Hermia Capp's Family - Week 8

Click here for Week 7 with this family.

We are now starting a week with the last of my Capp families, I think - then it will finally be time to move on to a different surname.
It is the home of Hermia Capp and her large family. We have just spent a week with her two oldest sons, the twins Callum and Christopher.
Here is Tank, her husband (formerly Grunt, General Buzz Grunt's oldest son). Tank is 63 years old and still working hard at reaching his lifetime want of becoming Mad Scientist. He is not far off, and i hope there won't be a chance card with a bad result for him this week.

Hermia is 62. Originally, she wanted to marry off six children. Then, inexplicably, her lifetime want changed after she had five children; she then wanted to have 20 best friends. Last round, she made 11 best friends. And can you believe it - this round, I enter the lot to find that her LTW has changed back to what it was, marry off six!!
Of course she is now too old to have another baby. Sorry, Hermia, it wasn't my idea to change your LTW once again!

Tank and Hermia have their three younger children still living with them. Here are Carl (right) and Cameron (left). Carl is a Pleasure Sim and wants to have 50 dream dates. His younger brother has the Popularity aspiration and wants to own 5 top level businesses, just like their older brother Christopher.

Carolina is Carl's twin sister and another Popularity Sim. She wants to have 20 best friends and currently has seven - strangely enough, her own Dad is not one of them, even though all her other immediate family are, plus her cousin Catherine Capp.

When the teenagers are off to school, Hermia spends some time on her favourite porch swing, pondering her change of mind. "I knew I wanted a large family, and happy families for my children, too..." she sighs. Eventually, I give in and have her call the adoption service, as this is the only way she will be able to reach her LTW. The new family member will arrive tomorrow morning.

After school, it is homework time for everyone. The boys have their desks in the large hall on the ground floor, while Carolina has one in her room upstairs.

I have made it my habit to check every Sim's relationships to see whether they know an NPC or Townie with a surname like one of the playble Sims, so that they can become eligible for permanent residence in New Maximiliania.
And indeed I discover one name in Tank's phone book - he knows Camryn Lee! Of course I have seen Camryn many times before, but I never realised that "Lee" was a playable name in my game ever since the university expansion pack - remember Emily Lee, a playable student?
In New Max, she married Dustin Broke and they had a son. Sadly, the family all perished in a house fire a long time ago.
Now I shall make a conscious effort to include Camryn in my game, as a long lost "relative" of Emily's. Tank invites her over, and they become friends before she goes home.

Dora and Consort, Hermia's late grandfather and his second wife, Dora Ottomas, come out that night. Their tombs are still in one corner of the large garden.

On Tuesday morning, the Social Worker's car pulls up in front of the house, and as promised, she introduces the Capps' new adoptive daughter: Chris.
You know I have no influence over the choice of the adoptive child (not even on the name) except for whether it is going to be a girl or boy, and the oldest age stage possible is child.
Welcome to the Capps, Chris!

At first, it seems that Chris is not all that interested in her new family or the new surroundings. Or maybe she is just very shy - anyway, she "hides" behind the newspaper for quite a while. Hermia gives her time, but then approaches the newcomer.

Much to her relief, Chris puts the paper away and listens attentively when Hermia starts explaining about the family. It is maybe a good thing that her new older siblings are at school, and Tank at work, so that at first it is only one person Chris gets to know.

She seems to be interested in her new siblings, though, and remains near the door when the school bus drops them off at 1:00 pm.
All three teenagers spin the wish to become friends with Chris, and her first wish is to make a friend, too.

It is time for bed when everyone has finished their homework and had a meal and some play time. Chris falls asleep as soon as her head touches the pillow, and Hermia tucks her in, her heart full of love for this latest family member.

When the sun rises on Wednesday morning, it is above a snow-covered New Maximiliania.

The young people in the house are informed that it is Snow Day and they do not have to school - yay!

To make their already friendly relationship even stronger, Hermia gives her new daughter a new outfit she has sewn for her.

As Chris puts it neatly in the chest of drawers, Tank gets up, and they exchange a cheerful "Good Morning!"

Cameron wakes up with the wish to get fit. Yes, he has put on a bit of weight recently, and now counts on the effects of yoga and running.

Chris tells her big sister Carolina how happy she is to now have such a great family.

Their cousins Catherine, Carmelo and Charles Capp are invited over.

Tank returns from work not only with colleague Wilma Riley in tow, but also his final promotion: he is now Mad Scientist and has reached his lifetime want at the age of 65.

The evening ends with a meal shared by cousins, siblings and parents.

