Goodbye, 2013!

2013. We started a bajillion projects and finished nearly none of them, but nearly-finished most. That's how we roll. Anyway, I've randomly compiled 13 highlights for 2013:

1. Harper turned 2! She is officially talking up a storm, and many people can understand much of what she's saying. Sky helps to translate whatever is misunderstood. Harper is also mostly potty trained, when it's convenient for her to be potty trained and when using the potty doesn't interfere with playing. She started preschool and loves her teacher and friends. Harper wants to do everything and anything. She's too brave for my sanity. She's hilarious and sweet and wild.
2. Sky turned 5! (On the 5th! Golden Birthday!) Ahhh! She started Transitional Kindergarten and breaks out of her shy-shell a little more every day. She loves her friends and LOVES to learn. She's currently into adding and phonetic spelling, and very, very much into coloring and art. For Christmas, her one gift request was an inventor's kit. I love the way her brain works. Sky is funny, smart, and creative, and wants to do anything that will end in laughing.
3. We got chickens! We successfully raised 7 baby chicks into hen-hood and learned many great uses for eggs. Our most common usage for the eggs is Giving Them Away. (In the sunniest months, we were getting 3.5 dozen eggs per week. A person just can't--and shouldn't--eat that many eggs.)
4. Mike's Motorola-owned employer, 3LM, was absorbed into Motorola. So Mike now works for Motorola for realsies. So...that.
5. We started to build a coffered ceiling in our family room in February. We are still working on this project.
6. We put off our ceiling project to work on a chicken coop! We built the chicken coop, but have yet to paint the run. Because apparently 'unfinished' is the new finished. Also, apparently 'chicken coop' and 'chicken condo' are synonyms.
7. Mike installed lighting throughout our cave  house. We can see! It's a miracle!
8. Got a new car! Bye bye, Jeep. You were swell.
9. We made the long drive to Utah this summer. The girls had so much fun at my grandparents' houses! We explored the lovely Utah Valley and even took the kids on a small tour of BYU, which apparently has made Skylar into a BYU fan for life. Yesterday she bit her PB&J sandwich into a 'Y' shape and told me, "Look, Mom! A 'Y' for BYU." Goooo Cougars!
10. We ate a lot of doughnuts.
11. Mikey and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary and 12th dating anniversary. Mike and I went on more dates this year than in any of our previous married years, including the pre-kid years (we were poor students). This is mostly thanks to the babysitting abilities of Ted and Gabrielle, aka Grandma and Grandpa. My sanity is a fragile balloon at the end of a string which is held by the blessed fist that is Date Night.
12. We took two trips to Shelter Cove with my family. We always have a great time, but the trips get better and better as Harper gets older. We saw many gorgeous sunsets over the Pacific Ocean!
13. I turned 29 on the 29th. Yes, it was my Golden Birthday, too. I was a Golden Girl, but without the white hair. I had hoped to be showered in gold, but some dreams are obviously dreams for a reason. 2013 was a wonderful year to help me say goodbye to my precious, beloved twenties. I'll never forget you, Twenties! It was an incredibly busy year with very little sleep and almost no reading on my part. Lots of painting, sawing, drilling, and planning. Only 14 books, according to Goodreads. I just can't even.

So thanks, 2013. You were great, but we'll never see you again. We're different now, and there's no going back. You'll always be in our hearts and taxes. And in the photos. All the photos.

December Harpisms

12.11
Harp, very seriously: "I eat my boogers."
Me: "..."

12.13

Me: "What would you like for Christmas, Harper?"

Harp: "Um. Presents."

Me: "What types of presents?"

Harp: "Christmas presents."

12.19
Sky: "Harp, can you please put the kitty in her home?"
Harper, sadly: "No. Not today..."
Sky: "You always say that."
Harp, sighing: "Yeah..."

12.26
(I picked up a knitting hobby earlier this month, so there are balls of yarn and knitting needles hanging around)

Sky: "Harper, would you like me to teach you how to knit?"

Harp: "Oh, yeah! Sure!"

Sky: "Okay. Who would you like to knit for?"
Harp: "Um, me."

Sky: "You can knit for someone. Like a present."

Harp: "Oh. I will knit for Miss Libby. She's my beeeeeest friend."

12.28

Harp, to no one in particular: "Wendy's at the North Pole."
Me: "Yep. She is."
Harp: "Wendy's making mine presents."

12.30

Harper, to Sky, with finality: "I am your best friend."

later that day:

Harp, randomly to Mike: "My monok."
Mike: "What?"
Sky, pointing to Harper's Butterfly in a Jar toy on the table: "That's her monarch."

12.31
Me: "Time to get out of Dad's car, Harp."
Harp: "No! Me want to stay in Dad's car!"
Me: "You've been in there for a long time. You need to come out."
Harp, crying: "Me want to stay here...forever."
Me: "Forever? Why?"
Harp, still crying, climbing into the back seat: "Because me like it."

