On the road again!

The arrival of November meant it was road trip time again. Despite only being 2 ½ years old, this road trip back to Tucson was going to be my 5^th long distance trip (1500+ miles) and Kendall’s (16 months) 3^rd! Mom and I out voted Dad, so we got to turn Kendall’s car seat around for the road trip so she could face forward and see the movies (and scenery). Even though Kendall has an unhealthy attachment and love for Elmo, the road trip theme quickly became Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Mom and Dad usually limit and persuade us away from the television, but the road trip was the exact opposite—by the time we got to Northern California we rarely got in the car without the promise of watching a movie. The road trip was about more than just movies though, we left Chelan on November 10^th and stayed with seven different friends and saw many more before we rolled into Tucson on November 21^st. The highlight of this year’s trip was being able to play with so many new young friends along the way.

The trip came with some rough spots. Both Kendall and I got sick along the way. The hectic life didn’t stop with our arrival in Tucson. We celebrated a great Thanksgiving with mommy’s family and then a couple days later flew back to Seattle to give BB a big hug as she had said goodbye to Grandma Hannah while we were on our road trip and Mom and Dad thought she could use a hug from her granddaughters.  
Since we got back, December has been about two things—getting healthy and getting ready for Christmas. We are healthy and ready or not Christmas is just around the corner. We want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and tell them not to forget that it is Jesus’ birthday and He loves you.

 During the road trip Kendall really dialed in her walking and now she is fully mobile.

 We stopped with friends in the Bay Area and got to go to the beach!

 My new Nigh-Night showed up while we were visiting friends in Salinas, he isn't the same but I am still happy to have a Nigh-Night back in my life.

 The pig-tails lasted long enough for photos and haven't returned yet. Sorry Nana and Auntie Mel.

This is just one of my friends I saw on the roadtrip. Hi Brayden, Lexi, Josiah, Luke, Kendall Marie, Gianna, Hayley, Trevor, Samuel, Noah, Evan, Luca, Bella, and Daniel.

During our last stop on the road trip we saw a retired Southern Pacific Locomotive. We thought Bop would appreciate a picture with three of his favorite girls.

 Back in Tucson, Camden and I helped prepare Thanksigivng dinner.

Camden and Ashton like to sleep over, this arrangment lasted 5 minutes.  

 One of the best parts about being back in Tucson is spending time with our cousins.

Kendall is loving her mobility and the plethora of toys Nana and Bop have.

Love to all,

Reese Bronson and Kendall Starr

To walk or not to walk...

Technically for the record I am credited with taking my first steps at Camano during the second week of September, but after those first couple of steps my progress regressed faster than the national economy. I had heard the slogan, “watch your step” and I didn’t really feel like watching all my steps, so I decided to keep crawling. After Reese filled me in on what the saying actually meant, I went right back to practicing my walking. I love taking two or three steps and then lunging for my destination with a smile and laugh—I’m also known for giving myself a round of applause after a successful journey across the room.

We took multiple trips to GP and BB’s house in October to visit them and Grandma Hannah. GP is a great walking assistant. As I was learning to walk during our trips to GP and BB’s, Reese was perfecting her craft as a dog walker. She loved to take Devlin for walks with GP or BB. I think Reese is going to love having Dakota around at Nana and Bop's.

Our trips to Seattle also included multiple trips to the zoo and Grandma Hannah's. At the zoo we saw animals in semi-natural habitats that were fed a strict diet on a regulated schedule and had lots of visitors come to see them, at Grandma Hannah’s we saw…   On our last visit to Grandma Hannah’s we showed off our Halloween costumes and they were a huge hit.

For Halloween we showed off our costumes on Woodin Ave in downtown Chelan where all the shops gave out candy. The street was full of kids in costumes and parents with cameras and of course candy. Reese did her best to keep up with our cousins and get as much candy as possible—though I did share her frustration that after lots of hard work collecting candy all night it seemed unfair to just have Mom and Dad take it away when we got home. Personally it was easier for me because I only had two pieces of candy that I had gotten on our last stop, our landlord/neighbors.

After a long day of traveling and visiting friends Reese’s love for pizza may have been cemented when she made this comment one night; “My tummy really hurts, I need some pizza.”

