Please click here if you want to read week 6 at this household.
Another week, another Capp household - this time it is Goneril Capp's family, who have moved to this place some time ago.
Here is Goneril, fast asleep on this Monday morning. She is now 75 years old and has been a widow for years. When she became a Prestidigitator, she reached Permanent Platinum and would have been eligible to be not (or hardly) controlled by me anymore. But because of several children, toddlers and babies in the house, uncontrolled Sims are not such a good idea, and so Goneril gets more attention from me than she usually would.
Here is Charles, a toddler:
This is baby Carmelo:
And their big sister, Catherine:
Do you remember that their mother, Desdemona, married Beau Broke a few weeks ago and went to live with him at the house of Pauline Aspir-Broke and Benvenuto Broke, Beau's younger brother?That house could not be easily modified to have such a large family living in it, which is why Desdemona came alone at first. But it was clear that both she and Beau want to be with the children, and so as early as possible on that Monday, they move back in. Desdemona is now 6 days from elderhood and, as you can see, pregnant again. Beau is 60 years old.
Because of the children - and also because they really are wealthy enough for it -, this household has all the paid help it can get. The maid is generously tipped every day, and her work leaves nothing to be desired.
Until some years ago, Desdemona's sister Ariel and her husband Isaiah lived here, too. It was only when the families grew and it became apparent there was no stopping Desdemona until she would have six children, that it was decided that someone had to go and make room.As it happens every now and then in my game, Desdemona's lifetime want changed inexplicably and she now wants nothing more than to celebrate her Golden Anniversary.
And while Ariel and Isaiah are not living here any longer, they are always welcome and frequently asked over.
The sisters greet each other with a family kiss and then compare bump size :-)
Catherine comes home with her first A+ today.
She runs in to tell her parents who, unaware of her presence, continue on a subject of conversation that young Catherine really does not need to hear yet! (Charles and Catherine, Desdemona's first two children, are not Beau's. Their father was Pierre Picaso, who sadly died. Beau is very good with them, though, and they never think of Pierre - in fact, I think they hardly knew him.)
At 6:00 pm, Charles grows up into a child. He is clearly happy to have his toddler years over with!
Before Ariel and Isaiah head home, Desdemona gives them a generous present. Maybe you remember from the week I played at their house that they are not very well off financially. There is plenty of money in the family, though, and so it is only natural that they benefit from it.
Catherine likes her little brother a lot more now that she can play Mary Mack with him!
Tuesday morning sees Beau heading out to play in a puddle of rainwater. He is on PP, but like Goneril, I still control him in order to make sure the children are well taken care off. Sometimes, though, I leave him to his own devices, which was the case here.
Husband and wife are so in love - look at Desdemona's face, as she is lovingly serving omelettes for breakfast!
"Desdemona is getting bigger every hour, it seems... do you reckon it could be twins?" Goneril asks her son-in-law.
Beau's brother Benvenuto and his wife Pauline are invited over. Benvenuto keeps telling Pauline stories from the brothers' childhood, when they grew up on the McGreggor farm surrounded by dogs and cats - so very different from Pauline's own upbringing!
At 7:11 pm, just as Desdemona happens to be in her daughter's room, she enters labour.
Moments later, Calvin is born, with grandmother Goneril being over the moon. (Calvin is Beau's son; something I had not been entirely sure of until I could check the family tree now, after the birth.) This is going to be the couple's last child - Desdemona does not need any more for her changed LTW, and Beau is on PP anyway.
Charles and Catherine are excited about having a new little brother, and tell their Uncle Ben all about it.
Meanwhile, unnoticed by the rest of the family, Goneril has helped baby Carmelo to grow up into a toddler.
It is Wednesday morning when Beau changes his youngest son's diaper for the first time, closely observed by his mother-in-law. He may not be the youngest of fathers, but he is a modern one - besides, he grew up with younger siblings, and knows what it means to look after the little ones.
While Catherine is having breakfast, her Mum teaches Carmelo to talk.
In the afternoon, Sirius Swain walks by and is greeted by Beau.
He rests next to baby Calvin's crib while his wife teaches Carmelo to walk.
