This Saturday was Daybreak’s Third Annual Gingerbread House Building Family Fun Morning. We had over 100 people, with over 60% of people coming from the community. The Previous Friday night (Kris Kringle Parade) we handed out between 800 to 1,000 cards and many of those who came were as a result of those cards being put into people’s hands.

What’s really exciting is that so many people came out to have fun, and to spend time as a family. Each person was given a package of Graham Crackers, various candies, a ziplock of royal icing, and a tray to hold everything. From there, it was all up to the imagination. It is pretty amazing what kids (and adults) can do with m&m’s, gum drops, licorice strips, peppermints, etc. . . in two hours.

This is Karine P. who has overseen the Gingerbread House Building Family Fun Morning. This is her third year of leading this outreach event. Way to go Karine, Thank You!

It's funny how things work out. Once a year all the pre-K classes in Frederick County read and enjoy the "Gingerbread Man" as part of their studies. At Brunswick Elem. for over 19 years H-G's teaching assistant has hidden a gingerbread doll and they go on a scavenger hunt to find him. They go all over the school following clues and finally find him their classroom -- except this year they found me in a giant Gingerbread Suit.

The kid's expressions as they entered the room were priceless. They didn't know what to do (laugh, run, hug me, hide, etc...) They wanted me to read the Gingerbread Man story, but you couldn't hear me very well from within the suit. So Kimberly read the book and I acted it out as best I could.

If you ever get a chance to dress up in a giant suit and go to your kids class -- do it. The funny thing is that H-G didn't know who it was in the suit, or was she acting? I'm still not sure either way.

On December 5th Daybreak participated in the Kris Kringle Parade in downtown Frederick. We carried an 8’ banner and handed out cards inviting the community to our Gingerbread House Building Family Fun Morning. We handed out between 800 to 1000 cards (way to go Daybreak!)

Even though I did it last year, I was still amazed at how the Gingerbread suit just makes people smile (especially kids). I had to constantly watch and move slowly because kids would run up to me and hug me and if I wasn’t careful I would knock them down. Once we started down the course I began to run from one side of the street to other shaking hands, giving “high 5’s”, and just having fun.

By 1/3 into the course I was covered with sweat. It dripped into my eyes so that I was slightly blinded, and condensation built up on the inside of the mask. The eye holes were covered with a black mesh which was covered with a layer of moisture again adding to the difficulty in seeing where I was going. Several times Caleb would run up and want to run with me on the route, but I told him to “stay behind the banner” because I was afraid I would run over him. To say I was sweaty would be an understatement, and I don’t want to think about the active Gingerbread men before me.

The smiles on the crowd make it all worth it.

Our season of swim lessons is drawing to a close. This coming Saturday is the last of the lessons and we will miss it because of an event at our church. Kimberly came to take pictures and video. Every time Isaac saw the camera or video he would scream and want to see the digital display (i.e. “dada”). We finally figured out how to have a combination of floats so he could float on his own (a little one his chest, a big one on his back, and two floaties on his arms). If it were up to him to would float all day long, you may even see him yawn in the video.

After our session we go to one of the changing rooms where I shower the chlorine off, dry him off and then get him dressed. The only problem is that when he is fully dry, clean and ready to go, I’m still in my wet bathing suit. So then I get to change while keeping his hands out of the toilet (which doesn’t have a cover), and keeping out of the water that is all over the floor from the shower and our coming into the room from the pool. When it’s all over, I’m half dry and he’s half wet.