It is true.  Your children will never comprehend how much you love them.... until they have children of their own.

For example:  I have not eaten a meal without sharing it - (when I was at home and not at work of course) in years.  However, this has also been good for my waistline.

The sheer amount of stamina and will power that it takes to care for several sick children while you are also sick is just staggering.

The amount of humiliation and pity I put up with in order for my children to attend classes and programs at our family center should show incredible amounts of love.

I still (STILL!) check on their breathing while they are sleeping at night at least twice.  (and Max is almost 6!)

All of my electronic devices that I cherish so dearly have been damaged in some way by my children.  And yet I still let them use them because I know they enjoy it so much....  My iPad, the Wii, the gameboy.

My beautiful car looks like its on its last leg and its only 3 years old due to the just incredible amount of wear and tear from several little people climbing in and out and jumping all around in it.  Omg and the cheerios.

And I swear if one more person says, "well we only bought this 1 (couch/dining room set/bedroom set etc etc) and its lasted through all of our children and its 175 years old and going strong I'm going to puke.  That's nice.  I don't ever know how to reply to that.  "I can't afford such good quality?"  "They don't make things like they used to?"  "My children are furniture demons?"  "Your children are boring robots?"  "Not everyone can be as perfect as your family is?"  I just don't know.

And the worrying!!  Are they making friends?  Should they have more playdates?  Are they warm enough?  How are they doing in school?  Are they happy??  That's where all those little gray hairs come from!

And I check and re-check backpacks for lunch money, permission slips, homework, book club orders....

And you know with all of this (and oh there's more... expensive cosmetics in the toilet, sharpies on the wall, my white bedroom set that has red marker all over it..... still not sure who did that one), its fine.  And I'm so grateful for the experience, that they are mine, that I have the privilege of being their mom.  And one day when my walls aren't marked up and my couch isn't jumped on and my car is clean.... I bet I'll be bored and miss it.  Of course by then I may have grandchildren to clear all of that up.  Or maybe I'll go visit my children and help my grandchildren make masterpieces on the wall.

And there are the priceless moments....

Scarlett learning to put hats on her head and walking around with ENORMOUS winter hats on.  New words like "baby" and "I'm Scar-wett" (for Scarlett of course.  Those "L"s are hard!).  Watching Max sit down to "read" a book to Scarlett that he has memorized.  Rocking them to sleep on the occasion that they're having trouble sleeping and they let me hold on to them.  Family vacations together.  My favorite.  Listening to Max and Ash have conversations in the car.... Ash:  "Max, what is my big name?"  Max:  "I'm sorry Ash, I can't remember right now".  Watching Max give an AMAZING presentation in Kindergarten on his Star Day.  Finding out that Ash has actually sold someone at the park a leaf for $ 0.25 or that his pre-school test scores are technically high enough for him to start Kindergarten right now.  And he has a year to go.    And these are the moments that fuel my world.  That make everything worth it.