Week 3: Stevenson

Hello all, I'm Michael and I'll guide you through what happened at our house this week, for lack of a better alternative. I'm usually not a big talker. Anyway... the week started off as usual, with my mother dating while everyone else was of at school or work. That's not exactly what we bought the car for, but it explains why she still wanted me and Cathy to carpool to work. Heh.


The kids are doing great at school, and even had a few extracurricular things going on. Hendrik's good at science, and our youngest has always had a sweet tooth. I guess it paid off for both of them.


Of course, me and Cathy couldn't be outdone by our children. We both brought home yet another promotion that day. It seems that the precinct is respecting our wishes to be promoted together. We're a great team, both at work and privately.


Meanwhile, Chloe has picked up her siblings' habit of bringing friends home from school almost every day. Here she is with one of our neighbours' girls. I believe it's Calypso Foster.


Frederik got a job after school at the local hospital. He's quite good at it and was promoted to EMT. It's not the job he wants to stay with once he's grown up, but it pays quite well and that's the most important thing to him at the moment.


Me and Cathy were busy workign out for our next promotion, so we asked mom to make sure Chloe was doing her homework. She waited until quite late, but it got done in the end.


I think the only time mom wasn't dating was in the dead of the night so that the neighbours wouldn't complain. Abhijeet took that occasion to deliver small gifts at our doorstep. I sewar we could have decorated the whole house with flowers ten times over by now if they didn't wilt. I guess he just wants to make sure she's constantly reminded of him even when he's not there. Which is seldom enough.


Until finally, sometime near the middle of the week, she announced that she'd had 50 dream dates with Abhijeet and was now blissfully happy. Wow! I'm surprised she even managed to keep count, since she's been getting rather forgetful lately. Maybe she kept the bouquets as a reminder.


Making sure that Chloe did her homework paid off, because soon enough she was bringing home an A+ like her brothers and sister.


Since Sophie liked having her study time, she didn't get her job in Athletics until relatively late in the week. But when she did, it really went off with a bang. She was involved in a scheme to ruin the reputation of one of the star players on her team. I'm so proud she worked up the courage to do the right thing. I'm hoping this means me and Cathy have been a good influence.


She was a bit embarrassed about her boyfriend seeing her in her new work outfit, but he seemed to think it suited her just fine. Maybe he's a fan of the team, who knows. They've been dating more or less steadily all week, though I'm not sure whether their relationship will survive her moving to college


I think mom got a bit tired of all that dating after she'd hit 50. Or maybe it was just her old age starting to show, because we barely saw Abhijeet in the next few days and she did more relaxing instead.


She also tried out the new plaything we got to make working out easier for us and the teens. I guess it's not the right thing for an older lady. I was afraid she'd hurt herself, but she actually said it was quite fun. That's my mom, always the pleasure seeker!


That evening was quite an eventful one. For one thing, me and Cathy both got our last promotion and became Captain Hero and Captain Heroine! None of Prosperity Pinnacle's criminals had a chance against the two of us together! We noticed though that there's not much going on in this town in the form of crime and only one of us was needed. Since Cathy's always been dreaming of becoming a general, she got a new job in the military.


But first we rewarded ourselves by having a little date in the car. Now I know why mom liked this so much. We haven't had this much fun since we were dating as teenagers! *chuckles*


Talking of... the second thing that happened is that Hendrik finally got his first kiss. From one of the McMillan triplets that live down the street. The girl's a bit of a troublemaker from what I hear, but he's head over heels. They have a lot in common too, since she wants to be a Business Tycoon as well.


Sadly enough, that was also the night my mother passed away. I promised myself that I would try to be strong since we all knew it was her time, but it was hard not to plead for her to stay a little bit longer. At least she led a full life and had an excellent relationship with all of us when she died. We couldn't have asked for a better mother and grandmother.


In the end, she went willingly and without complaint, but the rest of us were devastated. She left us quite a few simoleans too. I never even knew she'd taken out a life insurance, but the money will come in handy to renovate the house.


The next day at work I faced a most difficult decision. The Llama Queen was really out to get me, but with some quick thinking I managed to foil her plans once again! I got a hefty paycheck on top of the gratitude of the people of sim city. It really helped to raise my spirits.


Sophie wasn't as lucky though. I guess she bit of more than she could chew when she tried to fill the footsteps of the previous mascot. Ah well, it was her last day of work before she leaves for college, so she won't have to worry about it anymore. At least she wasn't fired.


I think growing up with so many older siblings and witnessing all their dating has been a bad influence on little Chloe. I could have sworn I overheard her and Jazz foster talking about how they were in love and wanted to be boyfriend and girlfriend the other day. It wasn't long before she became a teen herself, but still a bit premature in my eyes!


