We Are Family!

Family sizes are so interesting to me. Some people (like me) have the standard cookie cutter family. We have the wife, the husband, the older son and the younger daughter. Then there are others that have five (or more) kids with the massive house, mini van, and a potential personal soft ball team.

How did we decide how big our family would be?
Linking up with Christine, Brittany, and Ashley for Mama Tells All



Honestly, it wasn't really something that Josh and I talked about when we first got married. Not extensively anyway. We both knew we wanted kids. We both come from massive families. Actually, let's go down that road for a minute...
Josh is the third child of eight kids (yes, 8). We always thought he was the third of 7, and then early this year we found out there was SURPRISE you have a sister and she's three months younger than you. Yeah... that happened. Sorry, back on track. So third of 8. In those eight the oldest 5 have at least two kids each. His dad is the oldest of 4, and his mom is the 2nd of 4... So the Camacho's are many!
I am the oldest of four. I'm the only one with kids on my dad's side of the family out of my cousins but I have a lot of cousins. My dad is the 4th of 6 and my mom is the youngest of 7. So clearly, big families on both sides.

One of Josh's brothers is missing from the bottom picture

So how did we just end up with two? Well, we both like the thought of a big family. However, neither of us like the thought of the big family budget! Let's be honest here. As of right now, we only have one car. We're in a two bed room rental house. Kids are expensive. With two kids, everyone can fit comfortably in Josh's 4 door lincoln. (For now) a two bedroom house is big enough. Naturally when the kids get older they will need their own rooms, but we'll cross that path when the time comes. Zander just started pre-k so we're only paying daycare for Ainsley. If there was a #3 (or #4) thrown into this mix this is what would happen:

• We'd need a bigger car immediately
• We'd need a bigger house immediately
• I hate the idea of "middle" kids, so I would want to even it out with 4 kids.
• I would probably have to be a stay at home mom because the cost of multiple kids in daycare while I work full time just would't be worth it.

The thought of all this scares me. I really admire the parents that have big families. I know it's a lot of work, but it's also very rewarding. We haven't completely closed the door on expanding our family, but it's not a conversation we can have right now. Do I want more kids? Absolutely. Just not in the very near future. After we had Zander we knew we would want another one. We knew early on that Zander would be a good big brother. (and we were right!) He's very sweet and loving and genuinely cares about how others feel. He's very sensitive.  The thought of Ainsley as a big sister kind of scares me because she's a little spit fire pistol. She can be mean. #honesty.

Zander, being our first, was the baby that we were trying for but not really trying for. We were just having fun practicing. I didn't keep track of ovulation periods or anything like that, we just weren't using protection. With Ainsley I actually kept track of that and I knew very early on that I was pregnant with her!

As part of my Wednesday Wishes (love you, Anne!) I wish that we could have a big family, but I also wish our extended families would quit bugging us so much about it right now. I wish that grandparents (and aunts and uncles) would accept the fact that sometimes it's OK to have just two kids. (OR JUST ONE KID!) I wish people would understand that they don't need to be pressured into more kids. Especially if you can barely afford to feed your family as it is. It's YOUR decision. :)

How big is your family? How did you decide how big your family would be?