For Week 1 with the Roomies, you can click here.
But why are we here this week at all? It's not time for the letter R yet, is it? No, you're right, it is not. But...
...I messed up the alphabetical order of playing when I forgot to consider the surnames of each of the Sims in the combined households, and in this household, we have J. Huntington, who should have been played right after Summer Holiday at the BBF household.
So, instead of playing Demi Love in TS2 (who I thought would be next), we're sticking with TS4 for a bit longer.
Here are the four housemates, from left to right: Gavin Richards, Zoe Patel, J. Huntington III. and Mitchell Kalani.
Their house is still the same one as when I last played here in 2015 - five years ago in real life, where has the time gone!
Monday starts with me tellling everyone to ring their friends, so that existing friendships with other playables can be maintained. Here is J. (who unfortunately does not have a full first name), right after getting up. Impressive abs! But then of course he is a fitness fanatic.
Look at the pictures on the wall, aren't they beautiful?
And sure enough, he goes for a run around the neighbourhood on this beautiful sunny day.
Meanwhile, Zoe works on her wish to have 20 friends. By the end of the week, she will have 9, so there is still plenty to do for her. Here, Liberty Lee is greeted.
Running wasn't enough workout for J. - he can be found at his punching bag by the time the sun is setting.
On Tuesday morning, Zoe cleans the sink in her bathroom on her own accord.
Mitchell is a true Comedian and has kept enough of his child-like humour to appeal to all ages. Here, he gets acquainted with Olivia Spencer-Kim-Lewis.
Meanwhile, Zoe takes her conversation with friend Mortimer Goth to her bedroom... but it is pure coincidence, the two of them are not romantically involved (or even interested).
Three of the four roomies end the evening watching TV together.
The first thing worth mentioning on Wednesday is that the stereo - a popular item in this household - breaks down. Zoe is the only one who does not have a job, and so much of the household chores and things like repairing broken items falls on her.
Always keen on talking to her friends, she joins J. and Mitchell at the breakfast table even though her own breakfast was hours ago.
Later that day, Mitchell greets Betty Larson, one of the first "townies" in my TS4 game who became eligible for permanent residence because of her surname being a "playable" one in TS2.
J. returns from work with a promotion to Code Monkey. He does not need to be in the computer career for his fitness goals, but it is useful to provide the household with a regular income.
Geoffrey Landgraab has come past the house while running through the neighbourhood, and interrupts his run when Zoe invites him in.
It is Friday morning, and J. is just getting up.
Today, Zoe meets Geoffrey's wife, Nancy Landgraab. Another thing worth mentioning for the day is Mitchell's promotion to C-Lister. In his case, advancing in his career is indeed important for his goal in life.
On Saturday, Geoffrey Landgraab is once again running past the house, and Gavin asks him hin.
Oh no! J. was just making breakfast when the stove (and he!) erupts into flames!
Phew! Good job there is a sprinkler.
Travis Scott comes visiting. Zoe greets him with her sandwich still only half eaten.
This is, I believe, the first time Brent Hecking appears outside another playable's home. Of course, I instantly have J. interrupt his workout to greet him.
Sunday is here, and Zoe meets and greets not only Olivia Spencer-Kim-Lewis, but also Travis Scott, who seems to be getting round nearly as much as the Landgraabs.
Olivia is a very good guest - without anyone asking her, she collects the dirty dishes dotted around the living room, and does the washing up.
See the coffee machine? It is a career rewards object that was placed in the household inventory with one of the two promotions earlier this week.
The third promotion of this week is for Gavin: He is now Freelance Article Writer.
Here is the career rewards object he receives via the household inventory: a word processor that should enable him to improve his writing skill even more and further advance in the writer career.
More and more, I am getting the hang of this game. I still find handling toddlers difficult, but this multi-Sim household was easy enouh - last but not least because three of the four were out for work nearly every day.
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.