 Slow to walk, Mom says I have become a world class crawler

 Reese warmed up to the goat at the pumkin patch and led him eat out of her hand

Reese loves her rain boots and mud puddles, fortunately at the same time

 GP & BB came to the pumkin patch with us to help us find the perfect pumpkin, unfortunately there wasn't any room in the wheelbarrow for a pumpkin

 With her costume, Lighting McQueen candy bag and her purse Reese was ready to trick or treat

We got to trick or treat with our cousins at the shops in downtown Chelan

Love to all,

Reese Bronson & Kendall Starr

Here comes the off-season

For the past three years, September has always marked a dramatic change in our lives. Slidewaters closes Dad returns for weekday dinners, bath time and bedtime and even made a couple appearances in the middle of the day. The past two years we started our road trip back to Tucson, but this year we decided to stick around Washington a little longer.

Kendall and I made sure we spent as much time as possible at Slidewaters. During the last week of the season, we got to slide with our cousins, and we started to teach Kendall to slide solo on Bugaboo. Sammy took me down three different big slides and took his job as protector very seriously, which Dad says gives him great peace about the future.

After Slidewaters closed and we settled down a little bit, we took our friends the Peterson’s to the Bordner family cabin on Camano Island in Puget Sound. Our week was bookended with beautiful sunny days and we had a great time with great friends playing in the sand, on the hammock and with our food. GP & BB visited on our last days and we loved sharing our time with them at this special place.

We spent the rest of September catching up on family time we miss from our busy summers. We took a couple boat rides, checked out the lazy river project at Slidewaters, and went on more family jogs in two weeks than we had in four months. And as some of our loyal readers have certainly noticed, we have worked hard to catch up on our blog.

As the Slidewaters season was ending, I made sure to get in plenty of sliding with my cousins

Mom and Kendall always have a great time sliding together

 For Dad's and my money, two of the greatest smiles ever

I love to slide with Mia

Sammy and I went down slide 1, 4 and Whitewater by ourselves!

 Kendall took a tough fall at Camano, but rebounded quickly and had a great time

Kendall joins a long list of Bordner's who have enjoyed this beach

 Bathtime may be Kendall's favorite time of the day

 We love to go to the park for some dry sliding

 Kendall loves to drive the boat

Mom and Dad tell me it is important for me to look out and protect Kendall

Love to all,

Reese Bronson & Kendall Starr

August was a blur

We started August off with a rush of visitors from dad’s family. Reese and I got to renew friendships with so many of our young cousins. During the week we played with; Ryder, Payton, Owen, Siena, Hunter, Gage, Cody, Jackson and Peter. It was especially fun because GP and BB were there plus Uncle Rhett, Uncle Roy and Aunt Erin. Not only did we get to go sliding with everyone, we got to spend time at the beach at Wapato. Now to me the sand was as appealing as a diaper rash, but the water felt great. Reese was the opposite; she was so in love with playing in the sand that it took her until the last day to get in the lake (Mom’s blood I guess).

Some of our favorite guards started heading back to school in August, so we spent a lot of time at the park making sure we could say goodbye—as well as making sure we got in plenty of sliding before the end of the season. August was a fun month.

Not much beats splashing in the shallow end at Slidewaters

Ok, this beats it.

I've been building my walking skills slowly over multiple months. 

Any chance we get to help dad at work is openly welcomed and when the time to go home comes we dramatically protest. 

Reese showed Aunt Erin the best rides at Slidewaters, they have similiar taste in rides. Uncle Roy has a bet with me that Reese will ride purple haze before Aunt Erin

The Bordner's visited in August and we hosted them for some after hours sliding

Notice a theme, the Slidewaters season was winding down and we wanted to get as much sliding in as possible

Reese became a pretty good solo slider this summer

Reese and baby Hudson are usually together. Reese is a great mommy to baby Hudson (not to be confused with Cousin Hudson-who lives in Tucson)

Mia is a great cousin to both Reese and me, as you can see we look up to her a lot

Mommy chose to go on the boat to the Alpenhorn for her birthday dinner. We had a great time.

