{p,h,f,r} The Sofas and Star Wars Edition

{pretty} & {real}

So, we've been going back and forth (and by we I of course mean mostly me) over whether to save up to buy a new really nice made-in-America- of-beautiful-leather couch or to just get something now in the more cheap-but-not-hideous-price range to replace our six year old, bought it used for a song (thanks again aunt Julia!), past it's prime couch.  In the end we went with the IKEA Extorp for it's extreme cheapness, complete washability, and the knowledge that if our military movers crack it in half we won't be devastated.

It's pretty and real because you have to look under all the blankets to see the pretty--but this is what it really looks like covered with all the blankets/quilts that we own that kind of go with our living room.  The whole thing is slipcovered and washable but I'd rather not strip the entire couch once a week so.......blankets it is.  In our tinyhouse the couch is only five steps away from our kitchen table so it really doesn't stand a chance against runaway sticky fingered munchkins on its own.

But since it came from IKEA the best part is (according the the children).........

{happy}

we combined the boys' new found love of all things Star Wars with their other love of demanding that their mother construct ridiculous things out of cardboard and made this.  They actually asked for an X-wing starfighter but mamma didn't have enough time/patience/oatmeal canisters for all of that.  Yay for generic space ships!

I gave each of the big boys a control panel print out to color in and David got pretty fancy with his.  He crossed out all the buttons having anything to do with "slow" or "reverse" so that now his spaceship has only one speed and direction--super fast and full speed ahead.  Which pretty much sums up his entire personality.

{funny}

So both the boys are currently obsessed with Star Wars after our friends gave us a boxed set of Episodes 4,5,and 6...you know, the good ones ;)

Henry has been taking every opportunity to declare that when he grows up he is going to be a Jedi with a real lightsaber.  He picks up pretty much anything and pretends it's a lightsaber now including kitchen utensils:

Henry:  Mom! [dejected]  My lightsaber turned back into a....a.....whisk.  [insert upturned pathetic face here]
Me:  I'm not buying you a lightsaber two weeks after Christmas.
Henry:  slowly walks away with whisk hanging sadly by his side

In my defense I offered to make the boys lightsabers by painting wrapping paper tubes and making handles with duct tape but my idea was met with offended stares and crickets chirping.

Oh well, they're having fun enough even without store bought weaponry.

I love that the spaceship lets all three boys play the same game.....well actually the baby's alternating at playing keep away with his cracker and snatch the glasses off my brother's face--two of his all time favorites.....

....and I'm not sure what Henry was saying while I took this one but I just love John Michael's expression :)

Anyway....I've promised the boys we can move the spaceship into their room tomorrow so they can have a sleepover in it because they were begging and it's on it's last leg and also--I'd like to get it out of the living room....


And don't forget to catch more contentment over at Like Mother, Like Daughter!