Wednesday 11 May 2011

Paint's peeling

Round 31: April 2033 (Autumn)

last update/next update
Lake Draper is 76 and Kendal is 57.
(Rose is 38, Patience and Josie are both 31, Troy is 30, Sylvia is 7, Jude is 9 months old and Levi and Will are both 4 months old)

Narrated by Lake Draper

Since I retired a couple of years ago, my time truly is my own now and I love it. Especially now that Kendal and I are empty-nesters.

I had kids in the house continuously for 37 years so for me, this has been a very welcome change.

When Chris first went off to college though, Kendal wasn't quite sure what to do with herself. She had some trouble adjusting to the idea of none of our kids being at home with us any more.

I decided to use distraction as a means to help her and booked us some tickets to visit our vacation home in Takemizu.

Kendal wasn't too keen on the idea at first. What if Chris needed her?

But we haven't been on holiday since our honeymoon and that was almost 20 years ago now. I didn't have to twist her arm too hard.

The house is wonderful but very small. It was always going to be something for me and Kendal to enjoy on our own.

The first thing Kendal wanted was a massage.

So while she did that, I had something to eat.

We tried to enjoy the hot springs after Kendal's massage but were interrupted by some pretty heavy rain.

The rain didn't really let up for the whole vacation, so we did a lot of shopping and picked up some souvenirs for the grandkids.

Not quite what either of us were hoping for but I think the trip did us both good regardless.

Once we were home, Kendal systematically called each of the kids, just to make sure they were all fine without us.

Kendal really worries mostly about Chris. It's his first time on his own but I think he's coping better than Kendal is.

Between us, we've sent four kids away to college and they all survived. There's no reason to think Chris won't do just as well.

Kendal still thinks of Chris as her baby, so it's tough for her. He's smart though, and he'll be okay.

She's a lot better now than she was when Chris first left though. Our other kids and their families are keeping us more than busy these days.

Especially now that Troy and Josie come over more often. I hinted to Troy that the unannounced visits Kendal was making might ease off if we got more visits here at home.

Josie was getting annoyed with the constant visits but now, she and Kendal are getting along much better.

Kendal was just so excited about her new grandson and she didn't stop to think that popping in unannounced might be a bother.

It's hard not to fall in love with Jude. I think of him as my grandson as well.

Kendal has always done the same with my granddaughter, Sylvia. They're very close.

I was thrilled when Rose had her twins, Will and Levi, last Christmas but I think Kendal might have been even more excited. Sylvia was the only grandchild for a long time and then we got three more, in just six months.

I've never been the type of guy to long for grandchild after grandchild, but I have to admit, I really enjoy having them all over.

Come July, we'll have one more, when Patience is due with her first child. She's not able to visit us at the moment, so we go to her in Exeter.

She's been put on complete bedrest, after experiencing some early contractions. Apart from being a little bored, she's been okay since then, so hopefully, she'll be able to carry this baby to term.

Patience is being very good at following the doctor's orders but Rob's taking good care of her in the meantime anyway. He's home with her as much as possible and even has lunch there when he can.

I trust Rob but we're all still nervous about this pregnancy. I certainly hope there's no more drama for Patience - she's had more than her share in the past year or so.

Notes:
  • Title is from Paint's Peeling by Rilo Kiley.
  • Once she gets all of her romantic wants for Lake out of the way, Kendal is almost solely concerned with Chris. It must feel a bit smothering to him but she misses her baby. It's quite sweet.
  • Lake had the want to go to his vacation home, to which I thought "you have a vacation home?!" I did not remember buying it for them at all but obviously, they have one. And can I just say there is nothing more demotivating than entering a house you think is decorated nicely and it's actually decorated with Maxis base game crap. :\ Seriously, I would rather have opened the lot and found it completely empty. So that's why you can't see the rest of the house - I only did the bedroom. ;)

24 comments:

  1. That's funny that you only decorated the bedroom. I have a few households that aren't fully decorated myself, mostly an odd bedroom that I don't really use or bathrooms that I don't care about.

