Crazy Norwegian Love
Dear Ia Williams,
You are officially my #1 crazy adoption fan!! You have no idea how much fun it’s been for me to meet you in bloggy land and your big crazy adoption family!! I adore Nina and can’t believe we have not all met in real life, but we certainly have a special connection of the heart! Thank you for our 5 handmade knit hats- a sprinkle of Norwegian love! We love them and have been wearing our hats around the house… can’t wait until next winter! Your passion and heart for adoption has made a huge impact on your family. I have a little surprise for you… a special “happy” from your daughter Nina sharing why you are so crazy amazing!
xoxo
“So I’m sitting here racking my brain, to think of a fun story about my mom, and all I can think of is how sweet and sentimental my mom is. Aside from my dad, she loves her children more than anything in the world. I have two older brothers, Erik & Rune, and we fought like cats and dogs throughout our entire childhood. Still DO sometimes! 🙂 She was a serious trooper for putting up with us for so long! And now with the added spouses, 5 grandchildren (with three more on the way!) One for us, and two for my bro, and sis-in-law in Oregon also adopting from Ethiopia, and 3 dogs!! It’s usually chaos when we are all together (which is about twice a year.) But my mom loves it. She loves having us close, and being so far away from all of us is so difficult for her and my dad. She has been knitting these hats and sweaters since we were babies. When I was very little, she even knitted my dresses. In Norway, when my mom was a little girl, all the girls had to learn to knit. She excelled at it. Of course, she’s an amazing seamstress too, always making us costumes for school and special occasions. When we were young, we didn’t realize how special the things she made for us were. And as a girl, anything different from the norm, was not so cool to wear. My mom’s sweaters, while beautiful, stood out in junior high, so I wasn’t super gung ho about them. Now, I can’t wait to get my next one. All of us siblings argue over who gets the next one because we love them.
The hats and sweaters are only part of the wonderful pieces of Norway that my mother “knit” into our lives. We spent our summers in Bergen, Norway, with our grandparents (we called them Bestemor & Bestefar.) During those summers, we played in the streets until late, because the sun only hangs just below the horizon during the summer. Land of the Midnight Sun! We hiked up our favorite mountain many times, picking the biggest blueberries you’ve ever seen, on the way up. At the top, you could see all of Bergen, fjords and shining waters for miles and miles. We visited the fish market in downtown Bergen often, and ate unfathomably large piles of shrimp that were more delicious than any shrimp I’ve ever eaten in the States. We have always made fun of my mom and the shrimp she eats, because there seems to be no limit for her when shrimp is involved. She can seriously scarf down some shrimp! I remember long walks with my mom and Bestemor, picking flowers along the way, and feeding ducks down by the water. I remember my mom and Bestefar (grandpa) laughing until tears streamed down their faces, which seemed to happen nearly every day. Both my mom and I loved the pipe my grandfather would smoke when he was sitting in his chair at home. I would always get to blow out the match (which I loved to do for some reason), and he would let me tap his cheeks while he blew smoke rings into the air.
So obviously, my parents have given us the world and more. The experiences they have allowed us to have, and the places they have taken us is more than we could ever have asked for. I’m so glad my dad chose to sit next to my mom on a 30 hour bus ride through Scandinavia, because otherwise, I may never have come into this world to experience such a wonderful life with such an amazing mom (we call her Mamma, by the way. Not Mama, mommy, or mom. Simply Mamma. Pronounced “Mum-a”. It’s the Norwegian version of mom.)” Nina Mullins, adoptive mom-to-be.
Thank you, Ia for making such a difference in the crazy adoption world!!
xoxo Kari
Just for fun:)
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Woohoo for my mom!!!! And woohoo for Kari for telling the "world" about her! 🙂 Love you Kari!!!
Yay! We love Nina & Wes, and her mom sounds super-wonderful. Thanks for giving them a shout-out, Kari! 🙂
I was so overwhelmed by emotions today when Nina called me at work and told me to look up Kari's blog. After reading it – which was hard between the tears – I felt so honored words cannot express it. I have been so blessed with three wonderful children, three fantastic in-law-children and 5 of the cutest grandchildren in the world, and three on the way straigth from Ethiopia. My children have given me sooooo much joy in life. I praise God for them.
Kari, you are something else. And for Zoe,, she is just a beauty. I thank you so much for all you do for the adoption world.
Ia, thanks again for pouring your Norwegian Love on my family & now my crazy readers! I appreciate your kindness and passion for mommyhood & adoption!
xoxo
Haha…this is my favorite blog post you have EVER done! (largely cuz that's my Mamma and sis) Don't know if you remember this, but these were the hats I talked to you about before you went to Haiti. Sorry I was such a slacker. Thankfully my mom is not!
Keep putting adoption in the mouths of people who never have talked about it!
To the one who mentioned about the Tea Party agenda, as if everybody agreed it was a problem, please consider this viewpoint. And about 10 more from different angles.
I would be fantastic if you could point me in the direction of a good platform.