Davis Family Newspaper

The Mark A. Davis Family in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania

2009 Year in Review

Christmas

  • Ty was thrilled to get a new Nintendo DSi AND a digital camera.  We had a terrific holiday.
  • Kristen and Matt joined us at church for the late Christmas Eve service.  Ty was acolyte and did a tremendous job.  Kristen & Matt came over the house after church for a few drinks and to help with "setup".
  • We continue the Davis family tradition of receiving holiday boxers and wearing them all day long on the outside of our pants.  I don't know how this got started, but we've been doing it every year for decades.
  • Beth, Pat, Brad and April joined us at our house for Christmas lunch.  Pat did a great job cooking the ham, and we had lots of laughs.
  • Matt & Stacy arrived early evening, and the Jeanne's brothers and sisters and their families came over for cookies and drinks
  • Mark, Matt, Eric, Greg, Ty and Josh went to see Avatar on Saturday.  Great time.  Right after the movie we drove to the airport to greet Dan Berkowitz and "Tiffany".
  • To the right is a picture of Brian with our granddaughter Lillian.  She is so incredibly cute, with a constant smile and a wonderful little laugh.
  • Greg had surgery on his foot a week ago, and will be on crutches for three weeks.  It doesn't slow him down at all.
  • Saturday night the entire Davis family and the Jones family went to dinner at Ipanema Grill.  We missed Erinn, but everyone else was with us.  We had a tremendous time, and consumed truckloads of meat.  Unbelievable.
  • Eric is being deployed on January 3rd.  He'll go to California for training, and then will be shipping out to Afghanistan for about 9 months.  We were thrilled that he was able to be with us for this Christmas, and we ask for everyone to pray for his safety during his deployment.
  • There is nothing better than being with family and friends - especially when the entire time is spent laughing, having fun and with deep love for one another.  We are so richly blessed.  Thank you Lord for blessing our family so fully, and my we become blessings to others through our efforts and love for other people.  See all our Christmas 2009 Pictures.  Last Updated 12/27/2009
  • Thanksgiving Dinner - 2009.  A great time and great food with the Davis and Troy families. 

  • Davis Family 2009 - It was a very rainy day at Greg's High School Graduation Party on June 20, 2009.  But we had the entire family together and the damp casual look is somewhat fitting for our family style.  So here is our family portrait.  We bought a 16x11 print and framed it for prominent display.  We are so very proud of our kids. 

  • Jeanne retires from Foster Care.  After having fostered 45 children over the past 11 years, Mark & Jeanne have retired from foster care.  In a fitting ending to a tremendous experience, Jeanne and Toni Jones were honored at a surprise dinner in Savanna, Georgia while delivering our 45th child to his family.  Sixty family members were there to hear about Jeanne and Toni, and the huge difference they made in the lives of two of the children, and the comfort that they brought to the family during a very difficult time.  What a perfect ending - and what a wonderful blessing we've been given over the past 11 years.

    The next few weeks will be spent going through the baby items one last time.  Jeanne's already donated about 20 bags of clothes to St. Joseph's.  New curtains have been ordered and the nursery will be set up as a guest room.  Information on becoming a Foster Parent  Last Updated 07/29/09

  • Penn State - 2009 - We had a great time with the Phillip's families at the Penn State vs Syracuse football game in September.  While it started as a cold and rainy weekend, nothing was interrupted.  There were many adventures and terrific memories were made.

    - Dave Phillips saved us all the first night by getting fires started in each of the cabins on a cold wet night

    - John Phillips told a great story about a homeless person near his work.  "THANK YOU. GOD BLESS YOU"

    - Jeff Kelley flew in from Texas.  Dan Berkowitz picks him up at the Harrisburg airport, which is conveniently across the street from where Greg is going to college, and the three of them take the long route to the camp.  Stupid GPS.

    - Dan's car breaks down at the camp.  Turns out to be a cracked distributor cap.  John Phillips and Dave Lindsey save the day.

    We stayed at the cabins in Black Moshannon State Park - very nice.  John and Dave knew the back way into the stadium and we hit almost no traffic.  Following a good game (PSU won) we tailgated for three hours.  The kids had a great time playing football and the food was awesome as usual. 

  • Neighborhood Campout We went camping with our friends and neighbors. This was our third campout, and we've added some new friends.  We had a great and relaxing time.  To get some more of an idea of what we did and how this worked, click on - More Details.. Last Updated 07/19/09

  • Texas Visit - Kelsey and Greg visited the Young family in Texas and had a terrific time.  They were excited for the trip, but it exceeded their expectations in every way.  The Young's were terrific hosts, taking the kids, along with Ali and Ericka, to a baseball game, a water park, and introducing the kids to authentic Mexican food.  They also got to visit Steve, Lindsey and Taylor, and Jeff Kelley.  Greg got to spend a day at work with Riki, getting to experience his potential career aspiration in action.  See pictures of their trip.

  • Memorial Day 2009  Another incredible Memorial Day Campout.  The weather was terrific, the food was great and everyone seemed to have a great time.  Thanks to all who came - and I'm already looking forward to next year. Click here to see an album of about 360 photos from the campout, a combination of pictures from several people.  Last Updated 06/02/2009 

  • Happy Campers  Jeanne and Mark are "Happy Campers".  Thank you Di.  We look forward to using these on our next campout - and every Memorial Day Weekend.  We Love Them.  Last Updated 06/16/2009













  • Graduation  Greg graduated from Abington Heights High School on Friday night - and what a terrific night it was.  Greg was in the top ten of his class of 299, earning himself a gold tassle in addition to the gold braid of the National Honor Society.  We are very proud of him - and all his friends, most of whom received similar recognition. 

    Greg has his college plans well in hand, and we attend orientation this Wednesday.  He's off to a terrific beginning!

    Earlier that day, the Abington Heights High School boys baseball team won the State Championship.  They arrived at the stadium just as the ceremony was to begin, escorted by a half-dozen police cars with sirens screaming with pride.  The crowd was ecstatic, and they took 10 minutes right before the graduation ceremony to recognize the entire team with a special recognition for the seniors. 

  • Ty Plays Baseball  Ty is playing Farm League baseball this spring, and having a terrific time.  Interestingly, while he writes with his left hand, he bats and throws right-handed. 

    At the last game, the coach wanted Ty to use a different bat.  Always looking to get his own way, Ty told the coach that the different bat didn't work.  The coach relented and Ty got 4 hits that game.












  • Happy New Year  This is a picture of Ty being silly on New Year's Eve.  We had a great time with all the family at the house.  Incredible food, including a terrific buffalo chicken cheese dip, Stromboli, and a ton of other food.  We did the traditional fire pit at midnight, with the traditional cigars.  We started a new tradition by ringing in the New Year with delicious Plum Wine instead of Champagne.  Last Updated 01/18/2009


  • Disney World 2008  See pictures from our 2008 family adventure to Disney World.  We had a terrific time with the family.  Its amazing how well everything worked out and how much fun we had.  When we tell people how easy it is, and how well we all get along, people can't believe it. 


    If you have online pictures, please let me know so I can include a link.  You can also read a little about the trip on our 2008 Disney World Trip Planning page and our Disney Trip History page. Last Updated 12/18/08

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