this weekend yoshi went to oita for some kind of bike thing. he left yesterday to stay in the youth hostel in yufuin, and today he will go to hita to ride a bike. a mamachari, as they say in japan, which is a one speed bike with a basket on it. i don't have all the details (obviously) but this meant being at home with the kids all day yesterday and today. well, technically not all the kids as yesterday was the bunkasai at the elementary school and hiro had to go to school as usual.

there were a lot of events (mostly dances) during the day, but only a few of them involved the elementary kids! there were two or three hula groups putting on dances, i thought that was weird. as it was, we didn't really go because tommy and sasha went to the park and didn't come home in time for us to see hiro perform! we got there just at the end, though, and clapped. then we briefly went to the classroom to say hi to hiro and then off to the playground to play. then we went home for lunch and waited for hiro to return.

i made pizza last night, because, surprisingly, sasha asked for it on friday night. i didn't have enough time to make it then, so i made it yesterday. we scarfed down pizza while watching the discovery channel. then the kids watched some weird japanese cartoon while we waited for the phineas and ferb movie to come on (at 9!) so, the kids stayed up way later than usual, and so did i. i dragged out the futons so we could go to sleep as we liked (in front of the tv, so naughty!), and sasha and tommy were asleep before the movie was finished. after the movie, i turned off the tv and hiro and i went to sleep.

even though we were up late, the kids were awake by 6:15 this morning! this is very unusual for tommy and by 11:30, he was so over it. by then we were at joyfull (for lunch) and when we got home, i made them go to bed for a nap. hiro insisted that he needed to do his homework, so i let him stay downstairs while the rest of us went up. tommy was asleep within ten minutes and when i checked, sasha was asleep, too. i went downstairs to find hiro asleep as well, halfway in zorro's house! such a funny kid. and that's how i find myself in a peacefully quiet house before 1 on a sunday afternoon. i hope you are all enjoying your weekend as well!