Since the criminal mastermind was finally apprehended, I decided to turn my attention elsewhere as well. I went into the science field and promptly became a scholar. I'm not sure how thrilled my older children are that I'll be working at their university, but I'm loving the job. The hours are great and it's not as physically demanding as being captain hero. I'm not getting any younger after all!


Chloe's birthday fell on the weekend, so we had enough time to throw a big party for our little princess. Cathy decided that it would be a good opportunity to reconnect to some of our friends, and I think she went a bit overboard. And of course the kids had to invite their friends as well. I don't think I've ever had the house so full, and I'm used to a lot! Here's Chloe hugging her best friend Calypso and Hendrik having a serious talk with his twin sister's boyfriend, while his own girlfriend is laughing at her brother's dancing skills.


Frederik made it as well, and brought his fiancé Sarah. All in all, I think we had all the McMillans, quite a few Fosters and Mitchells, and the odd townie over. We had to move the cake outdoors so that everyone could be there when Chloe blew out the candles. Thankfully the weather's always nice here.


Here she is all grown up and looking a lot like her older sister. She wants the same thing out of life as well. To gain as much knowledge as possible. Both are very sensible girls!

Chloe Stevenson: Knowledge, with a LTW to be Chief of Staff

Aries: 6 neat, 9 outgoing, 6 active, 4 serious, 6 nice

My mother haunted the house that night. I think she was sad that she died and missed her granddaughter's birthday. She always did love a good party.


She managed to scare both my daughters, who were thrilled about it, and my wife, who was not. She stayed outside though, so I think we're pretty much safe if we're not stargazing at night.


At least safe from the ghosts. The computer broke down and Cathy insisted on fixing it herself, though I was worried senseless that something would happen to her. I don't want to lose another loved one so soon after my mother. She was fine, but next time that computer breaks down I'm buying a new one before she notices.


Finally, it was time for the twins to leave for college at the end of the week. They racked up quite a few scholarships each, so I'm sure they'll do fine. They're moving in with their older brother, so at least they already know someone there. And he promised to show them around once they arrive.


End of round accomplishments:
- Michael and Cathleen both became Captain Hero
- Samantha had 50 dream dates and died in Perma Plat, with maximum influence and maxed relationships to all her family members
- Sophie and Hendrik reached the top of their teen careers
- Chloe had a monsted birthday party and grew to a teen
- The twins racked up some scholarships and moved to college

Points this round:
- 10 for Samantha's LTW to have 50 dream dates
- 10 more since that was also her IW
- 2 for Michael and Cathleen's TOC

Week 2: Stevenson

Welcome back to the Stevenson household! This time I'm going to do the update. I'm Frederik, the heir of the house, or so I've been told. I guess it's time I learned how to do this since it'll be my job when I'm older.

Anyway, we start the week with the good news that my mom and dad have kept those promotions rolling in. Both of them were promoted to the Vice Squad on Monday. Mom decided to stick to this career for a while until she reached the top. She thinks it'll be a good preparation for one day becoming a General. I guess the police and the military have their similarities. Ah well, whatever suits her best...


We also celebrated loads of birthdays this week. First up was my own! I became the first teenager in the house, though the twins were soon to follow. We threw a quiet little party at home with just the closest friends in attendance. And it seems that grandma and Abhijeet showing up in their undies has become a bit of a tradition *chuckles*. I swear that woman is getting battier by the day as she grows older. She insists that she wants to have at least fifty dream dates before she dies. I don't think she's far away from that now. Shame I won't be here to see her reach her goal, since I'm off to college soon, but more to that later.


Here's my birthday picture. Not bad looking, if I can say so myself. People say I look a bit preppy though. I guess it's true, since conservative values are very important to me. Especially family and things like that. Yeah, I decided to follow my dad's footsteps and become a family sim. He couldn't be more thrilled, since this means loads of grandkids for him. I think he's still a bit disappointed that mom didn't go along with his plan of having ten kids. Would have held up her career too much. I personally don't care much about that kind of thing. I just want to find a good wife that I can grow old with.

Hendrik Stevenson: Family, with a LTW to reach his Golden Anniversary
Cancer: 6 neat, 1 shy, 6 active, 7 playful, 5 nice

I got started on finding one right away, actually. I met this girl named Trista, and even managed to get up the courage to ask her for my first kiss. It was awesome!

