It seems like it was yesterday when I was 4 days past my due date and a little man finally made his way into this world. My little boy was born in Bangkok and his arrival changed our lives.  I can’t believe it’s been four years since that day that I became a mom for the first time and understood the meaning of love at first sight. It’s amazing how just two and a half years ago we moved to Jakarta with a toddler and now share our home with a little boy who amazes us every single day with his wit, his wisdom and great sense of humor. When we arrived to the Big Durian, Evan was just a year and a half and it seems like time has just flown by and we are leaving in a few months with a handsome preschooler whose obsession with cars, trains and planes is just one of the characteristics that make him Evan.

Evan has not only taught us to be parents but has had to endure our moments of mis-parenting and thrived in the process. Our four-year old is an incredible blessing from God and we are so grateful to have him in our lives.

For Evan’s fourth birthday party we started brainstorming early on. After a construction party, a very simple Disney Cars party and an Outer Space Party , we were not certain about what theme to pick. Evan told us he wanted to have a SpiderMan party, but then he mentioned he wanted an Ironman party and a few days later Captain America an SuperMan came into the mix so mommy had to make an executive decision and we decided to throw a “Super Hero” Birthday bash.

This year was very special since my mom was able to come from Mexico to celebrate Evan’s birthday. My mom was there when Evan was born and she visited us in Bangkok for his first birthday party. I was so happy to have her here with us on this special day.

Decor

As usual, I perused Etsy for printables and opted to download a package from Vens Paperie with had eye-catching pops of color and somewhat of a retro feel to it. I really enjoy putting the banners and details together. Also from Etsy, I fell in love with an invitation from My Paper Lily and didn’t hesitate to get their design personalized.

Oriental Trading was the source of many of our decorations although my old faithful party supply box helped, too. It was very easy to find neutral super hero themed party supplies. I was so happy that I didn’t have to get anything character specific. My favorite items from Oriental Trading were the giant “Ka-Boom” and “Pow” signs.

We encouraged our guests to dress up as their favorite super heroes and we had a wonderful array of characters including Super Daddy,a few Batmans and even A Super Frida Kahlo. I ordered a few capes from one of my favorite stores here in Jakarta,  Strawberry Patch for those missing their super hero gear. We also had different colored masks available for guests as well as make-yourself masks in the craft table.

I was able to recycle some of the decor from Joshua’s Pirate Party a couple of months ago. After all, there is an upside to having a birthday, Christmas and another birthday within two months of each other. I saved some of the paper decor and was able to use some of the paper plates and napkins leftover from Josh’s party. I always try to use similar color schemes in case I am able to reuse anything.

Food

We kept it simple and went for a very kid-friendly menu which included baked mac and cheese and mini pizzas. The pizzas were so popular that every time we had more on the table they disappeared right away. I also learned my lesson in Joshua’s birthday party and opted to buy plain chips instead of all kinds of cheesy ones.

We had fruits and veggies with dips and all kinds of juices. We also made white and red sangria to keep the parents happy despite the mayhem of the superhero alcove.

Dessert Table

The dessert table was a big hit and it included chocolate and vanilla-bean cupcakes, a chocolate fountain with strawberries and home-made marshmallows and an assortment of candy. I got a kit from oriental trading to make super hero lolly pops and I loved how they turned out.

We made the cake ourselves. My super hubby just has a great eye for design and is able to recreate any shape requested by our munchkins within seconds. As Evan watched us make the cake he asking for new additions. What started as a Super Man cake ended up as a Super Man, Bat Man, Iron Man and Captain America cake. My mom brought awesome candles from Mexico which Evan had been wanting to play with since he saw them. He finally had the opportunity to play with them.

Activities

We just took out a bunch of toys and blew up balloons and let the kids run wild. I think this is the last year I will get away without organizing games or entertainment for the kiddos but it went well and nobody ended up bleeding or anything. We did have a very entertaining craft table which included coloring pages, super hero sticker scenes, and two kinds of mask kits. Kids of all ages sat down for a few minutes and enjoyed making their own masks.

Our friends have kids of all ages and I’ve found that they all have a good time doing their own thing. The younger ones enjoyed just playing with the toys and the tunnel while the older ones preferred to make some crafts. Joshua’s favorite activity was sneaking in and eating as many cupcakes as he could take.

Happy Birthday Dear Evan

Evan had a great time at his party. It was so cute to see him so proud of himself and his party. As soon as any guest walked in the door, Evan would come over and say “I’m Evan, it’s my birthday”. I think he just wanted to grab the present, but still I thought it was cute how he introduced himself.

When the time came for us to sing Happy Birthday to my big boy he was ready to blow the candles. He kept telling everyone he was not 4. And yes, he certainly acts like a kid and not a baby.

After the candles were blown, he wanted to cut the cake himself. I was ok with that, but he then decided he wanted to put the candles on the cake causing it to crumble into pieces. FYI, fondant is not very candle friendly. He enjoyed playing so much that I just let it go and rescued the bottom layer of the cake.

Party Time!

We had such a good time with our friends and neighbors. Everyone just relaxed and had a good time.

Kids and big kids had a good time and enjoying chatting the afternoon away. I love throwing parties and seeing our friends enjoy themselves.

Balloon Time Josh

Worthy of noting, was Joshua’s obsession with balloons. Since he got to the room he started playing with balloons and making it his purpose to pop as many as he could. Below are a few pics of his many attempts. Many of them were successful and the reactions perceived in the room ranged from annoyance to laughter to shrieks from the startled ones.

Evan is now 4 years old!

I was so happy to see Evan enjoy his party so much. Josh had a fantastic time, too. The smiles in their faces makes it all worth it. Those long hours it took to cut everything and put it together were definitely worth it. I am a bit nostalgic knowing we will leave soon and I am uncertain whether we will have such big parties for the kiddos again. I will definitely miss the function room in our building.

We are so grateful to God for an amazing son and pray that we can keep being good parents to him. We love our Evan so much and were so happy to celebrate with him one more year of life.