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The family’s October 2020 trip to the Grand Canyon reminded the star that life is short and we should “#MakeItCount.”
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The doting dad shared his love for family time in this September 2020 post, writing, “All I know is… I don’t think I’ll ever look back and wish I’d spent LESS time with my kids.”
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Watching over his sleepy kids and grappling with a mind filled with thoughts, Van Der Beek shared his latest lesson on overthinking and concluded with the motto, “Be in your heart not your head.”
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Happy Easter from the Van Der Beeks! The star shared a special shoutout to first responders, food workers, delivery workers and everyone else working to help save lives during the coronavirus pandemic.
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The star turned 43 on March 8, 2020 with his family by his side.
“43 candles, five kids, an amazing wife… and more questions now than when I was half my my age and thought I knew everything,” he wrote on Instagram. “Thank you to everyone who’s contributed along this crazy journey.”
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Here’s dad sitting courtside with the kiddos!
“Eight collective thumbs up from this crew,” Van Der Beek wrote on Instagram.
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Birthdays are the best days with this fam. The actor shared a sweet note on why celebrations are so important to savor.
“If you’re anything like me, you celebrate your kid’s birthday party with a heart full of joy… and just a tiny pang of sadness that one day they might have a party to which you’re not invited,” he wrote. “Then you recognize, of course, that dwelling on some imagined future heartbreak isn’t living your best life, so you vow to remain present and savor the moment.”
Then added, “(While secretly devising a plan to remain cool enough to score an invite to every single birthday, no matter what. ?)”
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This is probably what it means when people say, “Kids can be a handful.”
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The Van Der Beek’s are Green Bay Packers fans through and through!
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The family of seven took over the slopes during a fun-filled snow day!
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“I spent a lot of energy at photo shoots in my early twenties trying desperately to look half as cool as any one of my kids do in this photo,” the father of five quipped on Instagram. “Clearly, they must’ve been lying in wait that whole time… siphoning off all that cool for themselves. Selfish bastards. ?”
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Christmas at the Van Der Beek’s!
“Is a Nightmare Before Christmas Card a thing?❤️???,” the star joked in Dec. 2019.
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“I wouldn’t say the more children the merrier is necessarily for everybody,” Kimberly told PEOPLE. “But for us, it works very harmoniously with our lives.”
James admitted that their 90-minute nightly routine — which is sure to run a bit longer when their newest little one arrives — “can be exhausting.” But the couple agree that “it’s important to fight for that dedicated one-on-one time, just to give [the kids] the space to say what’s on their minds.”
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The couple, who tied the knot in 2010, recently welcomed daughter Gwendolyn in 2018, bringing their family count up to seven.
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They are also parents to daughters Olivia, Annabel Leah, Emilia and son Joshua.
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And they have fur babies, too! James wrote on Instagram, “After a whole bunch of kids, we decided, ‘You know what might make this house really super crazy? TWO chihuahua mutt rescues. Let’s do it! ‘??♂️”
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You might think it’s impossible to take a group shot that would work as a holiday card, but this family will prove you wrong. In the words of James himself, “6 out of 7 smiling? I’m calling that a win by decision.”
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This shot of the Van Der Beeks in their Thanksgiving best is so cute, even James admitted it was Christmas card worthy.
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Even when Kimberly is distracted, the family is always picture perfect.
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It is seriously impressive that James and Kimberly can get four children to look at a camera at the same time.
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Not all family photos look quite so put together, but there’s no denying they still look adorable.
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https://www.instagram.com/p/BuO_YHGAgQ3/James Van Der Beek/Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/p/BuO_YHGAgQ3/James Van Der Beek/Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/BuO_YHGAgQ3/James Van Der Beek/Instagram imagehttps://www.instagram.com/p/BuO_YHGAgQ3/James Van Der Beek/Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/p/BuO_YHGAgQ3/James Van Der Beek/Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/p/BuO_YHGAgQ3/James Van Der Beek/Instagram
The family recently took a cruise together! Emilia really looks like she has the whole vacationing thing figured out with her Shirley Temple in hand.
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They’re professionals at eating out with five kids.
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They take their kiddos on plenty of adventures!
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They’ve really got the traveling thing down to a science.
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https://www.instagram.com/p/BzoUpuLJEMM/Credit: James Van Der Beek/Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzoUpuLJEMM/Credit: James Van Der Beek/Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/p/BzoUpuLJEMM/Credit: James Van Der Beek/Instagram
You might be thinking, “How the heck does anyone manage to handle five little ones!?” Well, Kimberly and James are experienced.
James captioned this photo, taken after a long plane ride, “Sat on a tarmac for three hours before getting bussed back to a terminal w/ no AC for another four hours, then our nonstop had to stop in Minneapolis at 3am for a total 11 hour delay. People kept asking how we were doing this with five kids… I kept secretly wondering how they were doing it without them. #fatherhood #mycrew”
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With so many kids, it’s surprising that they can all agree on a Christmas tree!
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Is there anything cuter than all of the Van Der Beek children snuggled up in bed?!
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We’ll answer that for you: No, no there’s not.
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Here, Kimberly shares a moment with her children, Olivia, Annabel Leah, Emilia and Joshua, as they meet their little sister, Gwendolyn.
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There are always plenty of dad cuddles to go around. Van Der Beek captioned this photo, “And… just like that, the moments of chaos are balanced out.”
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How do they get around, you ask? Their dad is nice enough to pull them in a wagon!
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James is constantly dropping little nuggets of parenting wisdom. Like this one: “Rolling with this many kids means never having to worry about getting blamed if you happen to break a little wind.”
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Another pro tip for parents out there: “Bouncy castles make parenting more fun.”
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They sure know how to have fun in the Van Der Beek house: “Our post-pool, fireside #Spiderman theme song dance party is something we take verrrrry seriously.”
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Maybe their Halloween costumes aren’t exactly themed, but they are still pretty amazing.
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They’ve mastered the art of fitting everyone into a selfie!
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Throwback to when they were just a family of five.
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When they were a family of six, James posted this photo of his wife playing with the children outdoors and wrote, “In a few weeks, we’ll look back on today and think, ‘Boy, wasn’t that easy?’ ”
Looks like they have a pretty good handle on it, since they’re ready for baby No. 6!
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Even though they’ll take all the help they can get, these parents take their wins where they can.
Van Der Beek captioned this photo, “First unassisted venture out today. One farmers market, two parents, 4 kids, no problem ? It’s amazing how kids can surprise you when you let them…”
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That doesn’t mean they aren’t super tired! On James’ birthday he wrote, “95% grateful… 5% wishing for juuuuust a little more sleep (*percentages subject to change based on hour of the day ?)”
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If you looked up “The Perfect Family” in the dictionary, you’d find these six (now seven, and soon to be eight!).
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