Sunday 19 December 2010

Aloha

Round 29: September 2030 (Spring)

Luc Lane is 37, Asha is 33, Ruby is 3 and Marcus is 1.
(Kit is 70 and Olivia is 33)
Narrated by Asha Lane

Luc and I just bought a new house! I was really hoping we'd be able to stay in our old place a little longer, with Ruby and Marcus sharing a room but it was just way too small. This place seems huge to us now.

We only just moved in, so things are looking a bit bare. We don't have enough money to do anything more right now. We're trying to be more responsible with our cash.

We have an entire room that is completely empty, which eventually will be our music room. We can't afford to do anything with it yet but we're making plans already.

It's much bigger than the room we were using at our old place, so we're really going to try and do something special with it.

Until then, our instruments are living in the lounge room. Marcus tends to go wandering off looking for something else to do whenever we start playing. I think Luc's going to have to pin all of his dreams of a child rock star onto Ruby, who loves music.

Ruby's such a daddy's girl. She's got Luc wrapped around her little finger.

But Ruby and I are quite close as well. She's always been a difficult child but lately, she's been a lot better.

She definitely still has her moments...

...but it's a big improvement. I guess part of it is just growing up. Ruby used to be completely incapable of entertaining herself but she's now quite happy to occupy herself with crayons for a while.

It's given me hope for Marcus. So far, he's proving to be just as demanding as his big sister.

It's at least mildly better here at the new house. Ruby and Marcus have their own rooms now, so when Marcus wakes up screaming in the middle of the night (which he invariably does), he can at least do it without waking Ruby.

I can't say Luc never helps out, because he does.

He's actually really good with Ruby and Marcus. I wouldn't have picked it when we first met but Luc is great with kids. Sometimes I think he's better with them than I am.

But Luc works nights, so if Marcus wakes up, it's almost always me who has to tend to him.

He also has a bad habit of zoning out when he's concentrating on something, so even when he is home, he sometimes might as well not be. Then I get stuck dealing with both kids.

And of course, it always seems to happen when one of the kids is being fussy.

Then he wonders why I can't get excited that he's made a fire truck that lights up or a jack-in-the-box.

When I'm not exhausted, I can appreciate Luc's new hobby a little better. The kids really love the toys he's made.

I have no idea where Luc got this idea though. He just came home one day, when we were still at the old house, set up a bench and got to work. He tends to research new things he wants to make online now, because he was wasting a ton of money on materials for a while there. We just couldn't afford it!

Especially not now, seeing we just found out we're expecting another baby!

It was planned; Luc actually managed to talk me into another one!

I'm a little bit terrified at the thought of having 3 kids under 5 but I'm surprising myself by actually being quite excited as well! There have been enough sweet moments in motherhood to make all the tantrums worth it.

I think Luc and I have done okay with this whole parenthood thing, despite my initial misgivings about it. Ruby will thankfully have started pre-school by the time this new little one arrives and hopefully, Marcus will have chilled out a little too.

I can't wait to tell Mum. She came over for lunch the other day and kept talking about Ruby and Marcus the whole time. She loves being a grandma, possibly more than any other grandmother in the world.

She is going to be ecstatic when she finds out I'm pregnant again. I'm just worried about the money side of this. We have exactly $700 in the bank right now.

It's really too early to start telling people but I've been worried about this financial thing, so I ended up telling Olivia and venting to her for a while. Things were pretty tight for her and Steve around the time Ramona was born, so I was hoping she had some fantastic idea.

Olivia earned extra money by doing some sewing work and selling it online. I don't know...maybe Luc could make a few more toys and sell those. This is starting to seem a little more doable.

But this is absolutely it! Luc's getting snipped once this one comes along. I can do three kids but I definitely cannot do four.

Luc has very reluctantly agreed to it. I can tell he's dreading it already!

Extras:
The final family portrait! Which is now quite out of date, seeing Charlotte and Marcus were still in utero. But I like it a lot anyway. I was considering doing these every time a Sim ages up or a new Sim is added to the family but that will not be happening! I was looking over the ones from this round and realised I'd be doing one for almost every family, every round.

