So we’re up to week 5 and the legacy family is properly that – a family. The second generation is on the path to growing up but the spotlight isn’t off Lola and her husband just yet.
SUNDAY
Everything is broken. It’s not just the bathtub but the TV and toilet too!
Luckily – there’s Lola. I’m not sure the family knows just how luck they are to have her but this all-round handy lady manages to get the kids ready for their days and beat the plumbing and TV into submission while looking hot (if a little haggard) in her leopard print underthings.
For the rest of the day, Lola tends to her garden. It’s peaceful on the garden side of the house and she takes a lot of pleasure in working with the plants.
The other side of the house is a nice little hive of skilling. Sylar paints in every spare moment and Stein has been working her way through the Toddler Skilling Assembly Line™ (See A Learnin’ Legacy, The DeCasims for further details of this wondrous invention).
Aiden defeats his current chess nemesis, Rhoda Bagley, and increases to apprentice level. I’m not currently feeling too hopeful about his chances of becoming chess legend but we’ll see. Miracle of miracles the entire family makes it to bed at roughly the same time (and at a reasonable hour). This is a big deal.
MONDAY
Monday is a big day, it’s Sylar’s very first day of school as well as Lola’s first day back at work. I’m apprehensive on both their behalf but Lola has been straining at the bit since her first day of maternity leave and Sylar gets excited about just about anything so they’re both pretty keen.
Aiden takes the day off to stay at home with his daughter.
When Lola comes home she finds the kitchen sink broken but after this repair it shouldn’t break again.
Aiden plays a good house-husband and manages to get a meal on the table for his wife and son.
And the whole family makes it to bed on time for the second night in a row.
TUESDAY
With Lola and Sylar off to work and school, respectively, Aiden has another home day with Stein.
They settle happily to their separate skilling tasks.
Then,when the rest of the family gets home, I remember that not all skilling can be done independently.
Lola can’t rest if her garden hasn’t been tended to so she stays out there, late into the evening, until her gardening skill is the highest it can be.
WEDNESDAY
Both Featherstone adults have the day off so Aiden makes them fresh pancakes for breakfast rather than the usual leftovers.
Lola decides to try out the telescope and seems mildly horrified by what she sees.
So she’s more than happy to hand it over to Sylar when he comes home after school.
At any rate, there’s some very last minute toddler skills to be taught!
Despite being brought up well and being able to roll for all of her traits, Stein now adds neurotic to her list of charms (these include being insane and evil). I absolutely love neurotic sims – I am one – but poor Stein is just stacked with the crazy traits it seems. I expect that her final two traits will be Technophobe and Never Nude… or perhaps Loser and Unlucky (Thanks to Aaroc for pointing out that I needn’t give the kids Handy and Green Thumb traits to achieve the DIY and Green Thumb handicaps).
On a more pleasant note: she enjoys latin music, autumn salad and the colour blue.
Stein’s very first childhood wish is to make the beds, so she gets right onto that.
THURSDAY
After a hearty breakfast of leftovers, everyone is ready to start their day.
Lola gets a long awaited promotion and she and Aiden go home to a quiet house.
Both children have opted to visit friends this afternoon.
Stein has a lovely visit with Roberta Anaya. (Yes these slides are in the correct chronological order.)
“Hey, Roberta, let’s be best friends!”
“Uh… sure, OK, Stein. Nice to meet you too.”
And Sylar visits Judd Shepherd.
“So was that your sister following you around at school?”
“Yeah… it was her first day. Dad said I should look out for her because she’s a bit… delicate, I think he said.”
“Ooooh, OK.”
“Yeah, so, I’m trying to do this thing with the paint…”
It turns out that young Master Shepherd is from quite a well off family and Sylar admires the lavish dining room while he and Judd do their homework.
Stein also does her homework with her new friend, but doesn’t seem too eager to sit close.
