Superhero Birthday Party!

Happy 4th Birthday to my Sweet Jack! 

"I've never been four before!" - in a very excited Jack voice!

If you have boys in that 3-adulthood age, then you know superheroes rule! They are everywhere: sippy cups, potty seats, under-roos, snack packaging, toothbrushes, sheet sets, kites, and the list could go on and on and on.

So, even if my child has never seen any of the Superman, Ironman, Transformers, The Avengers movies or old cartoons, he knows all their names, and what their super talent is. Merchandising....

He loves them all, so we had to have a superhero birthday party. This is a pretty easy party to have because of the availability of items out there that can be used to decorate. I LOVE designing birthday parties for my kiddos. My mom threw amazing parties for my sister and I when I was little and that definitely stuck with me and is what gave me the desire to do it for my kids.

I noticed a HUGE change in the behavior of the kids at this party. They have all finally "gotten how to play" at the party. They will happily play any little game or complete an activity as intended as long as it isn't too complicated or take too long. I think this is the party that Jack has enjoyed most.

The Craft: Superhero Mask

I bought little half sheets of multicolored foam paper. I drew out a design and then traced around various colors for the kids to pick. I made sure there was a good variety of colors for girls and boys and that there were enough for a mistake or two. 

I found foam stars at the craft store too and decided that was enough. It was simple, quick, and would make a cute mask to get the kids excited about being superheros. And...kids just love hats, masks, etc. Anytime Miss Dianne made a hat in preschool, Jack would be wearing it for a week at home. ;)

Activity: Tattoo Parlor

I found the old-school comic book action words for $1.00 at Target. I cut them all out and let the kids choose. Even a few adults wanted one. ;) 

Activity: Captain America Bubble Necklace

I found little blue and red mini bubble necklaces at Target in the party section. They were a seasonal item for July 4th, but since Captain America is as patriotic as Uncle Sam, any patriotic decoration could double for Captain America. I use the patriotic theme in another way too. 

Game/Activity: Brick Blasting

I almost didn't make these!!! It has been raining on and off at least once a day for 10 days and its so humid out that any paper starts to wilt after 5 minutes of being outside. I also wasn't sure if they would want to play with it. Guess what? It was hands down, the most popular activity. I guess since the activity is so opened ended, they were able to use their imaginations and pretend play with it. 

Snacks!

Captain America Crunch: I sent my husband to the store for trail mix-like ingredients. I did include marshmallows on the list, but he found red, white, and blue star marshmallows.(Way better!!) Again, Jack's birthday falls close to July 4th, so we scored on finding cute patriotic details. I found little chocolate covered candies in red and blue at Party City to add into the mix. Yum!

Cheese Crackers: Jack helped me make wrappers using stickers we found at Target for his favorite cheese crackers. 

Hulk Grapes: Anything green can become Hulkish. 

Hulk Juice: Another great idea from my hubbie. We just colored yellow gatorade to make it green. We borrowed a clear plastic drink dispenser from Aunt Shell and the kids LOVED dispensing their own drink. We actually had to stop Jack from getting more so he wouldn't get sick.

Spiderman gummies or fruit snacks: Those are a big treat for Jack. We don't consider them a real food. To us, they are just candy, which means it is a totally appropriate snack for a birthday party!

Party Favors:  

For the superhero gals, I found "Wonder Woman Lips." I made a little tag that looks like this to attach to them. I also found gelli "power bracelets" for the girls too. 

Here's my little label I made for the little girls' favor. 

For the superhero gals, I found "Wonder Woman Lips." I made a little tag that looks like this to attach to them. I also found gelli "power bracelets" for the girls too. 

Cupcakes: 

My sister-in-law, Aunt Shell, recently became insterested in cake decorating. She is really talented. She made the deeeeelicious chocolate cupcakes for Henry's birthday party. I asked her to make yellow, red, and blue ones for this party. She did an amazing job and were eaten up. 

I made the little "Jack Attack" Superhero cupcake topper for Jack's cupcake. I forgot matches, so no candles. :( Oh well, cake is good without it. His real birthday is still a few days away, so he can save the wishes for the real day.

Fun times!!!

People frequently and innocently remark, "Don't  you wish you had a girl?" Well, that is a complicated and personal question to begin with, but seeing as I have two awesome boys, the answer is no. I love watching my little guy pretend to save the day in his flowing cape, and vow to "patect" me from the bad guys with his little batman shooter. To see my little guy starting to really look and act like the man of my dreams, his Daddy, just melts my heart. Any child is a blessing for sure, but right now, I am not missing a thing!

My camera charger went missing right before the party, so I had to use my mom's camera. Not sure when I'll get those pictures, but when I do, I'll add them!!