Benjamin's Random Survey

I (Benjamin) was filling out one of these "Random Survey's" on facebook and figured I would put it on the blog as well. So, for your reading pleasure, here are 25 random things about me. Emily's 25 random things will be coming soon...

1-I'm not eating any candy or dessert for a year. So far so good, but my cereal consumption has since gone through the roof.
2-I love cookies.
3-I grow a red beard but I (used to) have sandy blonde hair
4-I love smoked oysters, green olives, feta cheese, brussel sprouts and many other foods that aren't typically liked. I don't think I have a lot of taste buds.
5-I speak Dutch fluently.
6-I love maps. I can stare at them for literally hours.
7-I am allergic to garlic.
8-I watched Pollyanna a year ago and loved it.
9-There is a song that is called "The Most Unwanted Song" that was designed to be annoying to nearly the entire population of the world. I happen to like it especially when I am studying.
10-I had to wear braces on my legs as a baby because my leg bones were not developed enough.
11-I squatted over 500 pounds in college regularly before my mission.
12-I love teaching and learning so much!
12 1/2-As a kid I was afraid a triceratops would attack me in my sleep. For this reason I chose the bottom bunk since a triceratops would be so big that its horns would skewer whoever was on top.
13-I regularly rock out to Dutch, Norwegian and Gaelic music.
14-I play the violin and I used to be pretty good, but it terrifies me to play in public. Ironically, I love singing and speaking in public.
15-Growing up I followed my sisters example in almost all things. She has never led me astray except once and that is that I only took 3 years of science in high school rather than 4.
16-I love to cook. Soups and Dutch food are my favorite things to make.
17-I have a favorite green t-shirt that I have had since I was a sophomore in high school. It is slowly dying and it makes me sad to think one day I will have to cut it up into dust rags.
18-I don't generally like wearing shirts with any writing or pictures on them. Monochromatic is what I prefer. One exception to this is Napoleon Dynamite shirts.
19-I go nuts when I play volleyball. Football generally has a calming effect on me especially in high school. These are my two favorite sports.
20-I took a ballet class in college. I know what a dance belt is.
21-My first official date with my wife happened one Sunday in October. My sister Jill invited me to have dinner at her place and I asked if I could bring a girl. Jill said yes, so I stepped out of my apartment and said to myself, "First girl I see gets to eat with me." Emily was the first and I'm a better man because of it.
22-I think I do a pretty good turkey impression.
23-I couldn't tie my shoes until I was eight.
24-I spent a whole day at universal studios and neglected to go to any of the rides. I didn't realize there was a lower level!
25-I have a goal to see all 50 states. I've been to 38 so far!

Winter time

My sister-in-law Carrie sent me this cute apron. Abbie took a picture of it for me.

Abby is my big helper. She is really good at helping with chores and daily work. The other day she did a lot of the labor for the enchiladas. I am very proud of her and appreciative.





I love organizing things. This closet was my project one morning. Abigail took the before, during and after photos.



Playing in the snow.




Some more pictures that Abbie has taken...



Abigail loves to dress up and dance.

Abigail has been taking pictures by herself a lot lately. This one is of Daddy when he came home from work. That is always a really exciting time of the day for Abbie. We love her Daddy! The one below that is mom and dad picking up blueberries that had spilled. We asked Abigail to help and she said she would take a picture instead. It was funny.


We went to Michigan's Historical Museum in Lansing one morning when it was in the single digits one day. They said it felt like -7 degrees outside. So we were very grateful for a fun indoor activity. We were pleasantly surprised when we found out we went on Michigan's birthday. Because of this they had all sorts of crafts and volunteers there to talk with about Michigan. They even had a birthday cake. Michigan is now 172 years old. Abbie had a great time.


Benjamin is ABD!!!! A.B.D. stands for All But Dissertation in the Academic world. Today he passed his Oral Comprehensive Exams. He went from being a doctoral student to a doctoral candidate. It is all very exciting. Benjamin has worked really hard to get to this point. Abigail and
I made a sign, got balloons and did a scavenger hunt to honor him and to celebrate.




CONGRATULATIONS Benjamin! We love you and are proud of you!

Christmas Break

Here are some pictures from our Christmas break. We had a great time in Utah with the Grows. All the kids were there and it was a blast. Mary came home from her mission and that made it extra special.

Merry Christmas from the Forsyths!


Mary made us some tasty German food.


This is a jaw breaker that met a firecracker.


Me and my sisters grew our hair out while Mary was on her mission. We all went and got 11-12 inches cut off our hair to give to Locks of Love.


We got lots of beautiful snow while we were there. The kids had a lot of fun playing in it.



We went to Temple Square in Salt Lake City to see the lights.


Aunt Laura made a fort as large as the living room for the kids. It had a hobbit door and a peek hole. The kids played under it and decorated every inch of it.


Abigail, Josh and Esther really enjoyed having story time every night with Grandma Grow.

Christmas morning was a lot of fun. Daniel got an iron man shirt. David was told the only thing he needed was a hairy chest. I got a pink "LAMB-BORG-INI". And of course there were at least a handful of Chuck Norris Folders that were bestowed and appreciated. Awesome.

Our Nativity was a hit. Way to go on the costumes mom! Love the donkey ears Laura!

My family makes killer good pizza. YUMMY!

Grandpa helped Abigail put "bandages" on all the sick dollies and animals.



Mom made costumes for our Nativity play. Abigail loved her pink angel dress. We put ribbons up all through the neighborhood and made a signs in preparation for Mary's homecoming.


We got to go see Grandma and Grandpa Stenquist and Granpa Grow. We sure love them!

Abigail spent a lot of time rearranging the nativity.


We had lots fun with our friends!

One of Abigail's favorite things to do is throw balls down the stairs to Grandpa. He is a good sport. It can be scary to have balls flying down at you at high speeds. We also had fun using the stairs as a slide.