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James Van Der Beek and wife Kimberly on expecting 6th child: 'We love the chaos'

James Van Der Beek knows some fans are surprised when they hear he and his wife, Kimberly, are gearing up to welcome baby No. 6.
/ Source: TODAY

James Van Der Beek knows some fans are surprised when they hear he and his wife, Kimberly, are gearing up to welcome baby No. 6.

"I do find with the number six, an explanation seems to be asked for," the former "Dawson's Creek" star, 42, joked to People magazine. "But we love the chaos!"

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Having a large family "works very harmoniously with our lives," Kimberly Van Der Beek told People.David Livingston / Getty Images

The couple, who tied the knot in 2010, are already parents to Olivia, 9, Joshua, 7, Annabel Leah, 5, Emilia, 3, and Gwendolyn, 16 months. They thought long and hard before deciding to expand their brood.

“The biggest concern was having enough one-on-one time with each child,” said Kimberly, 37. “And it’s getting wildly expensive to travel. But we really felt another child knocking at our door.”

Having a large family may not be right for every couple, Kimberly added. “But for us, it works very harmoniously with our lives.”

So harmoniously that James — who's currently a "Dancing with the Stars" frontrunner — cherishes each moment with his kids. "I know the day will come that I will be making pancakes and nobody will be pulling on my pant legs or asking me 20 times when they’ll be ready. And honestly, I dread that day," he said.

In early October, James shared an adorable family photo to announce that he and Kimberly were expecting again.

"Thrilled beyond belief to announce that another little bundle of joy has picked us to be their family," he wrote.

The actor, who opened up about Kimberly's previous miscarriages in September, also explained why they elected to let "DWTS" in on the good news.

"We chose to have our first ultrasound on camera with our #DWTS crew capturing the result — something I NEVER thought we’d ever do... but @vanderkimberly and I have been through three of those first appointments to discover either no heartbeat, or no baby, and she wanted to share this moment,” he wrote.

“Miscarriage (a word that needs a replacement — nobody failed to ‘carry’, these things sometimes just happen) is something that people rarely talk about, and often go through in secret. But there needs to be zero shame around it, or around giving yourself the time and space to grieve," he went on.

“We decided to put ourselves out there — not knowing what we’d find — in an effort to chip away at any senseless stigma around this experience and to encourage people who might be going through it to open themselves up to love & support from friends and family when they need it most,” he wrote.

"Happily, for us — this time — we walked out with tears of joy."