Paul and Polly (Marbut) Ellen were married October 29, 1949 in Hokes Bluff, Alabama and recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary with a reception at Parkway Baptist Church.

Mr. and Mrs. Hosea Echols joyfully celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on October 11 with family and friends at the Marriott at Grand National.
Hosea and Mary were married October 11, 1959 at Mary’s family home in Dallas County. They’ve lived in Auburn since then. They are both retired and the proud parents of a daughter, Vanessa, who lives in Orlando, FL. They are active members of Mt. Moriah Baptist Church in Auburn.

Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Hubbard will happily celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on October 16 at their home in Opelika, AL with their children, grandchildren and friends.

Mr. and Mrs. David Edward Alexander of Auburn announce the engagement of their daughter, Miss Rachael Nicole Alexander, to Mr. William Cowart White of Alexander City, son of Mr. John Thomas White of Childersburg and Mrs. Jane Cowart White of Alexander City.

Lakeia and Lavasha Maddox of Opelika, Alabama announce the engagement of their mother Joann Price Maddox of Opelika to Greggory Charles Brown of Auburn, Alabama.

Kathryn Elizabeth White and Brian David Chaisson were united in marriage on the evening of March 14, 2009 at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia. Dr. George Mathison presided over the double-ring ceremony held at the Chapel in the Gardens.

Raising a family is a demanding job. As parents, we sometimes feel guilty for wishing we had some time to ourselves. The truth is we are better parents when we manage to carve out some grown-up time for us.

You are probably thinking, “Oh sure, I’ll have my time between the 2 A.M. and the
6 A.M. feeding!” Certainly, when our children are very young, our time is pretty much consumed. As baby begins to sleep longer between feedings, however, we can begin to help him adjust to a schedule that is fairly consistent.

Self-care is not something to feel guilty about, it is something that is essential to being on top of your game as a parent. As parents you will need to take the time to work out a schedule that works for each of you. Coordinating the tasks makes the 1001 things that must be done more manageable.

Laura Leanne Herring and Steven Kurt Gardner were married on Sunday, July 26, 2009 at 4:00 p.m. The wedding took place at Fountainview Mansion in Auburn, AL.

Danny and Marcia Sanders of Valley, formerly of Opelika and Todd and Deborah Moore of South Padre Island, Texas announce the engagement and forthcoming marriage of their daughter, Leanna Marie Sanders of Opelika to Roger Dale McDonald, Jr. of Opelika, son of Roger, Sr. and Peggy McDonald of Opelika.

Several years ago during “coffee hour” at our church, I observed a number of young children milling around among the adults. I noticed that a number of the children were about knee-high and I mused at what it must be like to wander around in a world of kneecaps. The adults were engaged in conversation and occasionally one of the youngsters would pull on a parent’s dress or pants to get their attention. In watching, I thought about how often, as a parent, I became so preoccupied that I failed to really listen to my children.

Our children need to know that they are worthy of our time. One of the best ways we can let them know this is by being present in the moment. What does being present in the moment mean? It means that our attention is focused on the now. To be present to another means that we are giving our attention to their needs. In being present the listener is attempting to see through the eyes of the other and listening with the ear of the heart. Being present means the welfare of the other person takes priority for the moment.

It is with great pleasure and excitement that Jill and Greg Kebe of Auburn announce the birth of their first child. Mason Robert Kebe was born at 11:52am, Wednesday, July 29, 2009. He weighed 8 lbs. 9oz. and was 21.5 inches long. We would like to thank everyone involved for their love and support.

Mr. and Mrs. Alan Morris Causey of Columbus, Georgia are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter Courtney Lea Causey to Mr. Marshall Thomas LeBleu, son of Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Rafael LeBleu of Auburn.

Valory Nicole Clark and Kyle Stephen Armstrong were married in a double-ring ceremony June 20, 2009 at 6:00 p.m at the home of Bobby and Shirlene Parker, grandparents of the bride.

Marie Moore and Pasquale Adamo Baldino were married on May 16, 2009 at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort in Rose Hall, Jamaica.

The bride is the daughter of Mike and Judy Moore of Opelika. She is the grandaughter of Eunice and the late Ed Manning and the late Jack and Carolyn Moore, all of Opelika.

Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Cannon are happily celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary today. Effie and Lewis were married in a double ring ceremony on August 23rd, 1959, at First United Methodist Church of Winnie, Texas.

Remember the seven dwarfs in “Snow White” singing “Hi ho, hi ho, its off to work we go?” and the song “Whistle While You Work?” Teaching children to be responsible for their things needs to be taught at an early age. Being a helper can be taught as early as eighteen months to two years of age. Before a toddler pulls out everything in the toy box, he can be taught to first put some things away. This makes the job more manageable and is an appropriate place to teach the “first, then rule.” Because the idea of putting things back before getting more out is a little hard for a two year old to understand. It may be easier, if the things that are picked up are placed in a different container, such as a plastic laundry basket for later dumping back into the toy box. That way, he can go to the toy box and see what else is there. Parents can make a game of it by singing a “clean up song” as things are picked up. If you don’t know a song, just make one up to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” or some other children’s song. Songs are a great way to help children connect ideas, because they can be quickly learned and repeated.

