Saturday 23 July 2011

Here it comes

Round 31: May 2034 (Autumn)
Gordon Nott is 38, Lia is 37, Annabel and Georgina are both 10 and Gabriel is 7.
(Ione is 38, Maia is 32, Caitlin is 11, Simon is 9 and Francesca is 3 months old)

Narrated by Lia Nott

Things have thankfully calmed down for our family since Gordon finished law school.

It's so nice to feel like a real family again.

The kids are loving it too. When Gordon gets home now, he's free to spend time the kids right away, rather than hitting the books.

At the beginning of the year, things were a bit shaky, because Gordon was looking for work. He wasn't immediately successful, which was discouraging for him.

But he's finally working at a law firm - the same one where he interned. He's so happy at his new job.

Fortunately, we were still stable while Gordon was job hunting. I'm making enough money at the library now that we've paid off his debts from law school and we could support the family on just my salary, if we had to.

I love my job even more than I already did now that I have Ione working with me.

We can't just sit around and chat all day, of course, but I loved that I was able to help her out after she lost her job last year.

I've been trying to convince her to stay permanently but it's not really her dream job. She's currently on the look-out for opportunities to start her own business making toys.

Even Ione admits that's probably not going to be any time soon though. At the moment, most of her non-work hours are focused on Francesca.

Francesca was a huge surprise for Ione and Evan but now that they've settled into a routine with her and the other four kids, it's not quite so overwhelming.

I was cooing over her so much that Ione asked if Francesca was making me want to have another one. Not really, but almost! Francesca is just so darling!

But I'm content to fuss over other people's babies now. I didn't like being pregnant nearly as much as I thought I would.

I'm happy with the three we have now though. They're pretty great kids. I've finally got them into the habit of doing their homework as soon as they get off the bus.

I think Annabel might even be starting to enjoy it. She got all As this term, for the first time ever. I really hope she can keep it up. I want her to develop good study habits by the time she gets to high school.

Gordon and I have been offering some incentives for trying hard in school and they're obviously paying off. If we have a good week, we do something special with the kids on the weekend. My parents got them hooked on the aquarium, so that's a favourite destination.

It's a favourite of a lot of kids, it seems. The place is always full of children on the weekends.

We also walk down to the aquatic centre so the kids can go swimming as well.

It's going to be too cold to swim soon, so we're making the most of it while we can.

Annabel and Georgina are both quite social, so they like to have their friend Caitlin over a lot.

Caitlin is a year older than the twins, so she'll go off to high school next year. I don't know if they'll stay friends past that but for now, they're very close.

They stay out in the front yard for ages just chatting. It's hard to get them to come inside sometimes.

Gabriel is very shy and finds it hard to make friends. Most of the time, I think he prefers being on his own.

He plays with Simon Lane sometimes, who is two years ahead of him at school.

I don't want to begrudge Gabriel a friend, seeing he finds it so difficult interacting with other kids. But I don't know if Simon is a very good influence.

He's always got some mischievous idea or another and I hope he doesn't lead Gabriel astray.

I think because he's a little older, Gabriel looks up to Simon and that does worry me a little.

Maia thinks I should leave it alone and that Gabriel is a good kid. She's right but that doesn't mean he can't be encouraged to do the wrong thing.

I just can't be that laid back about things. Maia doesn't have kids yet but I have a feeling she might be a very different parent to what I am.

But who knows? She's surprised me before. I offered to help her out with the wedding planning so she brought her laptop over. I couldn't believe it but she has a spreadsheet for just about everything related to the wedding.

The venue is set (obviously, seeing it's in our parents' backyard), she's already decided on flowers with Dad. She's even got all of our dresses picked out and we're supposed to go in for a fitting next week. I don't even think she needs much help!

When Maia saw how shocked I was, she just smirked and said, "I do organise functions for a living, you know".

I guess she would have learned a thing or two about planning big events, given she's been doing it professionally for 7 years now! The wedding is not until January but I'm already so excited to see it all come together on the big day.

