TS4: The Spencer-Kim-Lewis-Riley Family, Week 3

Click here for Week 2 with the Spencer-Kim-Lewis family, and here for Giuliana Riley's week before moving in with them.

Below, you see the large Spencer-Kim-Lewis house. With so many different surnames, this family appears more often on my alphabetical list of playables than others; we were last here for Eric Lewis and are here again this week for Giuliana Riley.

Here she is, enjoying a few early morning hours trolling the forums on this Monday. She is getting on in years, and I am not sure she will stick around for the whole week. By the way, I just realised that I mis-spelled her name many times, writing "Giulianna" instead of "Giuliana". Sorry about that!

Alice Kim-Lewis is also having fun at one of the four or five computers available in this house.

Her first daughter, Olivia Spencer-Kim-Lewis, can be found at... you guessed it, another computer.

And what has Olivia's little sister Ophelia be doing? Look at the desk behind her...! Honestly, this family is obsessed with their computers. All through the week, every time I am not directing someone, that Sim will almost invariably be drawn to one of the computers.

Here is the entire household: Eric Lewis, Alice Kim-Lewis, Ophelia, Olivia and Giuliana Riley.

Later that Monday, Eric spends some time gardening. The garden was started by his late father-in-law, who died last round.

Giuliana and Olivia play chess. Giuliana is still in her PJs, and I decide to check her wardrobe for outfits.

She has this one with a hat...

...and this rather stylish little black (or charcoal) shift dress.

On Tuesday morning, Olivia grabs a bowl of parfait for breakfast.

As yesterday, Giuliana trolls the forums. She needs to do that for another milestone.

Meanwhile, Alice has noticed Katrina Caliente walking by, and goes outside to greet her.

Giuliana and Olivia get along very well and often stop for a chat when they bump into each other somewhere in or around the big house.

I have Giuliana clean her bathroom on Wednesday morning.

Eric is friends with Travis Scott and is always happy to see him. Travis calls several times this week, and his self-invitations are never rejected.

Olivia makes an effort to meet more neighbours. Here she is chatting to Nancy Landgraab, with Katrina Caliente in the back. I believe the little boy is a townie.

Ophelia is home from school, and Alexander Goth comes visiting on his own accord. I didn't realise the two of them are such good friends.

On Thursday morning, I discover Alice's latest painting - this fox. It is a master piece and was painted while Alice was in an "inspired" mood. Usually, I sell all her paintings - the family has no other income - but I am definitely keeping this one.

Today, it is the two sisters who play chess. It helps both of them towards their respective milestones.

Travis is here again, and the adults gather in the living room.

Isn't it nice that in this game, two Sims can sit next to each other on a bed, reading and doing homework together?

Alice hardly ever stops painting. After all, becoming a Master Painter is her goal in life. By Friday, she has reached level 8 of the painting skill.

Giuliana talks to one of her many friends.

Zoe Patel comes visiting.

Olivia has the wish to craft objects, and a woodwork table is bought for her. Her first object is a knife block, which I put in the kitchen.

Next, she makes this bunny sculpture for her little sister.

It is still Friday, when at 11:00 pm...

...Giuliana drops to the floor...

...and dies. She was 256 days old.

Young Ophelia pleads for her "auntie's" life. And what do you know - her wish is granted!

Giuliana is back!

Interestingly, she spends quite a lot of time chatting with Mr. Reaper, who by the way is a Young Adult.

The first thing Alice does on Saturday morning is grabbing her hubby for a selfie. I did not direct her to do that!

Later that day, Giuliana dies... again!

And just like the day before, Ophelia is successful in her pleading with Mr. Reaper.

This time, she even becomes friends with him! I didn't know this was possible.

Sunday is here, and Giuliana starts the day at the piano.

Ophelia is invited for a play date with Gary Bowser. I accept for her.

Here is Gary, and his big sister Emma. Ophelia spends a few hours at the house. Gary is not the friendliest of kids and I begin to wonder why he asked Ophelia over at all. She leaves on her own accord when the play date is over. It was "OK".

She turns into a teenager the same afternoon.

While she doees her home work (I swear she did it on Friday, and of course there is no school on the weekend), her Dad keeps her company.

And then, Mr. Reaper is back for Giuliana.

This time, it happens so fast that I can not send Ophelia over to plead for her. Or maybe that only works twice, and the third time, a Sim must say good-bye to this world forever.

Ophelia is very sad. But I am sure she - like the rest of the household - will be happy again. Giuliana was well loved and a nice Sim to play, but at almost 260 days, her time was up.

There is still soooo much I have not yet tried in TS4! This family are a good testing ground, what with their members being of different age and having plenty of money, therefore not needing to spend time away for work.