    I admit that each time it's Lake's update, I scroll all the way to the end to be sure he's survived. Glad he made it! :D Chris looks so much like his Mom, I was marveling over that in the college update. I think it's sweet that she cares about him so much, and rolls all those wants. I can see it being smothering though for Chris. He seems to take it well.

    I'm glad that Josie is getting along with her now! Cause I'd be sad if they had a real rift in their relationship, Kendal is one of the sweeter grandmas around, and genuinely cares.

    Looking forward to all their grandbabies aging up to toddlers. I swear the one (not sure which is which) reminds me of Rose! haha.

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  2. OMG, I did that too! I didn't realize Lake was that far on. Ooh I can' wait to see how the kids will look when they grow up to toddlerhood.

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  3. Maisie, yeah, I used to hate decorating and even though I quite enjoy it now, I fall back on old habits occasionally!

    Aw, I'll be sad when Lake goes! But he has a good few years left in him yet. ;) And you know, Chris actually looks mostly like Lake! He has Kendal's colouring and nose, which throws you off but the rest of his features come from his dad.

    Kendal is a nurturer, as a mother and now as a grandmother as well. It's always been a bit much for Chris though!

    I'm excited for toddler birthdays too, though Will and Levi's birthdays are so far away! And LOL, I don't know which one is which either! Hopefully, I can get them right by the time they're older. ;)

    Thanks for reading!

    LaurelCrossing, yeah, Lake's getting up there! Before I adjusted my aging, he would have had a maximum of 2 years left but my new aging allows for Sims to get as old as 93 (or somewhere thereabouts). So he may last much much longer than you might think.

    I'm looking forward to that too. Jude's birthday is coming up in July, so that should tide us all over until December when the twins finally turn 1.

    Thanks for reading!

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  4. I've had that happen once or twice, forgetting that your sim has a vacation home or business lot. And the rain! Why does it always rain on vacations? But I'm glad they got to enjoy their alone time. It's funny how Kendal called all the kids as soon as they got back home. Poor Chris. But he'll look back on his mother shodowing him when older and laugh.

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  5. I'm glad that they were able to get away and is Kendal wearing one of your recolor dresses? It looks great if it is. I forget about vacation homes all the time-ugh, I need to revisit some of them especially since I've deleted a lot of CC lately...yep, I like maxis :P

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  6. Oh, they have such a huge family, I can see why Kendal worries so much. :))

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  7. Awwwww that's sweet that she worries so much about Chris, although I'm sure it is smothering for him. Especially since he's a guy lol. I don't think any of my sims have a vacation home yet! Mmmmmmm, that may need to change :). I can't wait to see Rob and Patience's baby!

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  8. LOL at Maisie's comment about making sure Lake survived at the end. I get worried about him every time an update for his house comes up! I feel so relieved when I get to the end and he's still there. ;)

    It's so cute that Kendal worries so much over her baby. I'm sure it's not cute for Chris though, lol! At least there are grandbabies to distract her a little.

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  9. I love Kendal's blue dress, where did you get it?

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  10. Aww, Lake and Kendal are so cute. And I love seeing how tiny she is compared to everyone. She's going to be a cute little old lady.

    So sweet that she's calling her "baby" so much. Reminds me of my mother and I'm almost 30, heh. I imagine it'd be worse for a guy, especially a college-aged guy. But at least he humors her. She has lots of grandbabies to keep her busy now, though. I can't wait til she starts to pester him for grandbabies but hopefully she'll wait a while!

    Good to see the rest of the family and glad to see Patience is doing well. Almost there!

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  11. It is kind of sweet how concerned she is over Chris, but it must be so weird for her in the child free house, at least they have plenty of grandchildren to keep them busy though :)

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  12. Riverdale, I know! I don't think a single one of my families have taken a vacation lately where it hasn't rained! It seems to rain more on vacation than it does in the main hood.

