Panning for Gold

I don't suppose the guy who panned for gold year after year ever regretted that time once he found a big chunk of gold.  He was rich and it was all worth it.  (Warning, analogy coming...)
Parenting is a lot like panning for gold.  People hear Billy Bob struck it rich and they all want the same thing.  They don't really think about the labor or long days, they just think about the gold.  Before kids, I wanted kids.  I know not everyone has this sentiment but as a Christian, it was the natural overflow of marriage (assuming one can have children).  I loved the way a baby smiled, the way a toddler walked like a penguin and all the cute things preschoolers said.  I couldn't wait for the baseball games, the confirmations, the birthday parties, etc.  That was parenting to me.  Sure there would be some discipline and sacrifice involved but I was going to be a great parent! 
 When we brought Ethan home from the hospital, we were so lost.  Why is he crying so much? Why won't he sleep in his bed? Why doesn't the poop stay in his diaper and why doesn't his pee stay out of my face?  I had made the decision to breastfeed but every time he latched on I sang obscenities.  Why didn't anyone tell me it would hurt for awhile?  I felt I had no time to myself and I was going insane due to lack of sleep.  I felt like a failure.  I hated Johnson and Johnson for leading me astray with their cute, laughing babies.
Then one day, Ethan smiled.  It was so beautiful.  I can't explain the feeling but only to say I had forgotten all the dirt and rocks I had panned because I had found gold!  Then came laughing, teeth, crawling, talking and all of the other milestones we get overly excited for as mothers.
So here's the thing.  I write about all these different "moments."  Some good, some bad, some funny, some that make me think and contemplate.  But that is not most of my day.  Most of my day is routine; a lot of panning rocks and dirt.  The kids wake up, they eat breakfast, they brush their teeth, they fight, they whine and they play.  Most meals are chaotic: Ally running food through her hair, Ethan complaining about the food I slaved over, Abby poking her brother when I'm not looking, Mommy loosing her cool... again.  Does that not make it worth it?  By no means! I do it because it is what I was called to do.  And when we do what we are called to do, we find an immeasurable joy.   You see, sometimes we sit down for dinner and low and behold what do we find, gold!  Ally trying to drink her spaghetti and talking into the bowl because everyone is laughing at her.  Ethan talking theology with his sister:

Abby: If you follow Jesus you will have lots of money.
Destiny: Who have you been listening to?
Ethan: Some people think if you say "Praise the Lord" that God is going to give them lots of money. I saw that on a movie daddy was watching, but it said that's not true.

And it is all worth it.  Really.  I can't tell you how often I hear, "They do grow up," or "You're busy!"  and I don't really know what to say.  I just smile and nod but deep down I am thinking, "Judging by my whinny kids and screaming baby, I see why you would feel sorry for me, but don't be.  These kids are gold mines!