A preschooler no more

As these photos show, Sylvie was pretty much the opposite of nervous about her first day of kindergarten.

Personally I was a bit sad that she is going to be catching the morning bus at day care. I felt like she was missing out on something not being picked up at the foot of our driveway. But once we got to the community center this morning all of those worries went away. Sylvie was joined by more than half a dozen of her friends, and they got to play on the playground until the bus arrived.

Once it did, a mad dash for the doors ensued--depriving me of the iconic, standing and turning in the doorway shot that I'd been hoping for.

When she came home tonight, Sylvie confirmed what we already knew: she LOVES being a kindergartener!

The parents were there too

What an awesome time we had. The Whiteface Lodge is an incredible place, as is Lake Placid in general. So much to do! Boating, paddle-boarding (even Melissa tried it!), hiking, biking, horseback riding... we did it all in 4.5 too-short days.

Melissa on a paddleboard!

Melissa not on a paddleboard!

Suffering a little.

Three kids and a lake

The Greens have often told us that Zachary and Avery consider Sylvie to be a cousin. The photos don't lie!

One would never guess, right, that Sylvie was bravely suffering with strep for the first couple of days of the trip. So far neither of her "cousins" have come down with it...

Sylvie "reads" Goodnight Gorilla

In related news, tomorrow is kindergarten orientation. The real thing starts Wednesday!!!

"A person, and a mermaid"

Sylvie was obviously annoyed with the question. And to her credit, it is obvious once she points it out...

Last morning at Lake Placid

Lake Placid (a few pics!)

It turns out that Sylvie has strep, but she has felt much better since her doctor called in an antibiotic prescription to a Lake Placid pharmacy. 

Here is Dan on a paddle board. This is pre-fall. :)

Pan Mass photos

The Pan Mass Challenge turned out to be everything I was told to expect and more. What an incredible experience. I wore a helmet cam for a good part of the ride, though I ran out of card before the finish (grrrrr!). The video might better capture just how incredible it felt to bike nearly 200 miles, with never a quarter mile passed without someone cheering at the end of a driveway, often holding a photo of a loved one lost to--or still fighting--cancer. Really an incredible, incredible experience.

It meant a lot to me to have my folks make the trip up to see the ride, even though "seeing" it consisted of a meet up at a water stop on the first day, and then joining me for a burger at the end. It meant a lot to have Melissa and Sylvie right there with them, and to have Trystan at the water stop.  And it meant a lot that my athenahealth sidekick, Stephanie, signed up for the ride the day of my surgery, two months before start, never having ridden a road bike in her life. Finally, it meant a lot that my friends and family helped me raise a whopping $18,000 for Dana Farber. I am blown away.

Bike drop

4 am, Day 1

My sidekick Stephanie, new cyclist extraordinaire

Celebratory beer

3:30 am, day two 

Celebratory Margaritas

Ferry ride home