    Kendal's a worry-wart, which probably won't change, no matter how old her children get. ;) Chris will probably always have it the worst.

    Thanks for reading!

    Apple Valley, no, I haven't recoloured that dress. That's either one of the original colours or one of Heredon Cove's. She did a lovely job.

    Well, if this house was decorated properly in Maxis stuff, I wouldn't have been so demotivated. I gut all Maxis houses and redecorate them with mostly CC all the time. But it was literally a cheap bed with the red "Asian" bedspread and that ceiling lamp Maxis use bloody everywhere. That was it in the bedroom. Nothing in the living room at all, hardly anything in the kitchen and the second bedroom was completely empty. It was just such a lazy job!

    Thanks for reading!

    Diana P, the family really is huge, which is why I didn't get to Aaron and Calvin! Troy only got a mention because I'd started something in his update with Kendal and Josie. Usually, I would have concentrated on only Lake's kids, seeing he was narrating. It just makes it easier to manage 5 kids, lol!

    Thanks for reading!

    Mizzgin03, I keep thinking Kendal should have had daughters! I think daughters are generally better with dealing with a worrying mother (speaking from experience here, lol!)

    I'm surprised none of your families have vacation homes yet! I was sure I'd seen one of your families go on holiday to one.

    Thanks for reading!

    Shana, ha, everyone's worried about poor old Lake! He's safe for this round, at least.

    No, Chris definitely doesn't find his mother's fussing cute! But I'm sure Kendal likes to think that deep down, maybe he's grateful for her anyway. ;)

    Thanks for reading!

    Emma, see my reply to Apple Valley. I talk about the dress there.

    Danielle, I was just thinking about what a cute little old lady Kendal will be! I adore her and Lake as a couple.

    Yeah, my mum's kind of the same and I'm also almost 30! It's probably much more annoying to a guy, seeing women are sort of expected to be close to their mothers. I think Kendal will probably start pestering Calvin for a grandbaby first (or maybe Troy for another one - but he's Family, so she won't need to do much convincing), so Chris might get a reprieve for a while.

    Thanks for reading!

    Speechless, Kendal is a sweetheart but she's still a bit unsure what her life is supposed to be like now that she doesn't have any kids under her care all day. It's a big change for her but she's enjoying being a grandmother as well. I'm sure she'll settle into her new role soon enough.

    Thanks for reading!

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  13. That's so funny! Lake had a vacation home and you didn't know it? And yeah...facing a lot decorated entirely with that ugly Maxis stuff is really daunting. It's easier to start with nothing.

    The vacation was kind of wistful, I thought, with the rain and Kendal's focus on her children. She really has to let go! How annoying, to show up unannounced like that, too.

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  14. What beautiful holidays, even with the rain! Even if Kendal didn't seem as enthusiast as him for departure, she seems to have much more fun there than him. I like how she feels right in the hot tub during the rain. :)
    It's really cute to see all those families from the parents/grand-parents' eyes. :))
    *lol* at Lake reminding you they got a family house, and at the fact it was an ugly Maxis thing. I feel for you!

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  15. I'm always worried when I'm reading one of your updates with elders. I try to avoid checking out the tags until I've read the update but it's always such a relief when an elder makes it!

    Lake and Kendal are such a sweet couple! I'm glad he was able to drag her away from home for a few days. Poor Chris must feel pretty smothered. It's good that Kendal and Josie are getting along better now, it's always sad if grandparents miss out on their grandchildren's lives because they don't get along with their children's spouses.

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  16. S.B., this feels oddly like I'm talking to myself, lol!

    But anyway, yeah, my Sims often roll up the want to buy a vacation home and I'll let them and then completely forget about it. Or they'll inherit one after someone dies and I won't even notice. I wish I had the luxury of being able to forget about houses I own in real life - not a bad problem to have, I imagine!

