My brother cooked a big brunch at his house yesterday for old friends visiting from out of town and he put together a playlist with only songs from John, Paul, George and Ringo solo albums … it was a lot fun to listen to .
Favorite ( solo album ) Beatle: George.
But I already knew that before yesterday. 
@PhotographerMom DS loves the Beatles! But I think (not sure, though) he’d pick Paul. He often talks about his different stages of career. Either way, he’d have loved to be at that brunch just to sit in a corner and listen to the music!
Non-sequitur: Is even bad Johnny Hartman good Johnny Hartman?
Going back a bit - I hope all the sick kids are feeling better! Everyone else…stay healthy!
ChoatieSergeant turns 21 today, seventh birthday we haven’t shared with him. He was 14 when I started posting here. Passages.
Happy Birthday, ChoatieSergeant!
Awww, Happy Birthday, ChoatieSergeant! He sounds like an awesome kid.
Wow 7 years…eeek. Happy birthday to ChoatieSergeant! I hope you get to celebrate with him soon!!
Happy Birthday to ChoatieSergeant!
Happy birthday to my brother from another mother. 
Happy, happy birthday to ChoatieSergeant! And kudos to his parents!
@ChoatieMom - it’s like those cartoons where the pages of the calendar flip by faster and faster…
Thanks, all. @ThacherParent, I feel like I just hit the very last page of that calendar.
Oh, @ChoatieMom - You’re such an amazing mom. I can’t believe Choatietoddler is 21!! I felt like such a horrible mom when I read your post…because it was so heartfelt and beautiful. When K1 and K2 ( Irish twins ) were toddlers, the only thing that kept me going or made me happy was imagining them on their 21st birthday and off the payroll. Hope you get to celebrate with him soon. You did well!!!
Here’s a little unexpected something that happened today that made me smile ( and I’m still smiling ) so, I’ll share…
I received a call from a local mom/friend this morning whose daughter is very close to K2 . They attend the same college and have been close friends since Montessori. She said her daughter had a really, really rough day yesterday ( multiple teary calls home- the works. Lots of self doubt… And, of course, mom was very worried ) . Finally, they reconnected one last time over the phone late last night and the daughter said she had just spent some time with K2 and felt so much better.
I’m on the edge of my seat at this point trying to imagine what he did to prompt such a nice phone call from mom…
She said her daughter knocked on his door and when he saw that she was distressed, he cleared out his room which I guess was full of guys . They talked for a long time and when she stopped crying and felt well enough to go back to her room, he walked her back to her dorm which was way on the other side of campus . It was freezing . Then ( according to mom ) he put his arm around her daughter and sang the song " Refections " from the movie Mulan. She said her daughter said it was sweetest thing… and she started crying again!
K2: No, No, No- don’t cry!!!
I’m like- Oh, I’m so happy he was there for her and was able to help… That’s so sweet… All the while thinking: He knew the words to a Mulan song? What??
Evidently, Mulan was her daughter’s favorite movie when she was young and she would make K2 watch it when they had playdates after school at her house … over and over and over…again. And they had a lot of playdates.
So- I texted K2 after we hung up : Did you really sing a Mulan song to ( girl’s name ) last night?
K2: How do you even know that?
@PhotographerMom This is the very best thing I have read in ages. Kudos to you for raising such a selfless kid. I wish everyone could have at least one friend like that.
Best story ever, @PhotographerMom. You did something very right.
May all of our kids be that kind of friend AND have that kind of friend
@PhotographerMom kudos to you & photodad! You’ve raised a good human. Such a sweet story…I can only hope DS should turn out so.
@PhotographerMom You raised a mensch! <3
Thanks guys
After dinner last night we checked in with him while driving home . He said the “mom network” I have going definitely set a land record with that text. He didn’t think he could be shocked anymore… but there it was. I told him that I regretted the text as soon as I sent it … that I should’ve kept it to myself but I thought it was so nice. ( Cue epic side eye from husband, but I did regret it !!! ). We asked how she was doing and he said she seems a lot better- which was really nice to hear. Then he said earlier in the day she yelled at him from across the quad : Need help with your laundry later??
Atta girl
He said that she was really upset and he had never seen her like that before because she’s one of the strongest girls he knows… and inside he was freaking out a little bit but managed to stay calm. He said while she was plowing through the only box of tissues in the room, which was barely 1/2 full to begin with, he started to panic because now she’s really crying hard and he had no idea what to offer next…
He said, Now I’m really getting worried- maybe a t-shirt, pillowcase from the bin under the bed… my mind is racing… I’ve got nothing.
So when the box was empty he reaches for a towel in his closet and hands it to her. She looks at it and then at him and in between sobs says, This towel better be clean, dude. I might be upset but I’m not blind to how disgusting your room is right now.
She’s a good one. We like her.