James Van Der Beek Reveals ‘Drastic Changes’ That Inspired His Family’s Recent Move to Texas

James Van Der Beek and his wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, endured some “drastic changes” in their lives that led to their family’s recent move out of Los Angeles. The Dawson’s Creek alum revealed why the couple were inspired to start over with their five kids in a small town outside Austin, Texas.

“In the last 10 months, we’ve had two late-term pregnancy losses, each of which put Kimberly in the hospital,” the 43-year-old began in a post via Instagram on Tuesday, October 13. After announcing they’ve officially “landed” in Texas following a 10-day road trip from L.A., James got candid about some heartbreaking experiences they’ve dealt with.

“We spent Christmas break [in 2019] thinking she had a tumor (the doctor was wrong, thank God),” he continued of his spouse. “I was prematurely booted off a reality dancing show I was favored to win in front of the whole world and my mom died. And a [quarantine].”

Because of the setbacks, James and Kimberly felt it was important to make “drastic changes” to their “lives, and dreams and priorities,” he wrote. “[It] landed us here. Overflowing with profound gratitude today.”

The Varsity Blues star and the auburn-haired beauty — who tied the knot in 2010 — first announced they were packing their bags and leaving L.A. on September 30. James shared photos of their kiddos, Olivia, 9, Joshua, 8, Annabel, 6, Emilia, 4, and Gwendolyn, 2, hanging out in the vacant abode.

“Sometimes a fuller life begins with an empty house,” he captioned his post via Instagram. “Leaving Los Angeles incredibly grateful for all the friends and memories we’ve made here. Onto the next big adventure!”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CF4zID3jRAt/

Aside from their devastating miscarriages and other family struggles, James and his beautiful bride have another reason for moving their family to Texas. During an episode of “The Makedown” podcast in August, Kimberly dished they want their kiddos to be “a little bit more into nature.”

“L.A. has been a magical place for many years,” she shared at the time. “So much life has been lived here. I’m going to go through a process to leave, I mean, I birthed three kids in the home I’m living in. But you know, I gotta get out of the concrete jungle for a little bit.”

It looks like James and his family are enjoying their new life in Texas already!