Ink

I know tattoos are not for everyone. I, however, am a huge fan of tattoos. I love the art and design of them, the meaning, the boldness, the over all look. I think tattoos can make a huge statement. I love that all kinds of people have tattoos. It's not just your typical stereotype of biker gangs anymore! I also think tattoos have to mean something. After all, if you're going to commit to a piece of art permanently becoming a part of you, it better mean something now, and still mean something to you 20 years from now.
I never thought Tom would get a tattoo, but he surprised me on my 30th birthday, blogged about here. It was the most amazing birthday surprise ever! It meant so much to me, super sentimental! :-) Since then we've been itching to get more done.
We finally found a shop that we like, an artist that we trusted, and a design we love and got our tattoos last week. Our artist, Steph, was awesome! She was recommended to us by our neighbor and was amazing! She was great at keeping us distracted too. It took her about 3 .5 hours for mine and 3 hours for Tom's. Sitting still that long was helped with her great conversations! She made the time go a little faster! We took her our design ideas and she came up with the final versions. Tom wanted to get his interpretation of a tree of life with the boys initials incorporated somehow. I loved the idea, especially for what the tree of life represents (at least what it represents for me) so I stole his idea. :-) We didn't get the exact same thing. Our designs are different yet similar enough, so you know that they mean the same thing to each of us. Instead of the boys initials, I added 4 birds flying in the breeze, representing Tom and the 3 boys. And just to touch on what the tree of life means to me.....It symbolizes our family. As the boys grow older and go their separate ways, like the branches of the tree, and do their own things in life, they will always be connected to each other and to Tom and I. Just like the branches get their start at the trunk of the tree and everything is connected to the roots. No matter what happens, where ever life takes them, we all have the same roots. Anyway....Here are our tattoos.

Tom also has an M in the roots for our name.








When the boys saw mine the next morning and I explained what it meant, Jack and Ty each picked out what bird they wanted to be. :-)

Fashion sense

Jack has a very unique fashion sense. He is obsessed with this one button down shirt that his Uncle Pat sent him. And he also loves wearing his "fancy schmansy" shorts. (plaid shorts with pockets, not mesh gym shorts.) He really does love dressing up whether it's in his fancy clothes or costumes like the cowboy hat and snow boots. He's been a sheriff of an apparently very snowy western town since he got cap guns for Easter. (I know, I'm a bad mom for getting him guns for Easter, but he loves them) Jack also has this habit of bringing something with us everywhere we go. Sometimes it's his gigantic stuffed dog, sometimes his handcuffs (what's a sheriff w/o handcuffs?) most of the time it's a smaller stuffed animal hand cuffed to him. This means every time I look in the rear view mirror I see a stuffed animal hanging by handcuffs from the "oh shit bar". All these accessories can come along but they have to stay in the car! And Ty is Jack's shadow with some things. Including his fashion sense. He prefers boxer briefs over tidy whities, loves the fancy schmansy shorts and brings totally random things with him where ever we go. Ty usually brings a matchbox garbage truck with him or a plane or this loud beeping cherry picker truck. So both of the older boys love to make a fashion statement with a very random accessory in tow. So I wasn't surprised to see this when I told the boys to get out of their jammies and get dressed this morning so we could head out grocery shopping.....

This was all them. :-) Jack is rocking his favorite shirt with black sweat pants, snow boots, Tom's Rutgers hat, and his holster with guns. Ty went more traditional with the clothes opting for jeans and a tee, he also chose a hat and his accessory is.... Wait for it....take another look at the picture to make sure..... Yep, that's what you thought it was..... A plunger. (please know that it is brand new and never been used!!! **gag**) this plunger was found by the boys in the garage over the weekend and has become the new favorite toy and way to gross me out! Tom even helped the boys create a game involving the plunger, a golf club and a ball. Who knows! :-) Anyway, after some deliberation I did talk Ty out of bringing the plunger with him this morning. I'll taken victories when I can get them! As for their fashion sense......they get that from Tom! Hahahaah!!!! :-)
Ty would not cooperate for the picture. Almost like he knew I'd post a picture of him with a plunger all over the world wide web!! Ha!




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Yeah for Bodie

Seems like time has gotten away from me once again, it's been a month since my last blog. We've been staying busy with all the regular stuff life comes with and even threw in a trip to PA for Easter. But before I dive into all the catching up I have to share Bodie's latest accomplishment. He started giving kisses and clapping a few weeks ago, around Easter. Being in PA with family lead to lots of kisses, and he just caught right on. Of course they're open mouth and sloppy, the best baby kisses ever!!!  Clapping took a few weeks but he's got it down now. Here he is pushing Jack around on the zebra walker thing we have then celebrating his magnificence on his own! :-) Go Bodie Go!!!