAHA. Well you may all think we are crazy and when Mom Madsen first introduced it to us, we were a little nervous. Both of us need to improve our health, so we set out on this three week adventure. We are learning self control and I already feel better. Plus salads with a little bit of lemon and sea salt are delish. We are hoping to make this a lifestyle, well after the three weeks we will eat meat "sparingly" but I really want to knock out the sugar almost completely. We can do it!!! Last night for dinner we ate steamed broccoli and asparagus along with a delicious stir fry of bell peppers, mushrooms, onions and garlic, all sauteed in a tiny bit of olive oil! Well we will keep you posted on how we are doing.

GIMP!

2008-11-12T06:40:00.000-08:00

Well lately i have been having so much fun how to use Photoshop with my friend Jenny. I love it. So my amazingly SMART husband went searching on the web for free downloads! That's about all college students can aford. Plus who doesn't like FREE!! In the process he found GIMP!!! It is a lot like Photoshop, and it is a great place to start practicing and learnin g. This is what I made yesterday while my Josh was slaving away for his finance test. I don't know if i am completely satisfied with it yet. I still wanted to put some text on it. oh well i still had a blast making it.

I have come to a consensus... I like Halloween!

2008-11-03T19:30:00.000-08:00

Halloween... It's always a fun time for all ages. I really don't know who it is more fun for, the kids who get to run around and get free candy from everyone, for the parents who watch the kids run around in their cute princess costumes gourging themselves with skittles and bubble gum or for the people like us... no kids, just married. Josh and I had such a great time just dressing up in really lame costumes ( JOsh was very set on dying his hair blue, don't ask me why), we had so much fun being with our friends. In the pic above we have chelsea, jonathan and James, Chelsea was Fanny Mae, Jonathan was Freddie Mac, and James was Uncle Sam. Whenever someone asked for candy chelsea held out her empty candy box and said "oh no, we're bankrupt" The JOnathan (Freddie Mac) pulled out his pockets which were empty and said "So are we"... then they both would say in unison as they looked at baby james " Uncle Sam will bail us out!!" It was really funny. It is things like this that makes halloween fun for all!

Now we have this handsome couple!! David and Jenny!! And she says she doesn't like Halloween!! I don't buy it for a second!!
Now here's the winning family ensemble. The hot dog man (Spencer Clive) and his hot dog daughter!! I think everyone got a kick out of this one!! Who couldn't have fun on Halloween with these kind of characters around!!

HALLOWEEN BLAST!!

2008-11-02T18:37:00.000-08:00

Trick or Treat!! One of the funnest things about Barbie is her enthusiastic personality. She just shines, and this Halloween was a great example. Some friends hosted a Halloween party, and being on a tight budget (donations accepted) we spent most of the day looking for discount clothing stores in the city. Notta one. Way too expensive for those type of stores to survive here, I guess. But Barbie did eventually find some leggings for a good price and went as a punk rocker's girl, and I was the nerdy punk rocker with blue hair (I already had that outfit). Anyway, the party was FUN!

PUMPKINS!!!!

2008-10-28T12:42:00.000-07:00

Chelsea, James, Jonathan, Barbie, Josh, David, Jenny!!

Yesterday we Invited a few friends over for FHE!! It was nice to have more people than just the two of us. Every monday Josh always says "I would like to welcome everyone out to the weekly Madsen family family home evening, the opening hymn will be played by me, then Barbie will give the opening prayer, following I will give the spiritual thought. ...." then we end with a treat one us made and a game you can play with two people. If I get my way we play racko if Josh gets his way we play cribbage or chess. So this week was something new!! We started off with a great lesson by Jenny, then carved Pumpkins!!!

JOsh made the design for our pumpkin!! While we carved we ate brownies and drank hot apple cider!! It was great!!

PHOTOSHOP!!!

2008-10-21T19:01:00.000-07:00

I learned how to use photoshop today!!! It was so much fun! This is us playing in the leaves here in good 'ole chicago!

The Art Institute!

2008-10-21T09:58:00.000-07:00

Last week my mom came into town! It was so great to have her here. All three of us went to the Institute of Art downtown. They had some beautiful paintings unfortunately their entire impressionist collection is traveling around the country. Bummer.

We did see American Gothic! Super cool. I was surpirised at how small it is and it wasn't in any special location! It was just there with all the other paintings!

This one below was Josh favorites! Painting of Darian Gray! Ok i am sure i spelt it all wrong so no need to be critical. I'm not an expert when it comes to paintings! but anyhow... I guess there is a book about this painting that JOsh really enjoyed and this is the actual painting they used in the movie! Josh was thrilled! I thought it was pretty grotesque. Maybe I should read the book.

My prince

2008-10-16T10:24:00.000-07:00

Add Glitter to Pictures
I just learned how to pimp out our pics!!!! It is sooo Fun!

Personalized Glitter Graphics
Beautiful Abigail!!!