In the evening, Aiden makes a call to his ex-wife, Hannah. You know, the one who Lola stole him from? Aiden invites Hannah to the bistro for drinks and she accepts quite eagerly. This doesn’t seem good so it looks like my simself has gotten wind of it and turned up to keep an eye on Mr. Featherstone.
Ms Hilton also puts in an appearance… and eats! (from here)
NB: I do not like Paris Hilton.
Aiden, dressed in his finery, waits for his date. When Hannah arrives they both hurry inside the restaurant.
Roxie Lin and I look on disapprovingly.
Back home, Lola slumbers alone.
And Stein is in her preferred sleeping ensemble.
FRIDAY
When Lola wakes early the next morning, Aiden is asleep beside her. She kisses his forehead and goes to clean up the house a little. One of Sylar’s completed paintings seemed to match the colour scheme so well that I let his mother proudly hang it in the kitchen.
Lola even has time to watch a little TV before work – but it’s useful TV. They now have one of the fancier TVs so Lola is able to watch the fishing channel for work.
Stein, on the other hand, is distracted by an internal conversation and has to run to make it onto the school bus.
It’s Aiden’s turn for a promotion, the bonus money will come in quite handy for a little expansion project I’m planning.
Lola gets a call asking her to fix Hannah’s shower. This strikes me as pretty odd – they have never met and only know each other because they became automatic enemies when Lola convinced Aiden to break it off with Hannah. What could Hannah be playing at?
“Hey, Stein, why is mum tinkering with a shower in the yard?”
“I don’t see her.”
“She’s right over there beside the house. Do you think we’re getting our own bathroom? Wouldn’t that be awesome? We could each have a shelf in the cabinet. I’ve never had a shower, only baths. Judd has this shower bath set-up. I saw it at his house – it was way cool!”
“You’re seeing things. I’m going to play under the sprinkler. Good bye.”
Stein is careful to put on her prettiest dress to play out in the garden. It’s very quickly soaking wet.
SATURDAY
Like the perfect little angels that they are, Stein and Sylar let their parents sleep in while they set the kitchen in order and get breakfast for themselves.
Aiden thanks his wife for yesterday’s promotion, because it turns out that Lola is now his boss.
“You look pretty today, darling.”
“Aww, you’re sweet to me, babes.”
“Sweet on you.”
“So, listen, Lola love… Stein’s a child now and I think both the kids are so great but don’t you miss having a baby in the house? I’ve been feeling the need for another baby for a while now but I didn’t want to bring it up because I know how tired you kept saying you were. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is – the time is right for us to have another. You’ve been back at work this whole past week, there’s no reason not to have another baby… right, baby?”
“No. Absolutely not.”
“But…”
“No, I can’t believe you’d even bring this up! You know I want to focus on my career now and we already have two kids in a small house.”
“Why can’t you consider my feelings in this? What about my wishes, Lola? Don’t you care about my wishes?”
“IT’S MY UTERUS, AIDEN!”
(Dear EA, why does Lola look like a heroine addict or like she’s suffering from a terminal illness? WTF adulthood?)
After the fight with his wife, Aiden decides that he’d like to become better friends with his daughter so he approaches her for a chat.
Stein, too, thinks this is an excellent idea and speaks some madness to him.
Lola takes Sylar with her while she runs some errands. She drops him off at the library so he won’t be bored while she sells some of her produce at the store. She keeps aside the very best items for eating, fertilizing and replanting but manages to sell $1,722 worth.
Back at the Featherstone home base, Aiden and Stein are enjoying the great outdoors (of which there is plenty on this giant empty lot).
Aiden feels much better after winning a chess match against Felipe Hernandez.
And Sylar makes it into teenhood looking a bit creepy. The glasses disguise it but his pale green eyes plus over-plucked red eyebrows freaked me out a little. I kept the eyebrows though – creepy is fun!
Sylar is now a perfectionist which should help him to achieve his painting and writing goals, I’m not sure what he can do to cut the tension in the house though. I guess we’ll see next week.