It was a busy week. I worked hard on my scholarships and grandma worked hard on dating, and generally there was never a quiet moment in the house. One of us was constantly bringing friends home from school and stuff. I think half of the neighbours' kids practically grew up on our front lawn. Mom and dad didn't mind. Mom never leaves out a chance to make a friend anyway. This is what a normal schoolday afternoon looked like:


As I said, grandma continued on her dating spree as if there was no tomorrow. And at times I got the feeling that she was the main source of income for the house. She definitely did her part for refurbishing the house and adding a second story so there'd be more room. Heck, one night Abhijeet even brought two expensive presents at once! The guy must be loaded!


The next birthday we had was Chloe's. We had another quiet party since she was too small to really appreciate it anyway. I was glad that the time of bottles and diaper changes was over, though I could hardly concentrate on the party with Trista over.

Chloe Stevenson: Aries; 6 neat, 9 outgoing, 6 active, 4 serious, 6 nice

Dad did most of the training for my little sister. He was the one who really wanted another baby, after all. It was no wonder that the first word she learned was "daddy". That smart milk stuff is really great, by the way. I've got to remember that for when I have kids myself. Mom and dad said they wouldn't have made it through the twins' toddlerhood without it.


Meanwhile, mom was busy doing a great job at work. She was all over the news for playing a major role in arresting a bunch of criminals. Way to go, mom! Oh, and as you can see both my parents were promoted to SWAT team before that. They're both Lieutenants now, actually. They say they enjoy working together, since they get to spend more time with each other that way. I guess with four kids and a crazy grandma about the place, they don't usually have time for that at home.


The twins' birthdays were next. This time we had a few more people around, even if it wasn't an official party. As I said, there were always more than enough guests at our house anyway for a nice celebration. Here's Frederik blowing out his candles.


I know what he wished for as well. He wants to have loads of money once he's grown up. I guess he'll need it, since he's going to have to start a completely new household. After all, only one of us can move back to my parents' house after college.

Frederik Stevenson: Fortune, with a LTW to be a Business Tycoon
Virgo: 10 neat, 2 shy, 2 lazy, 5 playful, 6 nice

Here's a picture of the guests, with Sophie blowing out her own candles. She decided that she wanted to know everything there was and dedicate her life to learning. I guess she wanted to go down a path that nobody in our family has taken before. Now the only thing that we don't have represented in the house is a romance sim. I hope Chloe doesn't chose that though. It's asking for trouble, if you ask me.


Looks like with all the partying we forgot to take a picture of her right after she grew up, but I have a nice one right here of her with her first boyfriend, Orlando Centowski. I caught her by surprise taking this when she wasn't looking. Don't tell her I showed you though, because I think she might kill me. She's so easily embarrassed by stuff like this. I'm surprised she got her nose out of the books long enough to even get a boyfriend, actually. Another thing that surprises me is what she wants to do with her future. The daughter of two police people wants to become a criminal. I guess she's got a rebellious streak after all. Of course my parents don't know yet, or they'd freak out.

Sophie Stevenson: Knowledge, with a LTW to be a Criminal Mastermind
Capricorn: 6 neat, 1 shy, 2 lazy, 9 playful, 7 nice

Talking of work, I managed to reach the top of my teenage career this week, just in time to grab the scholarship before I leave. I'm the team mascot now. Since I'm also an A+ student that makes me an overachiever! Dad was so proud. I'd have stayed home a bit longer, but Sarah is leaving for college this week already and I want to join her there.


Oh yeah, I haven't told you about Sarah yet, haven't I. Well, if you look back at the picture from the twins' birthday, that's her right in the middle. She lives right down the street from us and just moved in as well, so we have a lot in common. We even have the same goals in life! ((Right down to the same LTW, lol)). The moment I met her at that fastfood joint where she works, I knew that she was 'the one'.


I feel kind of bad about it, because both of us are already seeing someone else, but when fate strikes, you can't fight it. I have no idea how I'd ever make Trista understand, though. In the end, we both decided that it was best to keep our relationship on the down-low until we go to college. Trista hasn't mentioned going, and I don't think Sarah's boyfriend is either, so it'll be easier to let them down gently just by telling them that the distance thing doesn't work. I guess it's a bit of a cowardly thing to do, but better than breaking someone's heart, right?

The last thing that happened this week was that Chloe grew up into a child as well. I can't seem to find pictures of her birthday at all, even though I knew that there was at least a cake. Ah well. Here's one of the two of us playing games that evening, after she'd going and changed her hair. She didn't really like the messy cut she had when she was little.


Now that the youngest is growing up too, I'm thinking it wasn't such a bad idea to move out early. The house is getting quite full, and everyone's always hogging the phone when you need it. I'm hoping that with me and Sarah's money combined we can rent our own little place at college and have some peace. I'll see you there!