Love to all,

Reese Bronson & Kendall Starr

Happy Birthday Kendall

It is no secret that parents are suckers for a little guilt trip, but I’ve learned that as I grow up I have to break in new material. My golden gem, go-to line at bedtime is full proof. I’ve found its effectiveness is heightened if delivered with just a touch of sadness in my voice. When Mom or Dad try to give me a kiss good night and leave, I follow it with; “Snuggle with me a little bit.” They fall for it every time. If they try to leave a couple minutes later I just add a new ending, “snuggle with me a little bit more.” Works like a charm.
Slidewaters started July off with the busiest stretch of days ever, which meant the lines were a little long for my taste. By the time the Fourth of July arrived, we were all ready for a good family night. We got a family adventure. While Dad and Uncle Burke were battling boat batteries, my cousins house sprung a leak in the downstairs crawl space—so Dad and Uncle Burke quickly switched gears to stop the leak. The leak was solved, but the boat battery debacle was never completely solved and minutes before the firework show was going to start we all had to jump in the car and drive down to Wapato Point Cellars. Fortunately our friends were there to play with us and offer Mom, Dad, Aunt Jennifer and Uncle Burke a glass of wine.
We were blessed to get some Tucson visitors in July. My friend Garrett came and brought his parents, Rob & Kelsey. Yes his parents really are named Rob & Kelsey and rumor has it that Dad had to talk Mr. Rob out of naming his son, Reece. As great as all our visitors are, no one can compare to when grandparents visit. And in July, Nana visited for two weeks and Bop joined her during the second week. We love when Nana & Bop visit because we get spoiled with treats, clothes, toys and love. We celebrated a lot of birthdays in July, none bigger than Kendall’s first—as if my adorable little sister needed an extra reason for people to admire and shower her with affection.

Kendall loves her personal chair she got from Nana & Bop

Like any good 1-year old's birthday we got down and dirty with our desserts 

 We took Nana & Bop on a boat ride up lake and I got to wear my new life jacket

Kendall loved watching the water behind the boat. (For you worry-warts pretend her life jacket was only off for this picture)

My mom and sister are very very beautiful

Kendall got a special teeter-totter for her birthday, she can ride solo or we can ride together. Mom says when she has a face like this she wants to be left alone to ride solo.

Love to all,

Reese Bronson & Kendall Starr

Let the summer begin

When you are a part of a family business you never know when you may be called on. Mom, Reese and I spent most of June being called upon to help out at Slidewaters. Clearly it was a smart business decision, having three beautiful girls in the gift shop can only help sales. When we weren’t working in the gift shop, we spent a lot of time sliding and playing in the water. Reese’s favorite slide was Bugaboo and I enjoyed the comfort, warmth and security of sliding with Mom (Dad always tries to push my comfort zone). We were all super excited that the park was open again and even though it was hardly summer outside, we enjoyed it as much as possible.

I knew that as the summer went on we were going to have a lot of friends and family visiting, so I made sure to practice my waving, blowing kisses and smiling so that I could be everyone’s favorite. I knew it would be tough to be the favorite because Reese was really starting to talk a lot and her speech was already sounding better than Lou Holtz. She was even starting to produce some pretty good one liners. Directed towards her baby (who she named Hudson) with a finger pointed directly at her, “and that’s a no.” We really are little sponges. Dad’s family came to visit in June. Grandma Hannah and Aunt Penny came, but I’m sorry to report my camera battery died so I didn’t get a picture of them on the Tube Blaster together—next time.

Auntie Starr visited in June and Reese & I showed her all the best slides at Slidewaters

Dad and I love to go sliding on the big slides

Reese is a great big sister, she is very helpful in making me laugh, scream and cry--sometimes all in the same minute

Esther is one of Reese's best friends in Chelan. The word handful always comes up when they are playing together

Love to all,

Reese Bronson & Kendall Starr



Another move

May brought a lot of exciting things like water in the pools at Slidewaters, a trip to Spokane for a Sysco Food Show, opening day at Slidewaters—but none was more exciting than finding a new home. After being stoned walled much like when Kendall comes after my toys, we suddenly found ourselves with two living options. We chose the more affordable duplex with a nice little yard over the larger, nicer more expensive condo. It quickly proved to be the right choice as Kendall and I are huge fans of the lawn, gravel and porch. We are less than a mile from both Mom and Dad’s work, so our location is perfect for stroller trips all over Chelan.

When we noticed that Dad’s free time evaporated faster than the hopes of a good season from the Mariners as training day and opening day approached, we offered to help in any way we could. Sammy and I took it upon ourselves to dry test the slides, while Kendall closely inspected the grass. Everything checked out and the park opened without any issues Memorial Day weekend. We wasted no time getting in some good sliding.

 Our new home and my new room came with a new bed

 Kendall's favorite part of the new house was that her pack-n-play had a new role

 The fall is going to be tough because Sammy will be in kindergarden and we won't be able hang out during the week

"Yeah Camden, I think most of my toys will fit in our new house. When are you going to come see my new room?"

Love to all,

Reese Bronson & Kendall Starr