Notes:
  • Title is from Here It Comes by Doves.
  • Lia and Gordon are rolling in it now! Well, not quite but Lia is making about $10,000 a week and Gordon's current daily salary is almost $800. They finally had enough money this round for me to stick a fence around their house and re-do the girls' bedrooms (they're teens next round and I always do a new room for teens). I'm going to go totally nuts on this house next time I go in, lol! I didn't get a chance this time as I crashed at the end of the play session - after saving, thankfully!.
  • Lia is most definitely done with kids. She didn't roll up any baby wants at all this round but she did roll up a fear! Gordon doesn't seem to care one way or the other. So barring an Evan-and-Ione style oopsie baby, Gabriel will be their youngest.
  • I always think it's kind of cool when Sims start acting the way you imagine they would. I see Annabel as a bit like Maia, in that she's prone to daydreaming. While the twins were hanging out with Caitlin on the lawn, Annabel didn't say one word the whole time. She just sat there, staring off into space!
  • Poor Gabriel has no other boys in his grade and none in the grade directly below or directly above him either. He's somehow become buddies with Simon, who would probably be Lia's idea of a nightmare child - he's loud, mean and he's rough. Not much like Gabriel at all!

19 comments:

  1. When did Lia get to be almost 40!!! I remember when she and Gorden broke up the first time. I feel so old! I'm glad that they are quite comfortable financially now and what does she do at the library making that much money each week??? Does she print her own simoleans :P I need to work at the library

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  2. Always nice to see Lia! But she's almost 40? Whoa! Before you know it she'll be an elder. :(

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  3. It's nice to see Lia and Gordon are finally getting there! And I would love to see the girls' new bedrooms :)
    I can't believe Annabel and Georgina will be teens next round! Time goes by so fast!
    They seem to have a perfect family, so it might be a good thing they don't want any children anymore. Though as always, I wouldn't mind seeing another one :)

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  4. Apple Valley, Lia and Gordon's break up doesn't seem like that long ago to me either. They're doing a lot better now, in any way you can think of. ;)

    LOL, it is a lot of money for a librarian, especially seeing she only works 3 days a week! But my Sims tend to need that much eventually - if all their kids go to college, that's $48,000 right there. That's not considering if one of them wants to be a doctor or whatever!

    Thanks for reading!

    Lunar, I think I'll always have a soft spot for Lia. I put her through some drama and those Sims are always a little more special to me. And I know - she'll be 40 soon and Gordon will be 40 even sooner! Hard to believe!

    Thanks for reading!

    Tanja, Lia and Gordon are doing pretty well now. I didn't take any pics of the girls' rooms but I'm sure you'll see them eventually! When I remember, LOL!

    And yes, Annabel and Georgina will be teens soon. I'm sure Lia is so looking forward to them dating - it probably hasn't crossed her mind yet! I can see her worrying a lot about that though.

    Thanks for reading!

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  5. Wow, how time flies. I did a double take when I saw Lia's age - 37?! It seems like yesterday she was fawning over Gordon for the first time. I also completely forgot that Ione lost her job. Glad to see Annabel is getting the hang of school. And Maia has really matured since she was younger.
    That's a LOT of money! I'd go crazy with it too.

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  6. Time sure goes by fast...I can't believe that Lia is almost 40, and that the twins will be teens next round! Wow!

    I'm glad that both Lia and Gordon are successful in their jobs. They really are bringing in the money!

    Can't wait to see Maia's wedding! It should be beautiful.

    Great update. :)

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  7. I'm glad things are working out for them now, so late in the game though to finally be able to afford these things for their family. But I imagine they'll really enjoy their place in life after all that schooling. The kids are really cute, I'm glad they are stopping at three, it seems to fit them perfectly.

    I think it's great Ione could get a job at the library, that's nice for the girls to havetime to chat and great for an income. Looking forward to baby Francesca aging up.

    Can't wait to see Maias wedding and baby! It's like seeing her baby if she was with Aaron, which is who I wanted her to be with, but oh how the fates decided against it!

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  8. Fini, it probably seems like time is going even faster for you, seeing it was likely only weeks ago when Lia actually was a teen!

    A lot's happened since Ione lost her job. I think I would have forgotten too if I didn't make a note in Liquid Story Binder about it.

    Maia is still Maia, so super-organisation doesn't come easily to her but she can do it now, when she wants to (or when she's getting paid for it!). And she did enjoy surprising Lia. ;)

    Thanks for reading!

    coolkat2, pretty crazy, huh? Lia and Gordon are making a lot of money! I kind of love it that Lia makes so much more than her husband too.

    A while until the wedding but I'm looking forward to it as well. :)

    Thanks for reading!

    Maisie, Lia and Gordon are still relatively young, so I think they've got into a good groove financially at just the right time! Everything is going well for them at the moment.