End of round accomplishments:
- Michael and Cathleen grabbed a few promotions each.
- The older kids all grew to teens and Chloe became a toddler, then a child
- Frederik became an overachiever
- The teens started dating and Frederik met the woman of his dreams
- Frederik moved to college
- Samantha reached her 39th dream date

Points this round: None

Week 1: Stevenson

Hello all, this is Samantha Stevenson speaking. I'll be commentating this week, I guess, since my boy and his wife are busy with their kids. They've got a whole bunch already and are planning on having even more, but more to that later. As you can see, this is a happening place already. Quite a few of our neighbours showed up to greet us at our new house. Siobhan and Andrew were in the welcome waggon along with Darren Foster. I believe he was inside when this picture was taken, chatting with the younguns. His daughter walked by a bit later and so did Henry Stuart. I think I've met all my neighbours that are my own age now. Shame there's nobody among them that I really hit it off with, though we all had fun playing kicky bag together.


My silly boy managed to set a fire the first time he got anywhere near the stove. I told him to leave that to me and his wife from now on. He can be such a klutz sometimes. Good thing we have a fire alarm already!


Of course as soon as the guests were gone we started on teaching the toddlers their skills. Here's Sophie learning to say "Grandma". Ain't she the sweetest thing?


Her father taught her to go potty as well, and of course we taught her brother the same things.


After that, I was ready for some me time. I love those kids, but they get so stressful after a while. There's never a quiet moment in that house! So I went downtown and worked as a barrista for a while to make some extra money and meet a few new people. There was one I liked particularly well. His name is Abhijeet. I hope I spelled that right. Complicated name if I ever heard one. But he's a sweet person and we had a dream date right off the bat. And then another one after that. And then another... *chuckles* I have to admit I'm a sucker for having a good time. The kids laughed when I told them, but they seem to be okay with it. After all, I put up with all of their antics when they were younger.


As I said, there was a lot of skilling going on in the house. Here's the toddlers learning how to walk while I look up some good recipes. After all, someone has to cook and we don't want any more fires around here. The babies are dead scared of 'em. Good thing they hardly noticed the last one.


Of course both of the kids had to get a job ASAP to pay the bills. I'm not too much help in that respect, seeing as I'm too old. But at least I can look after the little ones while they're gone. Nannies are so gosh darn expensive, and not exactly the most reliable people, or so I've heard. Cathy didn't do too well though. She got demoted to dishwasher because she refused to skip in and cook when everyone else had gone home already. She was probably thinking of that accident her husband had earlier and didn't want to set the place on fire. Ah well, culinary wasn't the field she was interested in anyway. She'd much rather join the army, but there were no jobs available in that field.


My boy did a lot better. Here he is coming home with a promotion to recruit! Yup, he joined the police force. Frederik went out to congratulate him right away. Such a sweet child!


Abhijeet called me up and asked me whether I'd like to go on another date, and of course I couldn't refuse. The kids were already in bed, so no harm in it. And dating keeps me young! Though I'm not sure I'll tell the kids about this little incident. They're both relatively shy people, so I doubt they'd ever do something as daring as woohoo in a photobooth. The diva and Mr. Ng seemed to think it was a hoot though.


Thursday was a good day. As you can see, Cathy joined her husband in the police force because it paid better (still no army jobs, sadly) and they both got another promotion. And Frederik got his first A+ as well!


And there was even more reason to celebrate. The toddlers finally had their birthday and turned into beautiful children. We didn't throw a real party, but a friend of my son from the force came back with him from work and I had Abhijeet over. As you can see we'd been on another date *blushes*.



With all the promotion money (and the funds from a rather expensive gift from my boyfriend) we were able to decorate the house a bit, so we decided to get the kids into private school. He still wasn't too impressed with the house, but I made pork chops and Michael schmoozed up a little and in the end they were accepted.


You know when I said that the kids wanted more babies? Well I wasn't kidding. They'd agreed to put things on hold until the twins were a bit older and our financial situation was better, but after that, there was no holding them back. By Friday we found out that Cathy was expecting.


They had another gorgeous daughted and named her Chloe. And I think they might just go for one more before they're done. No end to changing diapers in this house. Ah well, at least I'm lucky enough to see them all born. And hopefully I'll live to see them grow up some as well!


End of round accomplishments:
- Both toddlers learn all their skills and grow up into children
- The three children get into private school
- A new baby girl, Chloe, is born
- Samantha finds a boyfriend and has had 20/50 dream dates for her LTW/IW
- Cathleen still hasn't gotten her dream job in the military, mostly because of the pregnancy.

Points this round:
- 7 for seven sims: Samantha, Cathleen, Michael, Frederik, Hendrik, Sophie and Chloe