A family steps out of their comfort zone for an RVing journey that offers wide-ranging experiences.
By John Johnston, Associate Editor
June 2020
The children’s smiles. That’s what stands out in almost every picture posted on the travel blog Rolling by the Dozen (www.rollingbythedozen.com), which chronicles the experiences of Ryan and Kristin Stegent, F507049, and their 10 children, ages 1 to 13. After selling their large sticks-and-bricks home in Texas, in October 2019 the family became full-time RVers.
Blog visitors see the kids smiling while hiking up Georgia’s Stone Mountain; sledding on sand in New Mexico; posing in front of North Carolina’s Biltmore Estate; riding a train in Arizona; kneeling near boiling mud pots at California’s Lassen Volcanic National Park; or just relaxing in their RV.
Good luck finding a photo of a cranky kid. Which begs the question: Can 10 children living in a 400-square-foot fifth-wheel really be that cheerful?
“It is pretty true to life. They are overall happy kids,” said Kristin, who shoots most of the photos. “Don’t get me wrong; they bicker. Our little ones scream at each other for sure, over toys.”
But generally, she said, it’s a laid-back crew. Living in close quarters has required less of an adjustment than one might think. For one thing, they spend as much time outside as possible. What’s more, “When we had a 5,000-square-foot house, everybody hung out in the same little area,” Kristin said.
The house was in Brenham, Texas, where Ryan and Kristin met in church in 2005. She had decided beforehand not to date anyone for a year, and he agreed to respect that. They became friends, though, and at the end of that year, without having gone on a single date, Ryan proposed. They married a year later.
They never discussed how many children they wanted. Within four months of their wedding, Kristin was pregnant with their first child, Manning, who is now 13. For a time, it looked like he might be the only boy, because their next six children were girls: Tapestry, now 12; Cherish, 10; Liberty, 9; Jubilee, 7; Mercy, 6; and Treasure, 5.
Ryan and Kristin Stegent’s 10 children range in age from 1 to 13.
Then in 2015, the Stegents were contacted by someone affiliated with Here I Am Orphan Ministries, a Brenham-based Christian nonprofit organization that works to find forever homes for orphans. The Stegents agreed to host an 8-year-old boy from China for several weeks, introduce him to other families, and be advocates for adoption.
During the boy’s brief stay, the Stegents prayed about whether they should adopt him. When it was time to decide, all the family members had a say. “Everyone was a ‘yes,’” Kristin said.
They weren’t allowed to tell the boy, whom they eventually named Rhythm. He had to return to China during the adoption process, which took nine months. When Ryan brought him back to Texas in June 2016, Kristin was six months pregnant with their seventh daughter, River, who is now 3. Last year, another daughter, Bravely, was born.
Kristin said that Rhythm “has transitioned amazingly. He’s a great kid, very easy to parent and love.” But he isn’t the only one whose life has undergone tremendous change.
For years, Kristin said, she and Ryan followed the pattern of many couples: Work hard, get a big house. Work hard, get a bigger house. Ryan’s job as a master plumber afforded the family a comfortable lifestyle.
They left that life behind. Now, as their blog says, they “live in a constant state of transition and change.”
To travel full-time, Ryan stepped away from his plumbing business, a move that the Stegents acknowledge carries a risk. For now, they rely on investment income, as well as money that Kristin earns selling jewelry and accessories online as a Noonday Collection representative.
“There’s always insecurity when you do something new,” Ryan said. “But for me, it’s getting to the other side of that. That’s what I want to teach our kids to do. What I like about going through constant change is being able to become more of a whole person.”
Kristin said she has long tried to “live a bold life,” a mindset she traces to the confidence that God instilled in her when she overcame an eating disorder at age 20. She spent six months in a Christian residential counseling program, Mercy Multiplied, and walked away “feeling like God has strength for me.” If not for that experience, she said, she might never have had the courage to take her family on their RVing adventure.
“We’re such a large family, even the thought of being in an RV seemed a little crazy,” Kristin acknowledged. But they made that decision — as a family — and then waited two years for their house to sell.
On travel days, Kristin is behind the wheel of their 15-passenger Ford Transit van with the kids while Ryan drives the pickup truck that tows their 42-foot Forest River Sierra 372 fifth-wheel. The RV checks off their must-haves: space to sleep everyone “somewhat comfortably,” a washer/dryer, and a good-sized living area. They make do with one bathroom.
“I’ve had some pretty close calls,” Ryan said.
“He always gets stuck in line behind the girls,” Kristin added.
Homeschooling the children has been replaced by “roadschooling.” The photos posted on the blog show them having fun. But that’s not why Kristin and Ryan uprooted their family. Kristin explained it in a lengthy blog post. A snippet:
“We want our children to see what the world has to offer and to see what they can offer this world. We want them to see what the world needs and to understand what they need. We want them to feel different climates, view a plethora of landscapes, learn about different job opportunities and experience different churches. We want them to learn and know that life isn’t just about chasing a career — that making money is important and necessary — but that love, relationships, and people are more important.”
They set out expecting to travel for a year, perhaps longer, and to visit as many states as possible. Although sidelined for a time by the coronavirus outbreak, they expect their adventure to continue. They’re not sure where they’ll settle once the journey ends; maybe back in Brenham, or another Texas town, or in another state. It’s also unclear whether Ryan will return to work as a plumber.
In the meantime, more photos and words will be posted on their travel blog so that one day it can be printed and bound in book form. Each child will receive a copy, a reminder of the smiles born of their family living boldly.