Phil, Hope and Kozik (Photos by Sylvia Hagar)

They met in a tattoo shop many years ago, but at the time, Hope and Phil Colvin were seeing other people. It was several years before Phil finally tattooed Hope while he was working at Liberty Tattoo. At the time they were “both kind of available” and one thing led to another. Phil and Hope have been married a little more than four years and Phil owns his own studio, Memorial tattoo in East Atlanta.

Before their son Kozik was born, the Colvins bought a house in East Atlanta and loved living in the city. Unfortunately, the increased crime and booming car stereos drove them crazy. Whenever visiting Hope’s family in Peachtree City, the Colvins would entertain the idea of living there. “It’s clean, very little crime, great public schools, no boom cars and best of all, is a green community, connected by 100 miles of golf cart paths,” Phil says.

When Hope’s father was diagnosed with cancer in early 2007, Hope and Phil decided to move closer to her parents. As a result, Kozik gets to see his grandparents daily. (Following treatment, Hope’s father has been cancer free for more than a year.)

As the Colvins began searching for a home in Peachtree City, they looked for an older home. Against new construction, they bought a 20-year-old home on a quarter-acre. The home has five bedrooms, 3.5 baths, a basement and 2.5-car garage. Phil’s mom lives in a separate in-law suite, with her own kitchen, full bath and private entrance.

Parents’ names, ages, occupations?
Phil Colvin, 41, tattoo artist, shop owner (of Memorial Tattoo) and
wizard; Hope Colvin, 35, part-time pet sitter and fashion rep.

Childrens’ names, ages?
Kozik Rebo Colvin, 3.5

Neighborhood you live in?
The Retreat, Peachtree City

How would you describe your parenting style?
Non-extreme attachment parenting. Kozik thrives on structure, but also has a lot of freedom to explore most anything he wants.

How are you different from other parents?
Kozik has never had chocolate, soda or sugar, so junk food is never an option for him. And we never ask other parents at what age they are going to let their kid get a tattoo. Sheesh!

How are you the same?
We have structure, bedtimes, rules, manners … We’re raising our child like a huge percentage of people: close to his grandparents, in a safe, loving environment.

What do you do for fun with the whole family?
We’ve had an annual membership at Zoo Atlanta since Kozik was born, so that’s a great activity for us. We’ve gone behind-the-scenes with the elephants and mole rats. Also, since we live in a golf cart community, we just head out on the cart and go find new adventures!

What do you do for fun individually?
Hope: meeting friends for coffee or curling up with a magazine. I cherish my quiet, alone time!
Phil: riding motorcycles, painting and live shows. Oh, and napping.

Favorite Dad and kid thing to do?
Getting in the Green Van on Thursdays and going on different adventures. The one stop we always make is the tattoo shop. He loves to hang out there and all the artists like hanging out with him!

Favorite Mom and kid thing to do?
Just snuggling up and reading. Or having Kozik as my little helper around the house.

On rainy days, the family hangs in Kozik's room.

Favorite rainy day activity?
Kozik’s playroom is arranged by stations, so we spend time at his art table, then hang out in his reading nook, and then maybe rearrange the track on his Thomas the Train play table.

Favorite playground?
All Children’s Playground in Peachtree City. It’s a safe, fenced-in playground with tons of room and rubberized ground covering. It’s on a lake, too, so we can visit the ducks and geese.

Favorite event of the year?
4th of July! We have a family BBQ, watch the kids play and then caravan by golf cart out to the lake to watch the fireworks.

Favorite family board game or video game?
Wii fit. Seriously.

Family’s favorite CD/music?
Kozik likes any kind of music that we play, but he especially loves the Aquabats. He’s learning about Tom Waits from his daddy and the Pixies from his mommy.

If you were a book, what is the one thing you wouldn’t guess from your cover (i.e. your least expected quirk)?
Hope: I’m sober and usually in bed by 10 p.m. I cross stitch and garden. And I’ve gotten Kozik to a 5-year-old reading level at 3 and a half!
Phil: That I wake up at 7 a.m. every day! That despite what people may think, tattooing is a career and a respectable business that has provided a stable home for my family. And I love puppy breath.

Most surprising thing that cookie cutter people have said or done to you?
Accepted us. They have not looked at us like bad seeds in this upper middle-class suburb we love so much. They’ve come to find we are actually quite normal. Not that we are “normal,” but we are traditional in the way we bring up our son and in the values and morals we try to instill in his little head.

Any words for the families that look at you funny for being tattooed/alternative?
We know that 75 percent of you have a tattoo somewhere! And the other 25 percent ask us when they can get one!