Notes:
  • Title is from Aloha by Caviar.
  • Luc rolled an ROS last round, which I forgot to get done. And actually, I still haven't got it done. He was supposed to earn a gold badge in something and I think he's almost there.
  • Yes, I now have six pregnant Sims! Argh! This is why Luc is getting snipped. ;) In game, due to the limitations of ACR, it will be on Asha's end though. Asha has reached her ideal now (once this baby comes along), so I'm going to have them stop here. Luc will have to deal - he'd like one more.
  • I moved Luc and Asha at the last minute and it's a good thing I did! With #3 on the way, they definitely wouldn't have lasted long in their other house. The bedrooms in this place are huge, so depending on what sex this new baby is, either Ruby or Marcus will share. Because I still want Asha and Luc to have their music room.
  • Asha and Luc did try for a baby but for some reason, I got the risky woohoo pop-up when she got pregnant anyway. She's also already in her second trimester, because I was a dumbass and forgot to suspend the pregnancy. Dumb. Anyway, Asha is due in June 2031, at the same time as Sarah.

15 comments:

  1. I admit it, I was sure Luc and Asha would have massive troubles adjusting to parenthood but I'm glad to say I was wrong. They seem to be coping really well, even if money's tight.

    Luc making his fire engines made me chuckle a bit, just because I never imagined that Luc of all people would start making toys. It's definitely very cute, though. ;)

    You're right to stop taking those portraits so regularly! I love seeing them but I don't know how you have the patience for them. I'm the opposite when it comes to gathering lots of Sims - they tend to get on my nerves, lol!

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  2. Wow, another baby-it really is a baby boom in Sullivan. Warn the locals! Don't drink the water! :p

    I'm excited about thier baby and how you depict this rockabilly type couple. Luc's tattoo is a maxis tattoo or is it on one of the overlay boxes. I haven't seen a dragon tattoo.

    Yikes, I thought about family photos and I have determined that every other simyear I'll update photos that need it, but I only do immediate families. It's been a while since I had a large family reunion type photo (the Wilsonoff/Herendez/Dawson/Shazad clans), but I might do it again considering that I have new families in my hood now.

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  3. Wow, there really is a baby boom in Sullivan! And I love it :) You always have very pretty sims :)

    Luc and Asha have adjusted to parenthood very well, I have to admit I have my doubts in the beginning.
    I love how you decorated their house, even if they don't have the money to decorate it completely. Is it one of your brownstones?

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  4. Wow, another baby! Sullivan is going to burst at the seams! I'm happy for these 2 and agree with Shake, I wasn't sure how these 2 were going to be as parents. Especially with this many kids. But they're doing great, even with their money troubles.

    I really like the posing you did in this update and now I love Luc's face in the final pic even more LOL. That's right Luc, snip snip! As much as I love their babies, there's only so much you can handle.

    Nice update!

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  5. Thanks for commenting, all!

    Shake, I wasn't so worried about Luc, because he was just so incredibly good with his nephew Timothy. Asha though? Yeah, I was a little concerned about her. But she's doing well. Money-wise, I think they're going to be okay now. I had to go back into their house last night and Luc ended up getting promoted. So they have about $8000 right now!

    LOL, yeah, I rolled that ROS for Luc and I wondered what badge he would ever want to get. He's not really a fishing or gardening type, you know? He's not really a toy making type either but he's very playful and he loves his kids, so I can see him giving it a shot.

    Big portraits are always bound to be frustrating! Teleporting everyone in, making them all selectable, trying to get them all in frame - bah! The little ones I do before each update are nothing to me now.

    Apple Valley, I know, right? It's crazy! I'm still not going to break Maisie's record though. I think she has 7 kids in her 9-year-old group right now. So unless I get surprise twins...

    Luc's tattoo is a Maxis tattoo but it's one that's been converted to an overlay box. It's this one: http://rikkulidea.livejournal.com/60850.html

    Immediate families are something I'll still do once a round. It's like second nature to me. I've been doing them since Round 14 and it's part of getting ready to play for me now. I'd love to see a big reunion photo of your Sims though - they're always fun!

    Tanja, this is definitely my biggest baby boom ever! I've had 5 babies born in the one year before but that included twins. I've never had this many women pregnant at the same time!

    Luc and Asha have a pretty cute little family going now. Very curious about the next one!

    Yes, this is one of the brownstones. I have three families living in the brownstones now. I thought I'd get sick of them but I'm managing to put enough personal touches in so that each seems like a different house.

    Danielle, lol, I know! It's going to be nuts! Hopefully their money troubles are over now, with Luc's promotion, and they can get their music room done and buy a bed for Ruby, seeing she'll need one soon.

