Alex Birthday Weekend

Alex turned 37 on Friday, May 26th. St. Denis held a happy celebration for him that afternoon after his day program. Of course for dinner they made him his favorites, spaghetti and lumpia. (In the Philippines, spring rolls are called lumpia. They’re usually filled with pork and vegetables like cabbage and carrots. The wrappers are thinner than spring roll wrappers, and they’re pan-fried in hot oil until they’re crispy and flaky.) There was a cake for Alex, but Frank and I also brought donuts, his definitely preferred dessert. Both cake and donuts can hold candles and Alex takes great joy to (1) huff and (2) puff and (3) blow them out! Yay! Here a few action shots.

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YAY!

Those familiar with Alex may notice that he is not wearing his signature Green Bay Packers hat. Now he will occasionally be willing to wear the yellow hat for Mission Hope Day Program where he goes during weekdays. Alex then opened a few gifts. There were a silky shirt with monkeys from Mom and Dad and a soft blue fleece over shirt from St Denis.

Frank and I also got him a portable corn hole toss game. He tried it immediately and really liked it. Of course there must be audience participation with clapping after each successful toss.

On Sunday, Frank and I took Alex to the live action movie The Little Mermaid which had been released on his birthday, note the date MAY 26 at the footer of the large trifold publicity poster.

Try as I might I could not manage to get a photo of Alex with his eyes open in front of the poster. Perhaps he felt he was underwater and needed to keep his eye closed? The songs from the original movie excited him; but the new ones written for this movie, not so much. There was a song titled The Scuttlebutt that did not phase him at all. It was a fast moving rap song with percussion but little music, speedily voiced by Scuttle the seagull – a female in the live action movie. You can listen to it here on YouTube. Maybe it takes listening to a song at least 50 times over or more to become ingrained. Or maybe it just takes notes and a melody...? Oh, well, he liked the movie even though it was over two hours long. The large popcorns with refills may have had an influence.