Click here if you wish to (re-)read Week 7 at this household.
The right one of these two semis is home to a family I have always liked just a little more than some others: The Swains.
But why are we here, seeing as we have only just played the Freshes? "S" is far away from "F" on the alphabetical list, isn't it? Yes. But in this rented house we have several members of the Gavigan family living as well.
Erik Swain and his half-Alien son Sirius are taking care of Sirius' twins Clarence and Helen while...
...their mother, Gerlinde Gavigan, is fast asleep.
You know the Gavigans from your own games, I guess; in my game, Nathan and Mary did not only have their Maxis-made son Isaiah, but twin girls Gesine and Gerlinde.
The latter fell in love with Sirius while they were living at the same dorm at uni, and moved in with him and his parents right after graduation.
Sirius' mother Blossom, nee Moonbeam, dreamt of having six grandchildren one day. Unfortunately, she died after the first two were born, and never knew that her third (and maybe fourth, if it's another set of twins) is on its way.
Gerlinde is, by the way, a Knowledge Sim who wants to become World Class Ballet Dancer. She graduated Summa Cum Laude in Physics and, when not on maternity leave, works as a Flamenco Master.
Sirius is a Romance Sim and wants to become Celebrity Chef. All of last week, he did not find a job in the culinary career, but he is lucky on this Monday morning and will start work today as Executive Chef.
See the pictures on the wall? That's Blossom and Erik in their prime.
I have given Gerlinde a pair of specs, hoping to increase her chemistry with Sirius from two to three bolts. So far, they are still on two, although VERY much in love.
As you can see! :-)
Sirius once had two older siblings, twins Myra and Melrose. Sadly, they perished in a fire. I suspect that Blossom and Erik never got over the death of their firstborns, as in reality a parent never really gets over the loss of a child.
Sirius returns from work with colleague Matthew Cho in town. Matthew moved to New Maximiliania only recently when he found out that he had relatives here. I am sure he is glad for the chance to get to know more Sims by the kind invitiation of his colleague.
No promotion yet for Sirius - he needs several skill points before he can hope for one.
Erik is now 75. He is one of the few Sims in my game who can read a book while walking around. And he is one of those whose lifetime want has inexplicably changed: Last week, same as his wife he wanted to have six grandchildren. Upon entering the lot now (more than two years later in real life since last "week" for him), I find that he wants to max out all his skills. I doubt he will live long enough, but he will be a most devoted granddad for the rest of his life.
I would not have expected an Executive Chef to set the kitchen stove on fire, but Sirius manages it! Of course, the house is fitted with a fire alarm (aren't all rented apartments?).
Upon hearing the alarm go off, Gerlinde, who has just been having a much-needed nap, jumps up, grabs her toddler son and runs out of the house, to safety. Downstairs, Erik does the same with Helen.
And can you believe it?! After the fire fighter has put out the fire, Erik has had a shower and the litte ones are back with their playthings, Sirius has another attempt at making dinner - and once again causes a fire!
The same procedure ensues as before. This time, Erik generously tips the firefighter for her trouble.
Monday ends with Prezioso Picaso nicking today's newspaper from the front lawn, apparently out of a dislike for Erik. I can not imagine why that would be; Erik is such a nice man.
Phew, I am already exhausted, and it is only the first day of the week at this household...!
Tuesday starts with Gerlinde going to bed - but not for long!
Poor Sirius is really, really ill. All day, he coughs and sneezes, and as if this was not enough, he keeps running to the toilet to throw up. He is definitely not pregnant, it really is a disease. I have rarely seen a Sim suffer so much!
At 2:14 in the morning, Gerlinde goes into labour.
Meet little Gary Gavigan...
...and his twin brother Gavin, welcomed also by big sister Helen and grandpa Erik!
Now the house is nearly impossible to play on fast forward, what with two toddlers...
...and two babies to look after, plus Sirius being sick, Gerlinde wanting to advance in her career and Erik being the only one who can dedicate nearly all his time to the care of his four grandchildren.
The only other remarkable thing about Tuesday is the visit of Christian Love.
Wednesday morning, Pablo Picaso is seen nicking the invisible newspaper.
It is the first day of spring, but that does not make a difference to the endless round of preparing, handing out and disposing of bottles. Gerlinde really does not know how she'd do it without her (sort of) father-in-law. (I say "sort of", because Gerlinde and Sirius are not married - neither has yet shown the wish.)
Speaking of Sirius, he is still very ill and can only do so much.