    Ha, yeah, poor Luc. But seriously, that's enough. Luc needs to be fixed now. ;)

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  6. I somehow got the feeling that Asha would get pregnant when I saw the pic of her and Luc at N99. Have I mentioned that I'm a distant relative of a man who could "see" things ;)

    I think it's great how well Asha and Luc have adapted to parenthood. And now they're having another one. Awww :)

    I haven't placed those brownstones in my hood yet but I will, after I've done the HoodReplace again. I have a few couples in mind who could live in those houses.

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  7. Sari, ha, no, you've never mentioned that! We have a psychic in our midst!

    I'm hoping Luc and Asha will be the last couple to get pregnant this round! My other two possibilities are allowed BC but we all know how well that went for Cordy last round (though that was my fault, lol).

    If even one person can get use from the brownstones, I'll be glad. I really like them in my game - they're very playable, though I have since made the hallways one tile wider and the upstairs bathrooms one tile narrower.

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  8. I'm excited they are having another one! Olivia is really falling behind now! ;) Their new home looks great, plenty of room for their three kids to grow and to decorate. The music room sounds great, I can see all these kids as teens and rocking out in it, it'll be fun!

    I really liked the giant family photos! I really oughta do that, I think it'd be great just to have for memory sake, I could put them all in one subfolder just to peruse over them.

    I do not wish 7 kids as the same age group, it's a giant pain in my tush for schooling/teachers, there were 2 sets of twins in there, or it wouldn't have been that high for me. You never know, you might get a surprise set yourself!

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  9. Maisie, lol, I guess she is! Olivia had #2 last night in my game, so perhaps now that Asha and Luc are stopping at 3, she can catch up!

    I'm excited about it, so I'll probably decorate their music room over Christmas. I'm not planning to do much blogging (I have two more updates scheduled before then though) but I'm thinking I'll want to play at some point, so I might go in and do some building/decorating.

    The giant family portraits are a lot of fun and that's exactly how I have mine. I have a separate subfolder with all of them in it, for my perusal. ;) I do the same with my smaller family portraits, and it's fun to look back and see how everyone's changed.

    Oh, let me tell you, I'm dreading primary school once these kids grow up! If it turns out to be too insane, I might build a pre-school/kindergarten for the 4s and 5s and run it as a separate school. I'm hoping for no twins this time but that remains to be seen!

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  10. They are so cute together, Luc is adorable! And Asha is pregnant again? Their children are darling (even if Ruby is sort of strong willed). I can't wait to see how they grow up with such gorgeous parents!

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  11. S.B., thank you! Luc has settled down a lot in the past 10 years or so, because Asha wouldn't marry him until she was sure. They're quite solid now (I've even seen Luc rejecting other women, on community lots, which is a big change for him).

    Ruby is a tough little cookie and I think Marcus is gearing up to be that way as well. I'm sure Asha is hoping for a more docile child this time around! Ruby and Marcus are both very much like Luc, especially Ruby.

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  12. Ha! Another baby! Wow. Luc turned out so differently from what we all thought he would. Who knew the daddy bug would bite him so badly?

    Two starving musicians though...I hope they can drum up extra money soon. It is good that they're in a bigger house! Their kids...I can't wait to see how they turn out. I wonder if they'll pay their parents back for all that they used to put their own parents through...

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  13. Rachel, yes, Luc's turned around! Once Cordy had Timothy, it became so obvious to me that he wanted to be a dad!

    Heh, drum up...I see what you did there! Ruby will turn 4 at the beginning of next round, so you won't have to wait long for her. I think she and Marcus are both going to be trouble!

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  14. omg a third baby! Yeah, I'm surprised about these two myself. But then Luc was so great with his sister's kids.

    But he's putting his rock star dreams on hold? Well, in my mind he'll always be a rock star. Funny that he's making toys though, lol.

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  15. Lunar, yep, three and this'll be it, lol! Luc surprised no one more than me with how taken he was with Timothy when he was born. I've never seen a Sim so fond of their niece or nephew before!

    I wouldn't say his rock star dreams are on hold though - the toys are a hobby and music is still his main thing. He got to Rock God this round though, so I imagine he can kind of set his own hours now (of course, in game, he still has specific times he has to go to work). I've also turned their spare room into a home recording studio, so things he used to have to leave the house for, he can now do at home and be with his kids more.

    Really, I was just dying to use the recording studio set from Around the Sims, lol!

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