The Family is simply a group of entities that Exist amongst the Other Shades of the Grove, The Nightmare Heart Shade and Lifeblood Queen simply being how the Family views the Two higher beings who take Care of and watch over the grove. And the Ancient and Failed Shades do not exist. The Sealed shade is something other shades get turned into, and The Other shades are similar to all the other ones of their rank. Each one evolves over time, and a new Shadeling is accepted as a member of the family. The Family itself seems to be frozen, as they cannot evolve.