I went to my friend's son, Billy's, birthday party the other day and it was fantastic. Billy's favorite superhero is Superman so Susan celebrated his birthday with this theme.

On the cover of the invitations was print from the classic comic book Superman. My son was one of five boys Susan invited. Inside were the party details: Location, date and time.

Sally asked me to help her set up, so I arrived at 10:00AM. The dining room table had been covered with a paper Superman themed table cloth with matching, plates, cups, and napkins she she bought at the party store. I helped her set the Superman themed, plates, cups and napkins around the table.

We decorated the temporary jungle gym Susan's husband Tim had rented with red, yellow and blue ribbon bows though we didn't think they would last very long. The ribbons were all sagging at the bottom of the temporary jungle gym after the kids had only been climbing for then minutes. The photographer took pictures of Billy and his friends playing Superman as they swung around on the gym.

We went inside for lunch as soon as the kids started complaining they were hungry. The kids entered the dining room at the same time Tim came in with with bags full of cheeseburgers and fries from McDonald's . Only seven year olds could get so excited over fast food.

After lunch Tim brought out the cake. Tim was very proud of it he had decorated the cake himself. He created a flying Superman out of frosting with the words, "Happy Flying Billy" at the top. It looked fantastic. The had Billy's favorite: Multi-colored bubble gum ice-cream. I think Tim started a contest of who could chew the biggest wad of gum.

After the meal, Tim and Susan gathered the boys in the backyard. Bill handed each boy an envelope to be kept secret from the others. Inside each envelope was a piece of paper describing their mission and a list of allies. The boys loved played out their missions loosing themselves completely in their roles as spies and heroes. Billy, of course, was Superman. The teams were looking for clues to find a very valuable item hidden in the backyard. If they couldn't find it before Lex Luthor's team did it could mean an end to all civilization as we know it. Lex Luthor's team also had clues and Kryptonite to try and stop Superman's mission. They played the game for hours without ever getting bored or giving up. Superman saved the planet in the end, and we all were relieved he did.

I've never seen Billy have so much fun. I can't wait until next year to see what Susan will do for his next birthday. Some of the pictures I took of the game turned out so good I sent some to the parents of the other guests