Kids Expo - Schaumburg, IL

This expo was held at the Schaumburg Convention Center.  It had several exhibitor booths with lots of small freebie giveaways.  

It also had several attractions that were fun for Aiden like knockerball, a petting zoo, balloon artist, stage performances, and character appearances like princesses, pirates, etc. There was also face painting and bounce houses but those things you had to pay extra for.  And there was a butterfly sanctuary that he went into and a free Chicago Herpetological Society reptile show where he got to hold a turtle and touch snakes and lizards.  He really loved that, he is all about the reptiles!  All in all he had a pretty good time here.

Theater Class - NISRA

This theater class was provided by NISRA.  It’s focus was on simple choreography, singing, speaking on stage, and working together as a full cast.  Everyone get a role in the show based on their ability and interest.  Everyone has to learn the script and practice at each rehearsal until the night of the show.  The year that Aiden participated was for the production of Shrek.  Aiden got the role of Donkey. I wasn’t sure if Aiden would like this class but he really did.  When he tried out for “auditions” he did so well and had no problem singing on a stage in front of everyone.  I admire him so much for that! He learned his lines well and what he was supposed to do on stage but I think what he really enjoyed the most from this class was not so much the actual show in the end, but all the rehearsals.  I think he just really liked playing and interacting with the other kids.  Even though, if you saw them in rehearsals it wouldn’t always appear as if they are “interacting” with each other, but I think he does it, or appreciates it, in his own way.  Aiden is a fun and a funny kid, so is the character he was playing as Donkey.  Aiden knew all his lines by heart but when it finally came down to performance night in front of an auditorium full of strangers he seemed to have gotten a bit distracted and went off script, talking to the audience, asking why they were laughing at him.  He looked so cute in his donkey costume, and because the show was a comedy, the audience didn’t know if that was just part of his act and so they laughed even more.  But like with most difficult or unusual circumstances in his life, he just rolled with the punches. What a trooper!

Chicago Trolley Holiday Lights Tour

This was a cool “wintery” thing to do.  I wanted Aiden to get to see the holiday (and downtown) lights from the warm, non-stressful, passenger seat of someone’s else’s vehicle so this seemed like the perfect thing to do.  We boarded the trolley at the John Hancock building and Aiden and I lucked out and got the only seat up front next to the driver on a platform.  

We had a great view from there and of course Aiden wanted to talk to our Santa Claus driver.  He was great too.  He told us the history of some of the buildings we’d pass, and he had us singing Christmas carols as we sat in traffic.  The sights on the tour were the Magnificent Mile, Macy's Holiday Windows, the John Hancock Center Tree, Daley Plaza and Millennium Park.  It also made 3 stops.  The 1st was at Sprinkles bakery where they gave us complimentary red velvet cupcakes, the 2nd was at the Christkindlmarket in Daley Plaza, and the 3rd was at Lincoln Park Zoo to see their two million holiday lights.  The Christkindlmarket was a bit much for us.  It was so tightly packed and the lines were really long at each booth so we just did a quick walk through and then got back on the trolley and waited with our Santa driver.  The zoo lights were cool but we weren’t given a whole lot of time to go through it all, and it was freezing cold, so we saw what we could then got back onto the trolley. It was a good time.  I think Aiden’s favorite parts were singing Christmas carols on the trolley and eating the cupcakes.

Field Museum - Chicago

Aiden is in absolute love with dinosaurs so we took him to the Field Museum to see Sue the T-Rex and the rest of their dinosaur exhibit.  He enjoyed it but I had a feeling that he would have preferred to see all the dinosaurs with skin on their bones.  All of his dinosaurs at home have flesh and skin so I think he missed that familiarity. But we didn’t  just see the dinosaurs.  We visited as many of the exhibits as we could. This place is huge.  We weren’t able to see everything but I would happily go back at his request.

Voting

I took Aiden with me when I voted in both the 2016 primary and general elections.  For the primary election we went to the West Dundee Village Hall.  It was during the early voting period and I guess the timing was right because there were only about 2 people ahead of me.  Aiden stayed in line with me just long enough to ask the volunteers there what their names were and how they were doing that day.  They loved him and gave him a sticker.  Aiden wanted to sit and look out the window across the room since we were on the 2nd floor. The room was small enough that he wasn’t very far from me, and I could see him clearly from the voting booth, so I let him stay there.  When I finished he made sure to say goodbye to everyone before we left.  That kid makes everyone smile.

For the general election we went to the Carpentersville Fire Department Station #3.  Again we went during the early voting period and right after Aiden got out of school.  This time there were probably about 7 people ahead of us.  The voting room was very small there so we spent most of the time just waiting in the hallway.  I didn’t want to leave Aiden there out of my sight so he was with me in the voting booth.  Not a lot of chatting was going around at this place so we came and left without Aiden ever introducing himself to anyone.  I think he was a little disappointed. LOL

Bowling - Brunswick Zone

We’ve been to this Brunswick Zone bowling alley in Algonquin a few times.  It’s nice and big and also has an arcade.  Aiden picked up on the purpose of the game fairly quickly but still needs to gain some patience while waiting for his ball to finally get down to the pins.  He also really liked the arcade area. He doesn’t really know how to play the games, he mostly just enjoys the ones you can ride or have to be physically active with. Update: This Algonquin Brunswick Zone has now changed to Bowlero.

Halloween Party - Dundee Township Rotary Club

Every year the Dundee Township Rotary Club has a special Halloween party for children with special needs.  There are about 4 rows of tables in 1 room that are each decorated by the rotary club members with different themes like cartoon characters, superheros, etc. and the special kids (and their siblings) get to walk around to each table and trick-or-treat.  The candy givers are all dressed up and usually take pictures with the kids.  When you finish all your trick-or-treating you can walk into the cafeteria which is right next door and have a free hot dog, chips, and drink.  

We have gone the past 3 years now and Aiden loves it.  It is always such a relief to go to places like this where I don’t have to worry about my kid being, or feeling, left out or too different.  It feels really good to see my child being accepted and appreciated for exactly who he is.  I am super grateful for all the work the Rotary Club puts into this!