Surprising Uncle Alex

My little brother turns twelve in two weeks. (Man, where have the years gone?) So today we made the 1 1/2 hour trek down to make a surprise visit. He was totally caught off guard, made even more fun by the fact that he didn't know we had a van, so he didn't know who was pulling in his driveway.

We had lunch and cupcakes that Kylie and I made for him (part of keeping our visit a total surprise).

And then we headed to a golf course ~ apparently the "hilliest" spot in his town ~ and enjoyed another afternoon of sledding.

If you are in a laundry basket you may as well go through the "spin cycle."

Caleb was ready to run with the big boys after regaining his equilibrium.
Kylie on the other hand decided to give the tube a try.

And judging from her grin, it would be tough to get it back out of her hands...
In fact, she enjoyed it so much that she wouldn't wait for someone to help her carry it back up. She must have walked back up the hill 50 times!

Caleb gave the boogie board a few runs, but decided to go with what was familiar. He enjoyed himself too!
Especially when he figured out that he could get back to the top without ever getting out of his basket. All he had to do was call, "Ah-wex!" and his uncle was happy to bring him back up the hill.
There may have been a wipe out or two.

Alex, may you always have your sense of fun and adventure! Happy Birthday in a few weeks.