The Patel Family: Week 3

- - - Update 26.11.2011 - - - Welcome to the Patel family! Although I had the webentry for their 2nd week in New Maximiliania still in the storytelling folder of the game, the pictures could not be loaded; I don't know what happened there and am still trying to figure out how to post that week. In the meantime, I hope you don't mind to skip directly to their 3rd week. 
The Patels still live in this pretty house in New Maximiliania's shopping district (where all the apartment buildings and many shops are), where I put them at the start of the game.

Parvati is still the little princess :-)

Ramir and his wife still have plenty to do with two babies to look after plus Ramir working full-time in the music career.

On Monday, Ramir is promoted to Summer Camp Music Teacher.

On Tuesday, he becomes Battle of the Bands Judge.

Parvati brings Myra Moonbeam home from school. The two girls get along well with each other - and incidentally have the same hairdo :-)

Later that day, Parvati turns into a teenager. The lot decides for her to have the Family aspiration, just like her mother. While Ana dreams of six grandchildren, though, Parvati wants to see three children with college diplomas.

Parvati's was not the only birthday today - a little later, Param turns into a toddler...

...followed shortly afterwards by his twin sister Padma, helped along by big sis Parvati.

Now the real fun begins!! While the twins were babies, they slept most of the time and required relatively little attention. As toddlers, though, they constantly demand something; if it is not being bathed or fed, it is being taken out of or tucket into bed, or being read to, or played with, or potty-trained, and so on. Good job Ana does not need to cope all on her own with her two little "terrors" while Ramir is working hard, both to make ends meet for the family as well as towards reaching his lifetime want of becoming Rock God. Parvati is a very reasonable young lady and helps with her younger siblings as much as she can.

With everybody putting in their time and effort, the toddlers learn all their skills before their toddler time is over.

On the rare occasion when the twins are both asleep at the same time or occupied with their toys, Ana and Ramir make it a point to sit down for a meal with their firstborn.

Ana wants to make sure that Parvati also has friends of her own age, and when Greta Greenman walks past the house on Friday, she invites her in.

It is nice for Ana, too, to have a meal with the two girls; being on her own all morning with just the little ones for company leaves her sometimes slightly underchallenged intellectually.

Ramir returns from work on Friday night with a promotion to Roadie and colleague Justin Cleveland.

His career reward is immediately claimed by Parvati :-)

Saturday means Parvati does not have to get up early, because there is no school today. And yet, it is impossible to have a well-deserved lie-in when you share a room...

...with your little sister!!

Ana decides her oldest daughter deserves a reward for being such a good and reliable big sister to the twins, and goes to the Round Barn General Store for some food and clothes shopping.

Parvati likes her new dress - it is much more in line with her old "Princess" image, isn't it!

Saturday evening, first Padma turns into a child...

...and then Param. The sigh of relief going through the older members of the Patel family is palpable!

Sunday is a fine sunny day, and Padma and Param start it off by doing some rope-skipping on the deck.

Later, their big sister joins them in a waterballoon fight.

Meanwhile, Ana enjoys the peace & quiet indoors and the fact that she now finally has some time to herself and can study fire safety, something she had been meaning to do for a while.

Ramir is at work, and so Ana makes hamburgers for herself and the kids. It is a lively meal with the kids constantly throwing food at each other (I love watching them doing that, although in real life I would never tolerate such behaviour - food is precious, after all, and not to be played with).

When Ramir returns from work that day, it is not only with a promotion to Studio Musician, but also 15.000 Simoleons richer - his reward for taking the right decision with a chance card. In spite of me playing The Sims 2 since 2004, I had so far not come across this particular chance card.

 It is the last evening of this week with the Patels, and when the kids are in bed, Ana is definitely up to something when she joins her husband on the settee ;-) I really liked this family - it was hard to make sure the twins were always taken care of, without neglecting the needs and wants of the older family members, but you know how I like a good challenge with my Sims!