Charles and Catherine cheer each other up after school with a game of Red Hands. Charles especially comes home rather unhappy - you can see he has two unfinished homework books on his desk. It is really hard work to get the children to complete their homework. Even though I have them ask an adult to help, it takes several attempts before they have both learned how to study. The adults frequently stop helping because they want to feed the baby or bathe the toddler, and the kids being at such a low fun-level does not make it easier.
On Thursday morning, we find Beau giving baby Calvin a bath. Somehow, the diaper was changed a little too late, it seems!
When I do not tell Goneril what to do, she is not very good at looking after herself.
A very happy Charles comes home with his first A+ today. All the persevering about learning how to study has paid off!
Catherine is so proud she rings one of her cousins to tell them about her brother's achievement.
Desdemona, not controlled by me for a little while, thinks she can not let the puddle in the bathroom stay until next morning, when the maid will take care of it anyway.
When Friday morning arrives, she is outside doing the gardening on her own initiative - in spite of the family having a paid gardener come twice a week.
She even picks up all the empty bottles in the kitchen without me telling her to.
Beau greets Christian Love.
Stella Stacks comes home from school with Catherine and Charles today.
Calvin is now a toddler!
Desdemona's motherly heart swells with love as her youngest finally says "Mamma"!
The children all love the activity table set up downstairs. I love it that toddlers and children can use it together, and build their relationships with each other at the same time.
Early Saturday morning, Grandma Goneril reads a story about rockets going into space to her grandson Charles. She is now 80 years old.
Ariel and Isaiah have been invited over again, and this time, they have brought their son Cataldo with them. Charles greets his cousin with a family kiss.
It is an eventful day, because not only does Catherine grow up into a pretty teenager. Her mother, Desdemona, turns into an Elder, as you can see in the back...
...and Carmelo is no longer a toddler!
"I wish my big sis would play with me instead of endlessly chatting on the phone to our cousin Caroline," he thinks. But teenagers can not use the activity table, and so he will have to rely on his other siblings for playing there with him.
Sunday morning sees Goneril pondering her long and eventful life as she is writing her diary.
The brothers Carmelo (back) and Charles (front) are happy not having to go to school, and don't mind the rain.
Their parents have promised them an outing, and since everybody has rolled the wish to go fishing, they take a taxi to Central Park West as soon as the rain stops.
Beau and Desdemona, Catherine, Charles and Carmelo all enjoy a round of fishing. Goneril has offered to stay at home with little Calvin.
Food can be bought and eaten in one corner of the park. Here, Desdemona and her daughter are joined by Fenya Hart. (Catherine's aspiration is Popularity, by the way, and her LTW is to become Media Magnate.)
Beau is a World Class Ballet Dancer and very much used to be on stage. He is not used to performing Standup Comedy in front of just one of his sons for an audience, though!
The family head home an hour or so later. Desdemona immediately grabs the phone and invites her siblings and their partners to her and Beau's anniversary party. Her LTW is fulfilled and she is now, at 54, on PP.
Miranda is Goneril's oldest daughter. She and her mother have not been seeing eye to eye for many years; you could say they were estranged. But recently, they have managed to talk to each other without the conversation ending with one of them furiously stomping off and slamming doors. Here, Miranda arrives with her partner Rick Contrary, while Isaiah and Ariel are just about to reach the garden gate, too.
Hermia, Tank, Hal (Goneril's son) and Tybalt (her "nephew", I like to think) are next to arrive.
Desdemona serves a layer cake she has been keeping in her inventory for quite a while, just waiting for a special occasion. Having all of her siblings around certainly is a special occasion!
You can tell Miranda and Goneril are really making an effort to get along.
It must have meant a lot to Goneril, as it was the last time she could speak to her eldest daughter. At 6:00 pm, when she just turns 83, Mr. Reaper is here to take her to the great big community lot in the sky, where Albany is waiting for her. It is a sad end to Desdemona's anniversary party, but the party score is still fantastic!
The week ends with Desdemona watching over her youngest child's sleep.
What will the future bring to this particular branch of the Capp clan? Is Catherine going to uni, and how are the boys turning out as they grow up? Will Desdemona and Beau take care of each other and the house if I stop controlling them?
It was great playing yet another busy household with teens, children, toddlers and babies, but now I am ready for something less eventful, where I can speed through a week without risking the Social Worker :-)
We've not yet reached the end of the Capp households.