It is Gerlinde's last day of maternity leave, and in the evening, she invites her parents over. Mary goes straight upstairs to meet her latest green-skinned grandchild, Gary, with Helen watching.
Proud grandparents gather round!
Proud grandparents indeed!
Do I detect a hint of jealousy in Erik's face when Nathan, Gavin's other granddad, feeds the little boy?
No, all is well. Sirius and Erik sit down with their guests and enjoy the pork chops Sirius has made.
The next morning, Thursday, Gerlinde wakes up early... thanks to little Clarence. I meant to have Erik pick him up before he could start to cry, but because of a coughing fit, the old man was delayed.
Never mind; Gerlinde will still go to work today for the first time since she was put on maternity leave.
Her car pool will only be here in the afternoon, so she has time to make the children their bottles for breakfast while Sirius prepares breakfast for the adults.
The birthday marathon starts at 6:00 pm: first Gary turns into a toddler...
...followed moments later by his twin brother Gavin. I'm afraid this little boy will not win a beauty contest any time soon, but then that's just me, I'm so shallow!
Then it is the firstborn twins' turn. Helen grows up first...
...with Clarence being last but not least. Whew! I am glad that the family does not have to handle FOUR toddlers at the same time! Now the older children can help around the house while their parents and granddad look after the little ones.
Gerlinde's first day back at work was extremely successful - being a mother of four must have added extra emotional depth to her performance on stage. She comes back as a World Class Ballet Dancer, having now reached her lifetime want 18 days before Elderhood.
Friday is the first day of school for the older children. Time to get ready!
Before the school bus arrives, Clarence has time to play with one of his little brothers (Gavin).
It is a sunny spring afternoon, and when the twins return from school, Helen does her homework in the garden, helped by her Dad. Meanwhile, her brother is helped by their granddad, Erik.
(This was odd - for no apparent reason, the children and adults kept interrupting their action of "do homework" and "help with homework". Only on the third or fourth attempt did everyone stick to it until homework was finished.)
Gerlinde returns from work early - she took the wrong decision with a chance card and was demoted. It is still early enough for her to return for the evening performance, and when she comes back home the second time, she is reinstated on her former position of World Class Ballet Dancer.
Very early on Saturday morning, Sirius takes advantage of the darkness for a spot of stargazing. He still needs one more logic point and three cooking points before becoming eligible for his next promotion.
Inside, Gerlinde teaches Gavin to talk. How delighted she is when her little boy manages to say her name for the first time!
Helen enjoys a piece of cheese cake for breakfast with her mum - a treat reserved for weekends. "I think I want to be an astronaut when I'm big, and go and meet Dad's other Dad" she states. Well, who knows - anything is possible!
Erik does not feel too well when he gets up rather late.
The children's other grandparents, Nathan and Mary Gavigan, have come over for the afternoon, much to Helen's delight.
It is only a short walk down the road for them - see the white/beige house at the end of the street? That's the Gavigans'.
In the evening, the inevitable happens. "You mean, I'll get to be with my Blossom again...?" Erik asks. Mr. Reaper nods. "And... and... even with my dear Myra and Melrose?" Mr. Reaper nods again, and hands Erik his final cocktail. Although he is sad to leave his son Sirius and the four grandchildren behind, it is a happy Erik who accompanies Mr. Reaper and his Hula girls to the Big Lot in the Sky.
When Clarence wakes up on Sunday morning and realises what has happened, he is overcome by grief. His sister - even worse - witnessed their granddad's death; she can not stop crying for hours before falling into an exhausted, fitful sleep. Even the little ones plunge into aspiration failure.
As I said, the children really suffer. I can not remember this so much from other households, but then again I do not have too many households with children and grandparents living together.
To help their children to see the bright side of life again, Gerlinde invites over her big brother Isaiah, his wife Ariel Capp and their son Cataldo. Helen hits it off with her cousin right away.
The week ends with Isaiah trying to pet a skunk - I had no idea this can be an autonomous action! But Isaiah was only a guest and therefore not controlled by me. Anyway, his attempt was not successful, as you can see.
Phew, what a week! I could hardly play on anything but normal speed, with babies, toddlers and children in the house, plus trying to give Sirius some room to breathe so that he would be able to work on his skills. But it was good fun, and goes to show a large family can manage OK in a relatively small (rented) house. I did not send the family to a community lot, though; it would have prolonged the week even more! Oh, and in between, I was on my annual Yorkshire Holiday for narly 2 weeks :-)
Are Sirius and Gerlinde going to get married? Will the children grow up well? Is the family going to stay in this rather small house, or move somewhere else - maybe in with Gerlinde's parents?