    It would be really annoying, all the unannounced pop-ins. Especially with a new baby, where it's very possible that Josie and Troy would be too busy for visitors. Lake needs to rein her in a bit, I think, and remind her it's not so bad having all the kids out of the house!

    Thanks for reading!

    Sandy, I noticed that too! Kendal doesn't seem too fussed about the rain in the hot springs, does she? LOL, she must have been enjoying herself!

    I love getting my families together and having the grandparents meet their grandkids. Such a change from the way I used to play a few years ago!

    Thanks for reading!

    Sari, it seems a few of you have that reaction! I know when everyone's due to die, so I don't start stressing about it until I see it's coming up, lol.

    I really love Lake and Kendal together, and even more because they chose each other so unexpectedly. I don't know that either of them would have remarried otherwise. Chris would never have been born!

    Speaking of Chris, yes, Kendal is a bit of a trial for him! Kendal is very, very sweet but she's also a little overwhelming for some.

    Thanks for reading!

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  17. I'm looking forward to Patience's baby, and apparently I'm not the only one :)

    I think it's hard for a mother when her children are moving out. If Kendal knew what Chris has been doing at college (dating Elspeth again) she would worry even more I think.

    I loved that their children all came over with their children :)

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  18. Tanja, Patience's family are all really looking forward to meeting Baby Ashton...as am I, lol!

    Yes, Kendal probably would worry if she knew Chris and Elspeth were back together. I wouldn't think he would have told her yet.

    Thanks for reading!

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  19. Aww, it's nice that Lake was able to convince Kendal to go on vacation. You're right that it is sweet that she misses her baby boy. :)

    Oh, I didn't even think of how many grandchildren that would be for that family! That's so crazy! It's a good thing Kendal loves children and Lake is warming to the idea of lots of grandbabies too. :)

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  20. Rachel, it had been almost 20 years since their last holiday, so it was more than time for another! It gave Chris a reprieve from being (s)mothered for a while. ;)

    And yeah, Sylvia was the only grandchild for so long and then they got three more, with one more coming. Lake probably would have been just as happy with none but he does love his grandkids. :)

    Thanks for reading!

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  21. I just love Kendal's outfit! What great shoes with it too. I know, weird thing to comment about, but so be it, lol!

    Oh, I completely agree about the undecorating crap before you can redecorate. It's such a chore!

    I have to say, I do worry about Lake as well. I'm glad to hear he has a little bit longer with us still! :) Kendal is adorable smothering her last baby, lol!

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  22. Laura, I love Kendal's dress too. I have it in WAY too many colours! I always notice well done shoes, lol. For a long time, a lot of meshes you'd get with high heels had weird stretched-out feet, so I always take note of nice ones!

    It is a chore and I just had like a four day break from playing (playing with the intention of writing anyway), where all I did was decorate and I still didn't do that damn vacation house! Too demotivating to even contemplate - yet.

    I think I'm going to be quite distraught when I have to kill off Lake. He's one of my favourite elders ever. And I'll be sad for poor Kendal too. But that's a way away. ;)

    Thanks for reading!

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  23. OMG, I am so far behind! I didn't realize it'd been so long!

    But lol at the vacation home thing. Sometimes there's so much going on it's easy to forget a small thing like that. But it's funny it was the sim who had the idea. It's like, "Hey, goddess, I think Kendal needs a vacation."

    And boy did she ever. Poor Kendal, lol. She's SUCH a mom. Cute how well Lake seems to understand her.

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  24. Lunar, I'm not surprised! You've been so busy with such exciting things lately!

    LOL, it's almost never me who decides on Sims needing vacations. It's like I forget I even have BV installed sometimes! But my Sims are always very, very vocal about wanting to take a break whenever they feel like it.

    Lake and Kendal have been married to each other now longer than they were married to their previous spouses, so they know each other's ins and outs pretty well by now. And Kendal is kind of an open book anyway. I love these two together. :)

    Thanks for reading!

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