Epic Air Trampoline Park - South Elgin, IL

Epic Air is an indoor arena with jumping courts, foam pit, trampoline basketball & dodgeball, ball blaster, and a concession stand. This place was definitely a winner for Aiden.  He really liked it here, the jumping, the foam pit, the ball blaster area, he liked it all.  I figured he would enjoy it since he really likes jumping on inflatables but I was a little bit surprised because for days, maybe a week before we went, he seemed excited but nervous at the same time.  I guess it was because he would look it up on YouTube and watch videos of people doing tricks jumping high, off the walls, and into the foam pit. I thought that would excite him rather than scare him but he would tell me that he didn’t want to jump that high and would ask me if he had to jump off the walls.  But now looking back on it I think what was really making him nervous was that during this time he hadn’t been feeling very well, kept getting stomachaches in the mornings so I think he thought that if he jumped too much or too high at Epic that he would throw up.  I’m pretty sure that’s what it was because as we got closer to the Epic day he was no longer feeling ill and when the actual day finally arrived, he wasn’t nervous at all, just super excited. He really did enjoy this place and would love to go back.

Medieval Times - Schaumburg, IL

Medieval Times is basically a dinner with a show inside a big castle-like space.  We were served a 4-course meal, without utensils, as we watched a live action show set during the medieval times. There was a king, princess, knights, jousting, horsemanship and falconry. During the show you cheer for the knight that represents your crown color as he competes for the title.

I wasn’t really sure what Aiden would think of this trip but he said that he liked it and he really was getting into it towards the end when the knights were actually fighting each other.  I thought the food was pretty decent.  Aiden didn’t really eat much because he is extremely picky and there are no options at Medieval Times.  You eat what you’re served or you don’t eat at all. He did at least try everything.  He was especially curious about the “dragon meat” they served. I’m so glad that’s what our server called it because had she said “chicken” he would’ve passed.

Deicke Park - Huntley, IL

This is a very nice park. The playground here looks like a little town with a pretend ice cream and barber shop, a railroad crossing bell, musical instruments, and bench sized swings for adults to sit on, all with a rubber cushioned floor.  There’s also a sandy area, different height basketball hoops, as well as swings and standard playground equipment.  This place was clearly designed with younger children in mind but Aiden’s been here twice now and he’s really enjoyed it each time, as did I.

Funtopia - Glenview, IL

This place was great! There are 2 sections of this place that we saw.  One with a maze like area of soft foam thing obstacles to crawl on or through but we didn’t go in there because it’s only for kids ages 1 - 8. The other, bigger section is full of fun walls, ropes course, a 20 ft tall slide, and a free fall jump.  Aiden is the very active, very physical type so I thought for sure he’d love this but as soon as he got harnessed up and we walked in, he cried. I guess up close he realized just how high these walls actually go.  He was struggling to do this so we had him start with the easiest looking ones, the tires.  

It was a good call.  He did it with ease after watching a little girl half his size do it first.  After that he tried out everything except the free fall jump.  He did have an issue with the ropes course though.  He insisted he wanted to go on it then he started it, didn’t feel he could continue, and just stood their crying.  I felt so bad for him.  He was scared, there was so much going on around him, and there was no one to help him. I couldn’t help him.  He was a good 10 feet off the ground and you couldn’t go up on that thing without being harnessed.  We had to get the employee’s attention to have her help him get off.  It was such a terrible feeling for me, I can only imagine what it was like for him.  But after being at this place for 45 minutes he insisted that he wanted to try it again.  So up he went.  This time he got further down the course than the last time but again he got stuck, stopped, and just cried.  Once they got him down from there I couldn’t wait to wrap my arms around him and tell him how proud I was of him.  There have been so many times that I’ve asked him to do things that he was afraid to try and now here he was voluntarily trying something on his own that he feared.  I look up to this kid so much.  He is always so brave.  Also, this place is a good workout.  He knocked out as soon as we got in the car.

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.