The family road trip marked new beginnings for the family that the actor came to cherishBy

James Van Der Beek and wife Kimberly with Jeremiah, Annabel, Gwendolyn, Emilia, Olivia and Joshua.Credit : James Van Der Beek/Instagram

James Van Der Beek and wife Kimberly knew they wanted a different life for their family.

In Sept. 2020, the couple made the decision to move their framily from Los Angeles, Calif. to Austin, Texas, amid the pandemic and many life changes behind the scenes. James, who died at age 48 on Feb. 11, opened up about the decision in an Instagram post, by sharing several photos of their empty house in Beverly Hills.

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

The family then embarked on a weeks-long road trip east, with Van Der Beek and his wife documenting their stops and adventures along the way.

In one photo, the then-family of seven and their pets posed at a pitstop at the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

“I visited #GrandCanyon when I was a kid. And despite the chaos of the past thirty years… she’s still there,” he wrote. “Unchanged by all the stupid stuff we’ve been up to. Was reminded today just how small we are, and how temporary our time here is. #MakeItCount.”

At another stop in New Mexico, James shared a video of a paraglider in the sky, writing, “Not saying I need to fly a parachute with a fan strapped to my back like this guy… but when people ask why we’re moving our kids out of L.A. these are just some of the reasons.”

He reflected on the journey of driving across states with his brood just ahead of their Texas destination, writing, “When I was a kid, I used to think freedom would be finally having the things I’d dreamed of having. It wasn’t. Then I thought freedom would be having no attachment to anything. It wasn’t.”

“Now, in the midst of a move to a new state 1500 miles from any place I’ve ever lived… I’m starting to feel like freedom is daring to love with all of your heart… and having the courage to put what you love first. I’m working on it…” he captioned a video of himself driving through a large empty field.

When they’d arrived in Texas, James was excited to share with fans that the family “landed” where he believed they belonged.

“In the last ten months, we’ve had two late-term pregnancy losses, each of which put @vanderkimberly in the hospital, we spent Christmas break thinking she had a tumor (the doctor was wrong, thank god), a business colleague I hired hijacked the project and stabbed me in the back, I was prematurely booted off a reality dancing show I was favored to win in front of the whole world, and my mom died,” wrote in the caption.

“And a shut-down,” he continued, referencing the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “All of that led to some drastic changes in our lives, and dreams, and priorities… and landed us here.”

“Overflowing with profound gratitude today,” he concluded.

James Van Der Beek and his six kids enjoying Texas.James Van Der Beek/Instagram

PEOPLE spoke with the actor as they marked two years in their new home, a move that he shared was “really centering” for himself and his children — Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn and Jeremiah.

It’s been grounding, and a different kind of education that we never could have offered them in a classroom,” he shared.

Getting used to the quiet of nature was one of the biggest changes for the family. “Just the things that we’re all aware of, like what phase the moon is in because we come out, we look at it… I feel like we have a relationship with these natural cycles that are happening,” he shared.

“The fact that we can go outside and they can watch the seasons change. In Texas, especially, there are times when it’s ideal to go outside, and there are times when it gets really hot, so just even thinking of their schedule and in terms of all right, it’s in the morning time, get outside before it gets too hot,” James continued.

There are some kind of critical thinking skills that come along with that and then just to able to go outside and run and play and pick up sticks and make shelters… They make a fire in the morning. It’s really been pretty special out here.”