Maj. Gen. John and Mrs. Robin White of Lanett, AL, formerly of Auburn, announce the engagement of their daughter, Abby Elizabeth White, to James Addison McDowell, son of Mr. Kenneth and Mrs. Donna McDowell of North Augusta, SC, formerly of Valley, AL.

Mr. and Mrs. Chris Kincaid of Auburn, Alabama announce the engagement of their daughter, Madeline Cain Kincaid to Patrick Alan Aicklen, son of Mr. and Mrs. Bob Aicklen of Dallas, Texas. 

Mr. and Mrs. Gary L. Webb of Auburn announce the engagement of their daughter, Katherine Adele Webb to Andrew James Burgbacher, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Burgbacher, of Tipp City, Ohio.

When we are committed to something, don’t we first need to have a clear sense of what outcome we are working toward? Most of us are “methodists,” meaning that we have our methods or ways of doing things. Generally speaking, we figure out what works and stick to that formula. The thing about parenting, however, is that what works for one child may not work for another….and what worked today may not work tomorrow.

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Waren Dumas of Auburn announce the engagement of their daughter Kristin Leigh Dumas to Mr. Craig McDowell Phillips, son of Mr. and Mrs. Kerwin Craig Phillips of Union Springs, AL.

Heather Bazemore and Josh Lee were joined in Christian marriage June 27, 2009 at First Baptist Church in Opelika.

Mr. and Mrs. Willie Finley of Auburn, Alabama and Mr. Larry Crowder of Opelika, Alabama, would like to announce the engagement of their daughter.

I became affiliated with Envision Opelika’s Character Education Council a couple of years ago and was invited to be part of a character education training for teachers.  I was so impressed with the program that I went home and wrote a weekly “morning meeting” for my family. It took commitment to write thirty-six weeks of material for our morning
meetings, but it was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. How can family members not leave the house on a positive note if you have just spent fifteen minutes together talking about people who have made a difference in the world, or about things that make you feel thankful or blessed? It definitely helps us start out on a happy note.

Leney and Gwendolyn Houston of Lawrenceville, GA announce the engagement of their daughter, Lynielle Janeece Houston to Richard Ross Long, son of Terry and Carol Long of Beauregard, AL.

Ellen Kelsey Oakes and Justin Phillip Spencer were united in marriage in a double-ring ceremony on June 6, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. at the Lakeview Baptist Church in Auburn.  The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Perry L. Oakes of Auburn.  She is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. James M. Hayes of Huntsville, and the late Mr. and Mrs. J. Estes Oakes of Sylacauga.  The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Steve Spencer of Auburn.  He is the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. E. L. Spencer, Jr. of Auburn, and the late Mr. and Mrs. Phillip King of Dothan.  The Reverend Curtis Black officiated.

Dr. and Mrs. Kenneth Frank Horton of Fort Worth, Texas announce the engagement and forthcoming marriage of their daughter, Anna Apple Horton to Brad Alan McDaniel, son of Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Wayne McDaniel of Auburn, Alabama.

Does your child’s behavior sometimes make you question your abilities as a parent? If so, you are pretty normal. The truth is that there are no perfect kids and no perfect parents. It is how we interpret our children’s behavior and whether we respond appropriately that is important.

Our children give us hints at what is behind certain behaviors, but because we are not mind readers and because children, most of the time, have difficulty putting feelings into words, we have to become good “guessers.” We have to learn to decipher the “behavior
code.”

The word cooperation means “to work together toward a common end or purpose.” Are your attempts at engaging cooperation with your child something like trying to engage them in a game of tug of war? Perhaps part of the problem is in how their cooperation is solicited. “Do this!” “Don’t do that!” “Pick it up!” “Stop it now!” And, when we are not issuing orders, we often go into long diatribes about behavior. I have the idea that to our children these must sound something like the teacher in the “Charlie Brown” cartoon….”Wah, wah, wah, wah.” Most of our wordiness falls on deaf ears.

How do we get our children to listen to us? By listening to them. Here is an example of how tuning in opens the door to communication. Imagine that your child comes home from school with a scowl on her face, slams her books down on the kitchen table, and says to you in a snippy tone “Is this all there is to eat?” How you respond can make a tremendous difference in what happens next. Suppose you go into your diatribe. “I don’t know what your problem is, but you will not come into this house throwing things around and speaking to me in that tone of voice….blah, blah, blah.” Your daughter runs to her room, slams the door and doesn’t come out until suppertime.

All of us are reared with a “code of behavior.” Some of us also have strong wills and are somewhat resistant to a code of behavior that prevents us from doing what we want to do.
Generally speaking, our behavior is shaped by parents and others in our environment, as well as by our experiences of the world as we have come to know it. Development is a life-long process. As parents we need to understand the capabilities of our children at their various stages of development. We can’t force children to develop at a faster pace than is possible for them.