Ink

I'm pretty sure John was the only male, perhaps the only HUMAN in the greater Portland area without a tattoo.  Until today:

He's been talking about getting a tattoo for years.  Back when we were still living in Utah even.  A couple of months ago, just as Alex was starting school, John had him write his name on a piece of paper intending to have that tattooed on his arm.  And it sat on our desk until this afternoon when he took it into a tattoo shop and had it permanently inked on his arm.  When Max turns five, he plans to have his name put on his left
 arm in Max's handwriting.

(the blue line around it is just from the transfer paper, it will wash off.  The ALEX won't)

I LOVE this.  I love it so much!  My own dad had my name tattooed on his shoulder and it always made me feel happy and special to see it there.  John has gone a step further by having Alex actually design the tattoo.  It isn't just the word 'ALEX', it's a snapshot of this time, when Alex just started writing, started school and made the transition from baby to boy.  I love it so much I'm tempted to do something similar myself!