    That was the first job I thought of for Ione when she rolled the ROS. I didn't know how I was going to write in her actually losing her job but what job she would go to after that was easier! And LOL, I've been so focused on the wedding that I forgot Francesca will age up the month after that!

    LOL, I think Maia held out hope for Aaron for quite a while too! I temporarily made him straight once, just to see what the chemistry would be like. They'd be three-bolters, which is unsurprising, seeing she's three bolts with Ethan and he and Aaron have identical personalities. But it explains why they click so well as friends.

    Thanks for reading!

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  9. Ha, I love Maia's spreadsheet for the wedding! It is hard to believe how much they've all grown and that Gordon and Lia are nearing 40. But I'm happy that they're doing well and Lia got the happy family she always wanted.

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  10. Shana, it seemed only fitting for an events planner, even one who has been rather scatter-brained in the past! This is one thing Maia knows how to do!

    Lia and Gordon being or approaching middle age is quite surprising to me still! They are very happy though and they no longer need to worry much about money. Not a bad way to live. ;)

    Thanks for reading!

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  11. I'm glad things are going so well for Lia and Gordon. She was so stressed when he was still studying.

    How cool that Ione is thinking about starting her own business! It seems like losing her job turned out for the best. I guess she never would've thought about her own business if she was still a policewoman.

    The kids are so cute. I noticed that Georgina looks taller than Annabel. I never would've thought to make same aged kids different heights but it makes sense.

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  12. Sari, Lia was almost like a single parent sometimes while Gordon was studying. It's a relief for both of them that law school is over, even though law is still quite a demanding field.

    Yes, now all Ione needs is some money to buy a lot! It's probably not something she would have started thinking about if she hadn't lost her job but she had a lot of time to think while she was unemployed!

    Yes, Georgina is of average height like Lia and Annabel and Gabriel are both short like Gordon. I got the idea to do varying heights with children from Maisie. I have a default height for each age - tall kids just go up a notch and short kids go down a notch. There's as not much room for variation with children as there is with teens and adults.

    Thanks for reading!

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  13. I also have a default height for each age for kids but I never thought to alter those according to everyone's "genetic" height. That's a really good idea though, I think I'll "borrow" it if you don't mind ;)

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  14. Yes, sure, go ahead! I "borrowed" it from Maisie anyway! ;)

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  15. *lol* @ Lia fearing for more kids!
    I enjoy reading about the Nott, they're such a cute family. The kids are adorable. I love Gabriel, I hope too Simon won't have a bad influence.
    What made that Gordon didn't get the job with Kirstin?

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  16. Sandy, I never thought I'd see Lia fearing another baby but I guess she knows she has things pretty good the way they are!

    I think Gabriel is a good kid and Lia probably doesn't have much to worry about. Fingers crossed Simon doesn't get him into something mischievous.

    Gordon actually did get the job with Kirstin. I should have actually set that first interview shot up with a different Sim, to make it more clear!

    Thanks for reading!

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  17. I echo what everyone has already said. When the heck did Lia and Gordon get to be 40?! And the twins are going to be teens?! Yeesh! Time flies!

    I’m glad things are going much better for them now that Gordon’s done with studying and has secured a job. And I am in the wrong business if librarians make that much! LOL. I’ll have to look into that librarian career but I’ll probably wait to see what Pru does with hers.

    Can’t wait to see the girl’s new bedrooms and the other things you change in the house with all their dough! And good idea about the heights for kids. I have varying heights for some teens but wasn’t sure what I was going to do with children.

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  18. Yay for Gordon getting through law school and landing a job! He worked very hard for it and with all those kids it was so tough!

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  19. Danielle, time flies indeed! I just noticed last night that I only have 7 or 8 updates to write before I'm at the end of the round! Then it'll be the twins' final year as kids!

    LOL, I know, right? Sim salaries are quite ridiculous but I mostly find it necessary for the way I play. I don't think most would be able to afford college for the kids without that crazy pay!

    I didn't do varying heights for kids for the longest time because I thought it was too much work. But really, once you set it, it's no more work than bumping everybody up at the end of each Sim year, so I decided to go for it. I think I made the change last time.

    Oh, yeah, the bedrooms...I'll have to take photos of that today because I'll probably forget if I wait until next time I play them!

    Thanks for reading!

    Rachel, Gordon has worked very hard and he's sacrificed a lot of quality time with his family. So good to see it finally paying off for him!

    Thanks for reading!

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