These are my sister's kids and mine outside a Chili's Restaurant and wishing tomorrow wasn't a gosh durn school day. We've learned that five kids are better than David's and my three kids alone. We can go anywhere so long as all five are together - for some reason, they handle every uncomfortable thing about life better...together.

My heart right now, on a different note, is with Jared, my oldest. Today, he spent the morning at UCLA's pediatric eye center for his strabismus - an eye muscle condition he was born with (cross-eyed). And...well, damn it all, he has to have another surgery this summer. This will be his sixth procedure since he was 14 months old. We're on his third eye doctor - now, we're with the head of the pediatric strabismus department. Problem is, no matter the doctor, Jared has stubborn muscles that force his left eye to drift. No matter how many times those muscles are adjusted, the left eye sneaks back to its old ways, taking with it Jared's peripheral vision and depth of perception.

We've found, too, that we're getting a bit more reluctant with each new surgery. It's not an easy procedure. It involves full anaesthesia, some pain, yucky medicine, eye drops, puss, no swimming for six weeks, bloody-looking eyes for weeks. What's the point of all that if it's not going to work? We have the choice. We don't HAVE to put him through yet another procedure. But what might he lose? Would we regret it later? Would HE regret our not wanting him to suffer the discomfort of another procedure?

In the meantime, he's planning on what new technological device he can add to his already growing collection of "cool stuff." You know...to make up.

"Because...you know, dad, this is my sixth operation. So what do you say? An X-Box? They have this really cool racing game...about ten of them that PS2 doesn't have!"

Oy. How about some books?