Ode to Kathleen

Mason, directing Poppy on how to change a diaper. Picture taken when our family first grew to four.
Now that we have Charlie and his little newborn sized hiney, Mason's plump size 6 rump doesn't seem so babyish anymore. I can't help but think that our boy needs to be potty trained and if my hands weren't full (and I wasn't dreading it so) I might just do something about it. Maybe next week...
The other day while James was changing Mason he said, "I feel like I'm changing a ten-year-old's diaper!" which reminded me of my sweet sister, Kathleen, and of one of my most beloved (and frequently shared-especially if Marshy is there) family stories of all time.

Disclaimer: This story is not funny to anyone really besides my siblings and I. In fact, it isn't really a story; rather, it is more of a memory. Our poor spouses have to hear it at nearly every family gathering. Kathleen doesn't even think it is funny. That doesn't matter to the rest of us though. It still causes us all to roar with mirth and delight. :)

When my siblings and I were younger, we were asked to help babysit children at a local Baptist Church for their weekly craft/mother's retreat. Since we were always on the lookout for ways to earn money, we agreed. Me (age 16ish), Marshall (age 14ish), Aria (age 12ish) and Kathleen (age 10ish). We hated this afternoon every week. The place was an absolute MAD HOUSE with a zillion bored and unruly children. They would split up the babysitters and put us in charge of different age groups-usually a different age group each week. Sometimes we got to work with another sibling and sometimes we were on our own. However, without fail, Kathleen got put on baby duty! The rest of us Vances felt bad for little Slingle, as there really was nothing worse than babysitting that big group of crying, stinky babies and toddlers. This in itself was no laughing matter.

However, there was one toddler in particular that has kept us laughing and teasing Kathleen ever since. I don't remember her name or anything else about her except that she was the BIGGEST TODDLER I HAVE EVER SEEN! So big that she really did look ten years old!!!! The poor thing never really had much facial expression at all, which only added to her strangeness. As Kathleeny was always babysitting that group, it was a common occurrence to see her changing the diaper of a child who appeared to be her own size! There the giant toddler would lay with a blank stare on her face while petite little Kathleen had to awkwardly change her diaper (insert one of us siblings making a blank face while pretending to be this poor child).

See. Not that funny really....except that I'm chuckling right now as I type about it. I sure miss having all of my siblings together to laugh about oddball things with. There really is nothing better than family.