Josh Goes To Court!!!!

2008-10-15T09:19:00.000-07:00

It's true!!! A few weeks ago we got in a small wreck in a parking lot and Josh got cited for failing to yield!!! OUCH! He had to go into the police station and as I waited in the car the police officer almost took away his drivers license!!! The only reaon he got to keep it is because he is from utah!! So our insurance covered all the damages but Josh still had a mandatory court appearance! I went with him for moral support and good thing I did because there was NO parking so I had to drive around downtown for a half hour!! SOOOOO SCARYYYY!! I almost hit two pedestrians!!! It's CRAZY downtown! When Josh finally came out he had a 10 dollar fine for failing to yield and a 135 dollar court fee!!!!! GRRRR..... Why did we have to go to court in the first place!!!

This is the car Josh crashed into!!! hhahahah! j/k I think that fine would be more than 10 bucks.

The Most Wonderful Wife in the World

2008-10-13T15:43:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how quickly time passes, and every day I find myself loving Barbie more and more. I'm so grateful she's taken the initiative to record parts of our life here in Chicago and the adventures that we undertake. She is so good to me, patient with my weaknesses and supportive in my pursuits. She is my better half and I count myself a very luck man to be her man.

We're MARRIED!!!

2008-10-13T08:56:00.000-07:00

YEA!!! We are married!!! This was the most amazing day ever!!! Everything was picture perfect!! Well... except for Josh's ring and all my jewelry getting lost. No one could find any of the jewelry, my mom ran from parking lot to parking lot looking in all the cars and by the time the ceremony was to start still nothing found! So Josh ended up getting married with his dad's ring!!! (Thanks Dad for letting us use it!!!) When the ceremony ended my mom ran back out for another thorough search in all the cars! I just sat in the brides room with My Aunt Korrie and Josh's mom. I really wasn't even nervous. My mom really wanted me to have my jewelry! So... about 45 min later my mom finally arrived! All the stuff had been buried under cadles in the trunk! Still no sighn of my shoes so I walked out in my nice platform sandals! Well here are some pics of the wedding that my Aunt Korrie took, hope you enjoy!

Here is my beautiful niece Abigail!!

Here are a few of the bridesmaids freshening up! Chelsea, Karlene and Natalie!! And Mom Madsen!!

A thirsty Fairy!!

I guess they get hungry too!!

KISSING COUSINS!!! How cute!!

Getting ready to take a few pics!

But Peyton and Haylin are the TRUE models!!!

My brother Jake, My wonderful Mom (who made this awesome day possible), who's the weird guy on the right???

Mom Dad and Abigail

Lot's of friends from the mission came!!! It was so nice to have them there!!! Les quiero Hermanas!!!!

Dance the night away!!! This was mine and Josh's first dance as a married couple! My cousin Luke sang beautifully! The song was "So Close" from the movie Enchanted. It was picture perfect!

A Saturday in Chicago

2008-10-11T21:44:00.000-07:00

Josh and I had so much fun today! We went with two of our new friends to the Field Museum and looked at theAncient Egypt and the Ancient Americas Exhibit! This museum is huge!! We could have spent all day inside!But instead we walked a block to Soldier Field and went to the country music festival!! It was so fun!! All the well known artists are playing tommorrow but we still had a blast and they had a dance floor so me and Josh were able to practice our dance moves!!! Oh ya and before i forget if any of you ever move to chicago be sure to get a library card, you can check out free passes to all the museums here!! And they get in up to four people!! It's great!!

2008-10-10T13:37:00.000-07:00

These our beautiful nieces and nephews!!!! WE MISS THEM SOOOO MUCH!!!! Can't wait for X-mas!!! first we have Rachel, then Andrew, then Abigail, and finally baby Jake!!! And there are still two more on the way!

I MISS THEM!!!! Wish i could see them more often!

JOSH GRADUATES!!!!

2008-10-10T10:44:00.000-07:00

YEA!!!! Josh graduated from BYU in December and got to walk in April. We had only known eachother for about two weeks but I am so glad I was able to be there. Elder Bednar was there and gave a great talk at commencement about learning to love to learn!!! Josh obviously applies this philosophy because he is now in the process of getting his PhD in accounting. He tries to spread his love of learning by trying to teach me abstract algebra and the math of probability. But.... I like to learn line upon line not line upon number upon letter upon line!!! Love ya babe!!!

Our First Date

2008-10-09T19:51:00.000-07:00

This is our first DATE! That was SO long ago--April 11th to be exact. I had been home from my mission to Uruguay for 5 whole days!!!! Josh was very impressed at how well i was adjusting!!! HAHA! I was sooo awkward! This date was so much fun, I was super new at rock climbing and i fell off the wall and smashed his eye!! i made his contact fall out!!! GREAT for a first date!! Ask Erik he was a witness! Then Josh took me out for ice cream!! It had been a LONG time since i ate GOOD ice cream!!