Life with the McMurrays: February 2011

2.28.2011

Dancin'!

Clearly, or not so clearly, I can't quite capture these two while they're showing off their moves...

They LOVE to dance together!

Hilarious (and sorry for the blur...I am definitely not up to speed on my photography skills!)

(Serious business ;)

2.25.2011

Random recent cuteness (and silliness!;)

"Who me, silly? Nah..."

(I'm noticing a trend here...)

We love, love, love our silly munchkins! If there is one thing we would say, it is that our kids make us LAUGH everyday. It's so fun to see how similar, and different, they are.

Here's one from each of them:

I was making hard boiled eggs the other day and I was telling Joshua about them as I was working. When he woke up from his nap later that same day, he excitedly exclaimed:

"Mama, are we going to eat our spoiled eggs yet?!"

LOL.

Joshua and Natalie were working on their catechisms the other day and Natalie usually stops at Q#3 while Joshua continues on. While he was on Q#8, I heard Natalie saying something, so I directed the question to her "Who are the three persons of God?"

She promptly replied with great delight:

"FA-DA, SUN, HOLY SPIT!"

Still laughing about that one...

2.19.2011

Flippin' out!

Steve taught the kids how to do forward rolls (Gymnastics 101!) and they think it's hilarious to "FLIP!"

(Okay, so they mostly end up in a big pile of giggles, but they really try and it's really cute!:)

2.14.2011

For Valentine's day: More thoughts on Love as a Verb

I read this today and loved it! It related well to my previous post about love. For all of my friends that read this blog and are dealing with relationship struggles or just plain broken relationships...please do read this and hear it in your heart!

Love As A Verb
By: Jill Savage

My friend and I sat across the table chatting over lunch. With February being the “month of love” we began to discuss our plans (or lack of plans at that point) for Valentine’s Day weekend. Eventually we moved into sharing some marriage lessons we’ve learned throughout our combined 45 years of marriage.

Without thinking much of it I shared that I’ve learned that love has to mature for a marriage to go the distance. And then I followed that with, “I guess love has to move from being a noun to being a verb."

We both paused and considered the implications of that. My friend said it was one of the most profound things I’ve ever said. While I’m quite sure it’s most likely the only profound thing I’ve ever said, I’ve definitely not been able to get the concept out of my head.

Immature love is a noun. A thing we long for. A feeling. An expectation of what someone will do for us.

Mature love is verb. An action we take. A decision. A choice to do something for someone else.

Unfortunately too many of us have yet to mature in our love and our relationships bear the scars of that fact. But it’s never too late to grow up. And if we want our love to last a lifetime, we can’t afford to keep believing that love is a noun. The feeling of love is short-lived. We have to transition to understand that long-lasting love is really a verb.

But what does this English lesson of nouns and verbs have to do with real relationships? How do we take this concept and apply it to real life? Maybe these scenarios can help paint the picture:

Love as a noun spent all last week wondering what your spouse was going to do for you for Valentine’s Day. Love as a verb spent all last week preparing your expression of love for your spouse.

Love as a noun feels despair when you no longer feel “in love” with the person you are married to. Love as a verb understands the ebb and flow of feelings. It focuses more on expressing love than feeling love.

Love as a noun demands its own way. Love as a verb works to understand differences and is open to new ways of doing things.

Love as a noun finds faults in others. Love as a verb gives grace and forgiveness.

Love as a noun expects others to serve them. Love as a verb serves freely.

Love as a noun expects to always feel warm and fuzzy and “in love.” Love as a verb realizes that often we have to choose to love even when we don’t feel like it.

The most frequently quoted Bible verse at weddings is I Corinthians 13, which is often referred to as the “love chapter.”

It says that “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

It wasn’t until just a few weeks ago that I realized that every time love is mentioned in this often quoted verse, it is a verb. Maybe this concept has been right in front of my eyes all along, but I just didn’t understand it until recently.

The most interesting thing, however, is a less often quoted part of the verse that says, “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.”

So love has to grow up. It has to mature. Who knew grammar could reveal so much about love?

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And now to get practical!

What Real Romance Looks Like

By: Jill Savage

I stood behind a man in the supermarket checkout lane who was set for romance. He was only purchasing two items: a dozen roses and a box of chocolates. I had to smile. Some lucky lady was going to be pleasantly surprised with his thoughtful gift.

However, flowers and candy only go so far in a relationship. This is because love that lasts a lifetime is not a feeling, but a choice. I wonder if that man in the checkout lane knows…

…that real romance is about learning to listen, even when you’re too tired to want to.
…that real romance requires us to occasionally love someone who is unlovable in the moment.
…that real romance has to be nurtured each and every day for it to last a lifetime.
…that real romance is not a 50-50 agreement…it’s giving 100% even when you don’t receive 100% sometimes.
…that real romance is appreciating the differences in the one you love rather than trying to change them.
…that real romance is about forgiving, sometimes dozens of times a day.
…that real romance is choosing to love even when you feel otherwise for whatever reason.
…that real romance is about praying, “God, change me,” instead of “God, change him or her.”
…that real romance is about being emotionally intimate before you’re ever physically intimate.
…that real romance requires thoughtfulness, kindness, and large doses of patience.
…that real romance is bathing the kids, helping with dishes, and running the vacuum.
…that real romance is giving a back rub when you’d rather receive one.
…that real romance is learning to communicate in better ways than you have in the past.
…that real romance is saving money out of each paycheck for you to do an overnight away once or twice a year.
…that real romance is learning to trust another person with your deepest fears and failures.
…that real romance is doing something with your loved one that they love, even if you don’t.
…that real romance is leaving the past behind and believing the hope of the future.
…that real romance puts a hedge of protection around your relationship, keeping temptation at bay with intentionality.
…that real romance looks nothing like the movies…it’s messy, it’s hard, and it’s it takes a lot of effort.

With today being Valentine’s Day, why don’t you commit to some real romance in your relationship? These romantic gestures will say “I love you,” better than chocolate or roses any day!