A superhero party for a pretty super 4 year old

What happens when the still 3-year-old invites some superheroes over to celebrate his fourth birthday?

Mom convinces dad that the superheroes need a phone booth on the porch.
8 year old: “Why?”

Mom:  “To change into their superhero costumes of course”

8yo: “But superheroes just go back to their apartments to suit up.”

Mom: “What about Clark Kent? He always used a phone booth.”

6yo: “Mom, what’s a phone booth?”

Mom: …

Dad: 

Mom picks up a bunch of foam pieces and makes a skyline to put in the windows. Because superheroes still have to be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound… I think.

She goes in search of the awesome capes the boys got from their Seattle uncles, and in the process discovers the flippers she spent days searching for before the Lake Jocassee trip - when they fall off the top shelf she is precariously perched under. But she found the capes… and the batman costume that the 6yo will insist on wearing even though it’s about 3 inches too short and gives him a superwedgie… and the batman mask that is still popping up once or twice a day in unexpected places like on the captain underpants that just ran through the house a third time to protest bedtime.

When the superheroes arrive, they get to make their own capes. Because mom totally thought it all thru; it’s not like fabric paint takes 24 hours to dry or anything, of course their creations would be completely dry by the time the kids had to go back to the batcave. And yes, these superheroes make their own capes, it's not like they have The Incredible's Edna Mode at their disposal...

...or do they?

Dad prints out a ton of awesome superhero stuff that we paper the house with. POW! here’s your morning coffee. BAM! oh here’s the peeler, I’ve been looking all over for that. POP! obviously they got another balloon down. SPLAT! someone dropped the glass of milk supermom just poured him.

...and there's the batman mask!

After burgers all the superheroes were given a can of silly string so they could practice their web-shooting in the backyard. BONUS: rolling the spent silly string into balls and decorating each other’s hair with the stuff might have been more fun than the actual silly string shooting… To think I was dreading clean up, but the kids did it themselves!!!

Then dessert and presents. This mom took a shortcut and opted for cupcakes. Deb Perelman has a great, super-versatile batter recipe in her Smitten Kitchen Every Day cookbook, and I added some cute little toppers.

Batman was super-satisfied, and even supermom doesn’t have any regrets – it was a super party. Happy birthday Vili! Now for a supernap…