Written by Valerie Cook
Dear Fenna & Ziggy,
I remember telling my parents when I was young that I wanted to have kids at an early age. I can't remember their answer though, they probably didn't think too much of it, as I was only a teenager and still had a lot to learn. However, when I met your dad at age 20 I still had the same wish. The reason for this wish was (and still is) that to my beliefs, the younger I would become a mom one day the more and the longer I could go on adventures with my children. And here we are, I'm now 32 and you, dear Fenna and Ziggy, are now 8 and 4 years old. And I can say that I’m in the prime of my life to explore the world together with you guys, hopefully for many many years to come.
Growing up while traveling in a home on wheels
Fenna, you have been by our side on adventures for the last eight years and it has been incredibly beautiful to see you look at the world with such an intelligence. You have always wanted to understand everything and you’ve never taken no for an answer. We saw you growing up while traveling in a home on wheels for the first six years of your life. You had to live in the midst of a constant change of surroundings that never seemed to scare you and you always enjoyed whatever came your way. Maybe that’s just because you are a true nomad at heart. The thing that always amazed me the most has been your perseverance whenever you decided you really wanted something in life. I remember the time when you were hiking up a crazy steep mountain in Northern Norway together with your dad and I. You were only three years old and hiked to that top all by yourself with such a strong focus in your eyes. Whenever you have a goal in sight, regarding anything in life, you will make sure you reach it. Something we hope you will keep doing for the rest of your life, no matter what challenges you might face.
Always ready to go for an adventure
Ziggy, our little explorer. Since the moment you came into our lives you have loved to dive head first into any adventure. Especially when there is ice cream involved ;). Even though your legs are shorter than Fenna's, you are always ready to go for an adventure as long as it's fun enough to your standards. Which makes me excited to think about all the possible adventures you have yet to experience in life. You, our reckless boy, learn by doing. Just as you showed us the first time you biked downhill when you were only two years old and decided braking was not really necessary. Even though your dad and I were shouting you should brake you probably thought to yourself that we were being careful for no reason. You then landed head first in the dust. But that’s not all. What amazed us is that after a few tears you shook it off, rubbed the sand off your face and got back on your bike without a moment of hesitation. That’s you, the boy who learns by doing and figures out his limits on his own. The boy who will hopefully never ever let anyone tell him what his limits are in life, and who will forever keep pushing them in ways unimaginable to others.
My darlings, exploring the world with you both has been the greatest gift ever. There is nothing more beautiful to me than going off the grid with the two of you, and connecting with you in such a profound way. When phones are turned off, and we have nothing but the beautiful simplicity of the outdoors to enjoy together. I still have to pinch myself sometimes that this vision I had when I was younger turned into a reality. The fact that I can share my favorite passions in life with my little ones is just unreal. Your smiles bring me the greatest joy and I hope we will forever be adventuring together. I hope that even when you guys are older you will still be excited to go out exploring together with your dad and I, so that we can forever push ourselves and have long and good conversations together without distractions. That we can go on adventures that more than anything else enable us to truly listen to each other, to breath in the fresh air, to move our bodies and to explore new grounds. That would be my biggest wish in this lifetime, to never stop exploring together. Even if it's just a few times a year.
With love,
Mom
