There was a large family that lived in a shoe

I hope this blog answers some questions that some people may have about adding to our already big, happy family in our small, warm home. This is to help you understand a little better what is going through our minds.

Jude and I purchased a modest (small/older) house, right under 1200 square feet, in a really nice part of town with very low crime a little over three years ago. Yes, we searched the local sheriff's office website to view crime in all local areas and we checked for child predators before we made a decision on any home. We considered what public school district we would live in knowing we wanted a large family and private school wasn't always going to be an option in our lives. We talked to neighbors before signing the papers on our house. We drove by at all hours on different days to see the neighborhood at all times. My point is, we put a lot of time into choosing our latest home. It is small in size, and in the past, has been an issue I have had to deal with and accept, moving from a larger house to this home. I have come to terms in the fact that we will not be moving anytime soon, as our plan now is to get out of debt before bringing on anymore financial burdens (besides children, top priority). A larger house being one of them. Ideally, I would like to add on to this one, eventually. We prioritize. I enjoy staying home with my children and that is most important to us at this time in our lives. We are very fortunate that I am able to do this off of one income and there is not a day that goes by that I do not thank God for this wonderful gift. We do budget and it is a very hard task in it's own, but it is what we want and totally worth it to us.
I came from a very small family and have always admired larger ones. There were kids in school that had many brothers and sisters and I envied that. I look at Jude's large family, his dad has six brothers and sisters, his mom the same, and I think their big families are amazing. I want my children to have lots of siblings. I am happy we will have four kids and am even now considering adding one more, for a total of five. It's not about having a girl, though that would be ideal and a joy to me. It's about having a big family, which is a rare thing these days. For anyone that has the mindset that each child needs their own room, I will have to say that I totally disagree. Here, in our household, all we do in our rooms are sleep and change clothes. We have a toy room and a family living room. My children do not hang out in their rooms. Even Cullen, the one who has his own room, is rarely in there. My children like to be under my feet. They drive me crazy at times, but I am happy with this situation. So to think that two (even three) kids cannot share a room at this young age is totally ridiculous to me and MY opinion is all that matters when it comes to raising MY family. By the time they are teens, I am positive we will have expanded on our home and made more room for three teenage boys, plus. Having one's own room is a luxury that not everyone can afford, nor finds necessary. Owning a home is a luxury in itself, big or small. Also, private school is not a top priority for everyone. I'm really tired of people thinking that one is better than the other, when they have no experience in both. The saying is: To each, his own. I am happy we are having another baby, we planned this, and consider our lives a blessing! There are many people in this world that have less than you, and just as many that have more. It's about being happy with what you have that counts....We're happy!!