.new year, new classroom.

Before I get into my classroom, I'd like to give a quick update on my dad.  He had surgery today to remove the tumor from his stomach. This tumor was originally thought to be benign, but upon closer inspection, we are being told it is most likely malignant.

However, there is good news. The dye test revealed no spreading of the cells to other organs, and the doctor is confident he removed all of the tumor and surrounding affected cells. Further testing needs to be done to reveal how aggressive the cells are splitting, etc. These tests will determine whether or not my dad will have to have chemo.

My dad lost 25% of his stomach today, and as bad as that may sound, it's so much better than the 80% we were given as a potential max. There are too many blessings here to dwell on the negatives, but I am still having to keep reminding myself not to worry because God has not given us a spirit of fear. Worrying does no good, especially since all the tests results could still come back negative for malignancy, negative for chemo treatments, negative for aggressive, etc. Even if these results don't come back negative, God is in control and He can still heal my Dad 100%.

I'm choosing to rest in the powerful arms of my Heavenly Father and leave my earthly father in His arms as well. There's really no safer place to leave our loved ones.

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Meanwhile, I am gearing up for a new year of teaching.

We had Open House today, and I met about half my class. The other half didn't show, but that's ok. The ones I met were very nice.

This year is different for me in that I actually have a majority of GIRLS! This never happens to me, and I'm so excited! Out of 14 total kids, I have 9 girls and 5 boys.

I wanted to share pictures of my classroom. It's set up very similarly to last year because I believe it's the equation that works best for my space. I have spruced up a little art center with a DIY chalkboard, but for the most part, the other centers are the same as last year.

I have a center for art, blocks, books, home living, fine motor/Science, and dresss-up.

My bulletin board theme is Dr. Seuss' "Oh the Places You'll Go."

I had a lot of fun putting my bulletin board together and hanging those hot air balloons from the ceiling.

Without further ado, my classroom: