December 2025

 December was so fun.  We had Charlie the Elf at our house.  He is always fun to wake up to.  

The weather was so warm.  No snow.  Darren and Ella did some mnt biking in short sleeves.  She is Darren's biking buddy, and he is going to miss her when she's gone.  Ella is a hard-working student.  We got a nice note from her teacher. Ella also sleeps.  I am always glad when she can catch a nap. 

Greetings,

I just wanted to reach out and express how much I have enjoyed having Ella in my government class. Ella is a sweetheart. I admire her ability to stay positive even when she is dealing with headaches. She is kind, creative, thoughtful, and hard-working. I have no doubt that she will go on to do amazing things.

Best,

Kami Merchant

My mom always does an amazing job of having grandkids put on the nativity.  Darren even had to participate because Tyler is gone.  Fun times with family.  

Jan Clayton was Tyler's organ teacher.  We are so grateful for her in our lives.  She wrote a note about Tyler to me. 

Thank you, Amy. Happiest birthday wishes to you and I wish you and your family a wonderful Christmas and happy new year. I sure enjoy reading Tyler's letters each week. I try to respond many times, but please know he is very special to me. When an Organ Student that is young, like he was at age nine, moves so quickly to become competent (and continues his piano studies) as well as Tyler dia, it's very encouraging to their teachers. He represents a small percentage of students who perform at the level he performs. He's also a natural born leader and is overcoming the huge difficulty of serving in a country so challenging to serve in as Finland is.