December Skyisms

12.1
(Wendy is our Christmas Elf)
Sky: "I FOUND WENDY! Come on, you gotta see this!"
Me: "Okay!"
Sky: "She made a swing and she's hanging from the chandelier!"
Me: "Cool!"
Sky: "AND she changed into a new sweater!"
Me: "Wow!"
Sky: "I can't believe it. I can't believe she came on the same day that we put up our Christmas tree. I can't believe she did that!"

12.6
Me: "What would you like for Christmas, Sky?"
Sky, thinking: "I would like an inventor's kit."
Me, surprised by this sudden unsolicited request: "An inventor's kit? What will you invent?"
Sky: "Anything!"

12.11
Sky: "Is there a game called poker?"
Me: "Yes."
Sky: "But we don't have it?"
Me: "No."
Sky: "Hmm..."

12.18
(Watching an episode of Phineas and Ferb. The school bully is singing a song about missing the school nerd.)
Bully: "...there's a nerd-sized hole in my heart..."
Sky: "A NERD! That's so tiny!"

12.25
Sky: "MOM! SANTA CAME!"
Me: "He did?!"
Sky: "You gotta come see! There are lots of presents! Ohhh, I hope I got that inventor's kit..."
{fumbling out to the family room, I turn the corner to see the girls jumping for joy, pointing at the Christmas tree yelling things like "look!" and "presents!" and "Santa!"}
Sky: "Look at everything, Mom! I didn't even ASK for all of these presents!"

later that day:

Me: "Did you get what you wanted, Sky?"
Sky: "Yep. I was out of days to think of what else I wanted."

even later that day:

Sky: {crying}
Me: "What's wrong, Sky?"
Sky: "I'm really going to miss Wendy when she goes back to the North Pole."
Me: "She has to go, though. She needs to make presents and work really hard so she can take time off to hang out with us again next Christmas."
Sky: "I just really love her."
{Wendy decided to stick it out one more night. She snuggled Sky all night long. Sky is still happy about this a week later.}

12.30
Sky: "Driving seems easy."
Me: "It does?"
Sky: "But not cooking."
Me: "Ah."
Sky: "Swimming seems easy, too."
{a minute later}
Sky: "Actually, driving seems hard because I don't know how to get to places. Maybe if you drew me a picture, I could make a path, and...hmm..."
Me: "A map?"
Sky: "Yes! A map. That would make it easy."

12.31
Sky: "Why is today the last day of 2013? Why is it turning into 2014?"
Me: "Because today is the last day of the year. There are 365 days in a year, and today is the last day in this year. A new year starts tomorrow."
Sky: "Hmm. Okay."

November Harpisms

11.1
Me: "Thanks, you little honey bear!"
Harp: "Me not honey bear! Haha! Me not your honey bear, Mom!"
Me: "You are my honey bear! I could gobble you up."
Harp: "No! Me not chocolate!"

11.2

Harp: "I'm pissed off."
Me: "What?!"
Harp: "I'm pissed off."
Me: "Um...you're upset?"
Harp: "I'm okay."

11.14
Harp: "Mommy, me don't want mine shadow."
Me: "Why not?"
Harp: "Because me don't want it."
Sky: "Just keep your shadow."
Harp: "Me don't want it, Sky."
Sky: "Turn around. Look. It's your shadow on the wall."
Harp, crying: "Me don't want that shadow."
Sky: "The only way to get rid of your shadow is to get rid of yourself. Like, get back in Mom's tummy."

11.21
Me: "It's Pink World over by Harper!"
Harper {wide-eyed, stares at me and removes her finger from her nose}
Sky: "Huh?"
Me: "Pink bowl, pink kitties, pink jammies."
Sky: "Harp was just picking her nose."
Harper, still staring at me like a deer in headlights, slowly breaks into a grin then carries on with breakfast.

11.30
Harp: "Where's dad?" 

Me: "He's sleeping."
Harp: "He's not going to work?"
Me: "Nope. Not today."
Harp: "Oh! Work's done?! Work is all gone now?!"

November Skyisms

11.8
Sky: "Pick me up again!"
Mike: "I'm super tired. I just got home. Daddy had a suuuuper busy day today."
Me: "Did you get anything finished?"
Mike: "I got a whole lot done."
Sky: "Well, how much money did you get?"
Me: "Yeah! That's all we care about!"
Mike: "I didn't get money."
Sky: "Why not?"
Mike: "I got enough work done to keep my job."
Sky: "Well, don't do that. Don't get enough done to keep your job."
Mike: "But then I wouldn't have a job, and we'd have to sell all of our stuff!"
Sky: "And we'd get to live underneath a tree?! With our two cats?!"

11.8

Mike: "You might want to clean up your puzzle so you don't ruin all the pieces by stepping them."

Sky: "Umm can you do it? I'm full...of cleaning."

Mike: "You're full of cleaning?"

Sky: "Yeah."

11.14
Sky: "It's Nice Day!"
Me: "Kids, sit down so we can eat!"
Sky: "Mom? Remember? It's Nice Day today. That means only be nice."
Me, grumbling: "You have to eat to be nice..."

11.17

Me: "Only one more cabinet to paint, Sky! Just one cabinet. And eight chairs...and a table. But once those are done, everything will be painted!"

Sky: "Yep. And THEN will we be able to have more play dates?"

11.30
Our elf, Wendy, returned from the North Pole to hang out at our house until Christmas. The kids LOVE Wendy. This Skyism occurred at 7am. Mike and I were sleeping and all was lovely when our door suddenly flew open and:

Sky: "MOM! WENDY'S BACK!"

Harp: "MOM, WENDY'S BACK!"

Sky: "She's on the cabinet! The one you painted. The old one that you just painted, not the other one you painted. Come see!"

Harp: "Come see!"

Sky, running back into the room: "She's on a book! She brought a book! Come see!" (Runs away)

Harp runs in: "She's on a book! Come see!" (Runs away)

October Harpisms

Oh, Harp. This girl really makes me laugh! Her mannerisms add so much to the hilarity; I wish I had all of these moments on video.

10.3
Harp (working on a puzzle): "Hey! I did it! I'm awesome."

10.7
Harp: "Me come play with you, Mom! Me best friend!"

10.8
Harp: "Abe-C-D RED, Abe-C-D RED! I SPELL RED! I SPELL RED!"
(This was Harper singing a song Sky learned at TK. The real lyrics are, "R-E-D: RED; R-E-D: RED. I can spell RED. I can spell RED," sung to the tune of "Where is Thumbkin?")

10.9
Harp: "I'm mad at the ghost."
Me: "What?"
Sky: "She's mad at the ghost."
Me: "Why are you mad at the ghost?"
Harp: "The ghost take all my stuff."
Me: "He's just a silly klepto ghost."
Harp: "Yeah."

10.15

Mike talking to me: *talk talk talk talk*

Harper, trying to get Mike's attention: "Hey."

Mike: *talk talk talk*

Harper, 2 seconds later: "Dad."

Me: *talk talk talk*

Harper: "Hey, stop talking."

10.23

Harp, proudly: "Me been going potty ALL DAY!"

10.24
Harper, eating a Fruit by the Foot: "Mmm. Dis yum is big."
Me: "Which one is big?"
Harper: "Dis um. Froop Roll Up by Fet."

October Skyisms

For the record, I did create this post and keep track of these -isms in October. I just neglected to do anything about it until December 31. Just as I neglected November and December, but here they all come as one final 2013 HURRAH!!!

10.2
Sky: "How many more days until my birthday?"
Me: "Three!"
Sky: "Three! Yeah, but will Dad be there?"
Me: "Yes."
Sky: "But he's getting home in three more days."
Me: "Dad will be home in two days."
Sky: "Which day is my birthday?"
Me: "Saturday."
Sky: "Which day does Dad get home?"
Me: "Friday."
Sky: "Okayyyyy..."
Me: "He'll be home for your birthday, Sky."
Sky: {singing the days of the week song to decide whether I'm telling the truth or lying, because obviously this is something I would lie about}

10.3
Sky: "Okay, now I know the rule..."
Me: "Which rule?"
Sky: "Do not put stuffed animals in your mouth!"

10.3
Sky (sighing): "Is it 10:00 yet?"
Me: "Nope."
Sky: "Ughhhh. I'm diving for a snaaaack..."

10.16
Sky, while riding circles on her bike, singing a song she made up this week ("she rocking, she's rolling, she's ready to be in the race!"): "I'm going to take my training wheels off sometime. When I'm 6 or 10."

10.18

Sky, yawning: "I think I've already yawned four times."
A few minutes later:
Sky, yawning: "Five yawns! That's my Golden Yawn!"
Me: "Hahaha! It is!"
Sky: "When you yawn 29 times in one day, that'll be your Golden Yawn."

10.23
Overheard while making dinner as the kids played/fought outside:
Harp: "Ahhhhhhh!"
Sky: "HARP! DON'T TELL MOM! - {panicking} - Harp! Come back here, I'll tell you what to say!"

10.29
Sky: "Are we ever going to move out of this house?"
Me: "I don't know."
Sky: "I hope not. Because how would we get the chicks and the chicken coop there? "
Me: "We'd figure it out."
Sky: "Maybe we'd use one of those big boxes."
Me: "Mmhmm."
Sky: "But they'd each need special seatbelts."