By Thursday morning, the snow has all melted away, and the younger members of the family go to school as usual. For Chris, it is her first day at the new school, and she does not look all that happy when she gets back home at 3:00 pm.

"Cameron and the others are lucky - they have been home for two hours already and can do what they want, while I have to do my homework..." she thinks.

But her big sister Carolina helps with the homework, and after it is done, grows up into a beautiful woman.
I have decided against college for Carl and Carolina, as it would take them too long to go through the whole four years and find a partner to marry - their mother would not have a chance at reaching her lifetime want (which is doubtful anyway, what with Chris still being so young).

Carolina's growing up is soon followed by her twin brother Carl's age transition. As you can see in the back, Camryn Lee is once more a guest at the Capps'.]

Carolina wants to speed up the process of finding a husband by enlisting the Matchmaker's help. Money is definitely not a problem in this family, and so she can easily spend the full 5,000 Simoleons for a blind date.

sBut much to her dismay, Waylon Fairchild (well known throughout New Maximiliania as one of the members of the repair service) appears. "Oh dear... he is far too old for me - more my parents' generation than my own," Carolina sighs and bids him a polite good-bye.
The next two candidates are also unsuitable, one is Dirk Dreamer (an elderly gentleman, too). Carolina gives up for tonight and decides to try again tomorrow.

Carl only now has realised that he has missed the opportunity to go to college. The wish appeared for both him and Carolina at the start of the week but never came back after that. Well, Carl, your lifetime want of 50 dream dates does not really depend on a university degree, does it!

The Capps may be wealthy, but Tank prides himself on never calling the repair service. "My Dad taught me to do myself what I can do and only leave the special jobs to the experts," he says as he goes about repairing the bathtub on this Friday morning.

Carolina throws away yesterday's newspaper without anyone asking her to.

Her brother Carl has just tried his luck with the Matchmaker to get started on his 50 dream dates and find a suitable wife, but just like yesterday for Carolina, the Matchmaker once again conjures up a date that is way too old for Carl. This is Katy McGaw, a townie (and member of the Garden Club?). Carl says good-bye before the date even starts.

Only then do I remember to check his relationships - and lo and behold, there is Stacy Stacks as his three-bolt-lady! She is quickly invited over, and Carl's first dream date ensues.
I don't think Stacy has another love interest right now, so this could very well be the next Mrs. Capp!

A much happier looking Chris than yesterday gets off the school bus this afternoon.

She proudly shows her first A+ report to her equally proud Mum.

Saturday starts with a ghostly visit from Consort.

Everyone manages to appear for breakfast at the same time. Cameron expresses his hope that the sun will make it through the clouds eventually.

But it remains a grey and overcast day. There is hardly any food left in the fridge, and so I decide to let the family have their weekly visit of a community lot at "Here or Else" grocery store.

Upon arriving back home, I am in for a nasty surprise: First Tank...

...and then, actually at the same moment, Hermia die!
I really didn't see that coming; earlier that day, both their lifetime bars looked as if there was still quite a bit of time left, hopefully enough to see their offspring married. They were 62 and 63 when the week began, therefore Hermia must have been 68 and Tank 69 at the time of death.
Their children are devastated.

Poor Carolina even goes into aspiration failure!

She gets emergency help from the Shrink (visible only to her, of course) and then makes herself a "friend" out of a paper cup.

Thankfully, over a game of chess, she and her little adoptive sister Chris become best friends - that is 9 out of 20 for Carolina, and brings her aspiration at least back up to green.

Camryn Lee, who was by now almost best friends with Tank, is invited over, as are Christopher and Callum, the oldest sons of Hermia and Tank. It is time like this when you need your family around you.
Looks like Camryn is rather smitten with Callum!

For Sunday, I have only three pictures.
It is the first day of spring, and Chris is glad to have a surprise visit from class mate Mary Riley. The girls play catch in the front garden for a while.

In the afternoon, Cameron and Chris find some solace in music.
By the way, Cameron looks after his little sister in a very touching manner - he reads to her and sits with her for meals.

While Carolina does not feel much like cultivating friendships today, she still makes the effort of ringing at least one potential friend. Although she has lost her parents only yesterday, she can not put off her lifetime want forever.
And Carl? He has his Dream Dates # 2 and 3 with Stacy Stacks before the week is over.

That was a busy week - and ended on a rather sad note for the family. Had I known that Hermia does not even reach 70, I would not have made her adopt a sixth child, and of course I would have allowed Carl and Carolina to go to college, even though neither of them needs it for their lifetime wants.

We'll see whether Cameron and Chris will go to college eventually, and I am also thinking about having the two older brothers, Callum and Christopher, move back in with their siblings - there is room enough.