Kiersten’s Blog

London is thankful for her violin.  Usually I choose a different thing to blog about every year and I’m pretty sure my V thing was violin last year, but watching these two kids try to play their violins together is just too precious not to be thankful for today.  London discovered yesterday that we have a violin Ashton’s size.  She now thinks it’s her responsibility to teach him how to play.  Never mind that she doesn’t really know how to play herself (we’re working on that. . . kind of).  It’s fun to watch her try and teach her 2-year-old brother the things that I’m trying to teach her.  And he loves it too.  I’m thankful that my parents suffered through all of the horrible years of my violin playing so that I could develop my talents.  Sometimes I complain about all of the things I have going on with orchestras and things and how it takes up so much of my time but I am thankful to be able to play and enjoy it.  Right now we’re working on The Nutcracker that will be performed with San Diego ballet next weekend.  I’m excited for this opportunity and thankful for my violin.

P.S. You can thank me later for not posting a video of the kids playing their violins.

London is thankful for umbrellas and unicorns.  I’m thankful for unity.  I’m thankful for the unity I feel in many aspects of my life and surroundings.

Today London is thankful for tigers.  Obviously, I’m thankful for Taylor, although sometimes that’s not so obvious to him.  I guess I need to be better at that.  But I am thankful for him every year.  This year I want to expand my T thankful things.  I am thankful for my testimony.  More specifically, I am thankful for my testimony of Jesus Christ.  I am thankful that I have a testimony that through Him I can be saved.  I’m thankful that I have a testimony of the plan that my Heavenly Father has for me.  I’m thankful for the testimony that I have of the scriptures and that through reading and studying them and acting in ways according to the scriptures I am a better person.  I hope that I will be better at putting my testimony into action.

Me: London, what are you thankful for that starts with S?

London: Salami

Me: Why are you thankful for salami?  Do you even know what salami is?

London: What’s salami?

Me: It’s kind of like pepperoni but not as good.

London: Oh.

Me: So why are you thankful for salami?

London: I’m thankful for seals.

Me: Why are you thankful for seals?

London: Because they swim in the water and I like the water

Maybe she really doesn’t understand what thankful means.  She’ll get it someday.

As for me, I’m thankful for soap.  I can’t imagine how nasty our world would be without it (and I think that my OCD 2-year-old boy would not be able to handle life.  Is it just me or is it strange that I have a 2-year-old boy that doesn’t like to be dirty?)

London is thankful for reverence.  I think that’s such a good one that I’m going to piggy-back on hers.  I am thankful for reverence.  Much like yesterday’s word, I’m thankful for quiet times when I can just sit and ponder.  I don’t have a lot of those.  Mostly it’s late at night when everybody else is asleep and I wish I was asleep.  But those times of quiet calm are needed in life.  I need more of them.

In the words of a primary song that London started singing when talking about reverence:

Rev’rence is more than just quietly sitting; 

It’s thinking of Father above,

A feeling I get when I think of his blessings.

I’m rev’rent, for rev’rence is love.

When I’m rev’rent, it shows in my words and my deeds.

The pathway to follow is clear.

And when I am reverent, I know in my heart

Heav’nly Father and Jesus are near.

(Reverence Is Love, Children’s Songbook page 31)

Today London and I are both thankful for quiet, I more than she, I think.  Maybe that’s why I tend to stay up so late most nights.  It’s quiet.  I need time for quietness.

London is thankful for potties.  I am thankful for pumpkin.  Something hits me right about mid-September where I can’t get enough of it!  I search for the perfect pumpkin recipe, trying all sorts of new things.  Lately I have been a bit disappointed because I have made a couple of things, only to find that the pumpkin flavor isn’t as strong as I would like.  But one recipe has not disappointed.  Twice I have made pumpkin chocolate chip bars.  They are heavenly.  They may just be my go-to pumpkin recipe this year.  And just because I’m sure you want it, it’s over here.  I also have a pumpkin bread recipe that I haven’t made yet this year but it’s probably time to break it out.  I love it.  I love the smell of pumpkin and its accompanying spices.  Fall rolls around and all of my wallflowers and soaps turn pumpkin flavor.  I think I should also mention that I haven’t once bought canned pumpkin this year.  I buy a whole pumpkin, bake it, and puree it.

And while we’re on the subject of pumpkin, I want to mention a little tidbit about a pumpkin that we had this year.  It was the only one big enough to carve, so carve we did.  London brought it home from school one day.  They had a contest in her classroom where they drew a jack-o-lantern and the class voted on which one was the best.  Hers won, so she won a pumpkin!  When we cut it open to pull the guts out and carve, I noticed something that I have never seen.  Many of the seeds had sprouted inside the pumpkin!  How does that even happen?  It’s so strange to me.  And that’s how we ended up with a phenomenal pumpkin, and a cute jack-o-lantern to boot.

London says she’s thankful for octopus (I think).  I am thankful for oranges.  More specifically I’m thankful for fresh-from-the-tree oranges.  Taylor’s mom has two orange trees in her back yard so in the winter we can get bags and bags of oranges from her.  I love it!  Although I did grow up in California, I was further north where citrus trees aren’t so abundant.  I had never tasted a tree-ripened orange before.  Now I’m kind of an orange snob.  I need the good stuff.  And juicing them?  Heaven.  I’m definitely thankful for oranges.

London is thankful for noodles.  I think it’s funny because that’s what she has said the last 3 years.  I guess I need to teach her more N words.

I’m thankful for nursery.  Not those nurseries that grow and sell plants; the nursery at church.  I’m thankful that I can actually learn in church once I drop the kids off at the respective classes.  I’m thankful that Ashton loves nursery.  And I’m thankful that he learns about the gospel there.  I’m especially thankful for his nursery leaders.  We love nursery!

My kids are thankful for Mickey and Minnie Mouse.  Ashton wants to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse every day.  London also said she’s thankful for monsters.  Maybe she really meant Monsters Inc.

I am thankful for music.  Music has always been a huge part of my life.  I started playing the violin when I was 4.  I think my parents must have been crazy to allow me to start that young, but they did and I’m thankful for it.  They endured years of squeaky violin sounds and whining about practicing.  But because of it, music has played an important role in my life.  Without it, I never would have met Taylor.  We were both music majors and taking a number of classes together.  It still plays an important role in my life.  It’s what Taylor teaches.  My kids love it (and are good at it).  Although I don’t listen to music nearly as often as I used to (I think sometimes I just want silence), I am thankful for it and thankful for the peace and depth it brings into my life.  I only wish I was better at the piano.  I guess all it takes is some practice!