family

I do not come from a large family. I mean, by most standards my immediate family is fairly large -- I have four siblings and two cousins who lived with us -- but my extended family is quite small. I have exactly six first cousins: the two that were wards of my parents, and four more that lived in Texas, who we saw once a year for a few days. I have two aunts and one uncle, and between the three of them, only my dad's sister and her husband like us much.


And this, to me, seems like a pretty standard family size.

then I married Christofer.

Christofer has 8 aunts and uncles and 17 first cousins. And most of those cousins have spouses. And most of those cousins and their spouses have kids. and all of those aunts and uncles and kids and cousins and spouses know each other and like each other and get together several times a year to party.

and that's just his Dad's side.

Sometimes I still find the sheer volume of relatives extraordinary, but the truth is I've always wanted a big family. I never thought in terms of that big family being an extended family (probably because my extended family does not extend very far), but now that I have acquired one in-law, I am delighted, seriously delighted by all of these cousins and 2nd cousins and cousins-in-law and cousins-once-removed.

and it's only getting bigger.

Shelley and her girls, June 2009