How are their families different?

-So, Andrea, I heard you're staying with your in laws for the holidays.

-Well, yeah, I guess I've got no choice. My flight leaves tomorrows afternoon. How about you, Paul?

-Actually, I still live with my parents, so I don't have to go anywhere. You know, you don't sound very excited about your trip.

-I guess I'm just a little nervous. The whole time I was growing up, it was just me and my mom and dad. It was quiet around the house, very quiet. But my husband's family is huge. I mean, there're so many people!

-Wow! How many?

-Well, he grew up in an extended family. So there're his parents and his grandparents and his little sister and his two younger brothers, no wait, three little brothers. All under one roof! So that's what, nine total?

-Wow. What do they all do?

-Oh, let me think. My sister in law, she's the youngest, maybe twenty or twenty one. She's a law student here in Chicago. And the oldest brother in law is a musician in New York. The older brothers are a lawyer and what, maybe a teacher, I think. We haven't been married long, so I don't know them that well, you know. But they all seem very nice and friendly. So, how about you? How big is your family?

-Well, when I was a kid, our family was a lot like your in-laws'. It was me, my parents, my older sister and brother and my grandparents too. But both my grandparents passed away a while ago, so it's just the five of us now.

-Are your sister and brother coming in for the holidays?

-Yeah, they're coming with their families. My sister and her husband live near Boston. They have two little girls. Then my brother and his wife and their three kids will come over as well. My brother is a doctor here in Chicago. It'll be great. We love getting together.

-So that's, how many people is that?

-Uh, 12, I think.

-Wow, that's even more than my in laws.

-Yeah. The hard part about it is my mom has to cook so much food. Of course the great thing about having a big family is that there are a lot of people to help her.