TS4: The Spencer-Kim-Lewis Family, Week 2

Click here if you want to (re-)read the 1st week with this family. 

Now, almost exactly 5 years in real life later, we are back because of the Lewis part of the family, as this is the next name on my alphabetical list of Sims' surnames.

Who lives here? 
Eric Lewis (front) and his father-in-law Dennis Kim...

...Eric's mother Vivian Lewis...

...Eric's wife Alice Spencer-Kim (are they married? in that case, wouldn't her surname be Kim-Lewis?)...

...as well as Eric and Alice's daughters Olivia...

...and Ophelia. Ophelia was born in-game, hence the baby crib in the picture with Alice. Back in 2015, TS4 had not yet a toddler stage; babies turned into children without anything in between. Olivia is the older sister, she was already a child when the game started.

Now that I have introduced everyone briefly, let's start the week.
Early this Monday morning, Olivia wakes up from noises under her bed. What's going on?

Her sister has heard it, too: There is a monster under the bed!

The girls are scared, but Ophelia bravely tries to talk to the monster. It does not work this time; instead, they run to their parents to have them spray the monster. (Later this week, Olivia manages to talk to the monster. Maybe they will become friends over time?)

Later that day, Eric and Alice are invited to a party by Travis Scott, whose household we have played not that long ago. The choice of outfits is their own, by the way.

Travis' housemates are all there, gathering in Travis' room around the stereo: Summer Holiday and Summer Frost are dancing, while Liberty Lee is playing at the computer.

And look who has been hired for the catering: Bella Goth!

On Tuesday morning, Vivian is the first one up and collects last night's dirty dishes from various tables all over the ground floor.

When the girls return from school, she makes sure that they have something to eat before starting on their homework.

Both Vivian and Dennis help their granddaughters with their homework.

Eric plants some seeds found in his inventory in the small walled garden on Wednesday morning.

It turns out to be yet another beautiful day, as can be seen from the large upstairs windows where Alice's easel is positioned. She is forever painting, and has become very good at it.

Another event worth of note is Giulianna Riley's move-in. Maybe you remember that she was a townie; I made another Sim befriend her so that she could move in and become a playable, but her first stop was a very small house. The Spencer-Kim-Lewis family have plenty of room, and so it is decided that she joins them as a friend of Vivian's.

It is Thursday morning when we find Giulianna happily getting up after her first night in her new, rather posh home.

Dennis is less happy when he wakes up - he needs to go to the toilet VERY urgently.

Olivia is at her drawing table. Like her mother, she loves to draw and paint.

Ophelia is more interested in playing chess. Here she is with a boy from her class who came home from school with the girls.

Vivian is just talking to Tucker Brumfield, a family friend, when...

...a sudden weakness overcomes her and she sinks to the floor.

She closes her eyes. Tired, so tired..

Then, I see the Grim Reaper (called "Sould Reaper" here) for the first time in TS4. He sticks around a while after Vivian's remains have turned into an urn, and can even be talked to. 
I have not found out yet whether like in TS2, we can have a cemetery in this game. Does any of you know?

Eric is visibly very sad on Friday morning, and so is the rest of the family. Vivian will not be forgotten quickly.

Later, he repairs the tap in the kitchen while Giulianna mops the floor where the tap has spilled.

Young Alexander Goth comes visiting on his own accord. Eric and Alice politely invite him in. I wonder how he knows them; maybe through the girls? But they are so much younger than he is.

Alice later helps Ophelia with her homework. The day is once again so nice and sunny that she can sit outside on the patio.

Sometimes, meals are taken up standing, at other times, everyone finds a seat. I have not yet worked out how the Sims decide where to sit (or not to sit at all) in this game.

Ophelia loves it when her Dad plays chess with her.

Early on Saturday morning, the monster under the bed scares the girls once more. Only spraying helps this time.

No spraying helps against the Grim Reaper, though. Who has he come for today?

It is Dennis, Alice's father. Giulianna is the one to find him.

The day passes in a dark blue haze for everyone. Eric is not quite as affected this time; maybe he was not all that close with his father-in-law.

But Alice can only paint sad paintings for a while.

Eric reads to Ophelia, which makes her reach another milestone.

It is Sunday and the last day of the week here. Alice has been wanting to look at paintings at a museum, and so the whole family travel there.

While Alice admires the paintings inside, the others remain in the museum's garden. Eric meets Travis Scott, whose party the couple attended at the start of the week.

The day (and the week) ends with a picnic just across the road from the museum. Everyone is in their Sunday best, and the family feel they can be happy again after their beloved parents and grandparents have passed away.

It took me AGES to complete this week, as there was so much going on all the time. But I enjoyed playing this household, and we'll be back here again this round - first for Giulianna Riley and then for Alice Spencer-Kim.