Sugah's Sim Antics

Hubby's flight back home was canceled last night due to severe weather in our area (hail, flood and thunderstorm warnings, tornadoes, etc etc).
So, while he was safe and snug in his hotel room in OKC, I braved the D-FW storms in the company of the Benoit family.  

Both Veronica and Clayton have now reached the top of their careers.
He's a Hall of Famer earning $3033 daily.
She's a Prestidigitator (I admit, I had to look that one up   ) earning $3105.
Needless to say, their bank account is quite padded, even with all the home improvements.

I'm loving the Aussie-island girl back story there Sugah! Well played!

To those who don't know the whole exciting tale, I met Jayce here at Sugah's (he's got a thread around here somewhere too) and we started a Skype courtship! He eventually moved to the Caribbean from Australia, and we're now married! We celebrated our first anniversary in January! All thanks to Sugah's Place!!!

Back to your beautiful sim children though Sugah! Wow!

I do the same thing with my main hood and shopping district's seasons too, as they're sub-tropical. I have 3 summers and a spring (for the rainy season). My main uni hood is dessert, so that's got 4 summers.

I'm still blown away that SP is the place you met your Aussie hubby of over one year now, Island Girl! Tres Romantique!!!
I'm so pleased you approve of Aussie Will and Caribbean Gal Anaïs' back story, Lady T.

PS Your handsome Clayton is a highly successful Hall of Famer Fortune Sim with a nice house, gorgeous wife and 2 great kids in my Tres Lagos 'hood.
He's a doll!!!

Congratulations to Veronica and Clayton on maxing their careers!!

Sugah wrote:

Welcome, Dion!!!

He is a cutie!

Thanks for the links to the bed and crib recolors!

Love the yoga pic and Nanny Karen!

Tres Lagos really does have the best nannies! They're much better than my Pirri Pirri (the last hood I played before getting the new computer) nanny who sat watching TV while dirty diapers were on the floor, flies were on the dirty dishes, and the baby was on the floor.

The Benoits are developing into a lovely family. I love the home-from-work hug and how the kids coming running out for it.

Thank you for visiting my game antics thread, ladies.

Believe me, Cher, I've had some really crappy, useless, good-for-nothin' nannies in my 'hood in the past.  
I don't know if this is a coinky dink or not but it seems if my family makes friends with the nannies, hangs out with them after work and tips them ...
The nannies don't ignore their kiddos or leave dirty diapers and bottles everywhere.
I've had some nannies in previous games that play on the computer, go swimming or do just about anything rather than tending to the little ones!
They don't last long on the job, needless to say.

Did you catch a glimpse of the Benoit's gorgeous cat Lady Luv?
I can't remember where I downloaded her from, but she has to be one of my all time fave custom kitties!  

Lady S. wrote:

So, while he was safe and snug in his hotel room in OKC, I braved the D-FW storms in the company of the Benoit family.

You're braver than I am if you're playing during lightning storms! After my SIL had, in two incidents, two telephones blow off the wall and a computer explode, I started unplugging mine. They live out in the country with lots of trees, and both times lightning struck a tree near the house. Some years back, I stood on the front porch and watched lightning strike a tree across the street, so I don't feel any safer in town.

Have you had a nanny yet who seems determined to fatten up the kiddies? I've had one who just kept serving meals. She was expensive and annoying!

The Benoit's cat is gorgeous. I only have a few custom pets in my game. A Vizsla dog, a Sheepdog, three colors of Abyssinian cats, a Rottweiler, some other kind of dog, and Goddess (you know her as Minxie in your game).

Woah! That's all a little too close for comfort with the lightening, Lady C.
I don't think we had the light show...Just wind and lotsa rain and noise (thunder).

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Have you had a nanny yet who seems determined to fatten up the kiddies? I've had one who just kept serving meals. She was expensive and annoying!

The Benoit's Nanny Karen, I believe, tends to grill pork ribs & make Hawaiian pizza on her own.
A couple times I have seen her leaving the grill with a serving plate full of food or have found pizza sitting on the counter top that I didn't ask anyone to make.
I don't mind, since the Benoits now have more money than the Rockefellers.
I just have someone put it in the fridge. My Sims all like leftovers.  

Last night, I visited the Haevens (Zen, Evie & Celeste).
Evie is now at the top of her career in Intelligence (SCIA).
Zen has been the Hand of Poseidon for awhile.
I changed Celeste's personality, as she didn't seem much like a Gemini to me.
In fact, quite the opposite! So, I made her a Virgo.
She's nicer now and quite the darling.  

With Celeste & Desireé now teenagers already (where does the time go? ), I wanted my first round of siblings in Tres Lagos to sort of grow up together.
So, I spent some time with Anthony, KimberLee, Mia, Anna, Isabella & Celestino   - the Benedetto brood - last night in hopes of seeing Isabella enter her teen years.

Well, no such luck.
However, I did capture some neat moments.

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I love the whole random tucking in thing this game has going on, don't you?

That's one of my favorite autonomous interactions.

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That I'd forgotten they have an option to snuggle on the couch together???  

I didn't know they could do that! I didn't know the toddlers could "huggle" until my SIL told me a few years ago.

Let's hope Celestino grows into his looks, though I'm not sure if that will be a good thing or a bad thing.

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So, I've been giving them the Elixer of Life to prolong their teenage years in the Benedetto household.

Awww. That's nice. They're good kids and it's a good time for them to learn a lot and get close to their younger siblings.

I use an aging mod that also includes the option for kids to have the summer off. They can still go to summer school if necessary, but having the summer off allows them more time to build skills and interact more with the family. I often have extended family over during that time so the kids can really get to know their grandparents and cousins.

Sugah wrote:

It's truly an amazing coincidence, but I agree that he totally shouts "I'm an Aussie, mates!" with the whole thing he's got goin' on.

I know we talked about this before, but I'm glad he gave off that Australian vibe, since I that's what I was going for. Since he's a blond surfer dude, he had to be either Australian or Californian. So it was a 50/50 chance.

It sounds like little Callista came along just when she was meant too. I think I mentioned this in your other thread, but I really like how you decorated their place. Very fitting for them. I like the back story of Nanny Calista being both Will and Callista's nanny and the baby's name sake. My Will (and his slightly older brother) was raised by a single father, so having a nanny or caretaker would have made sense for them too, though I never thought about it before. Calista looks like she's a lot of fun. It's nice when the game gives you a good nanny. In my hood, the main nanny, April Lillard, has been good to my sim kids. She's not interested in cleaning up too much or doing extra work and she does make use of the TV and other things on the job while the babies when they're napping, but she is very attentive to the little ones when they need her.

I moved Anais into my hood as well (sorry, I don't know how to do the special characters.) She's also in the culinary career, but is just starting out. She hasn't had much luck in other areas of her life, but I'm trying to find a happier ending for her. I think I have Will in this hood somewhere. If he's not already romantically involved with someone else, I might need to have them meet and see what happens. Maybe moving her out of my apartment complex that seems to have a problem with fidelity would help.

Lady Luv is a beautiful cat (somehow I missed seeing that post before.) The Benoit's look like they are a very happy and successful family. Very cute moments you caught with the Benedetto family too. So sweet!

I forgot to mention I used the last name King for some of my sims too. Drake and Ava I gave the last name King because they were from Ari's Royal Kingdom Challenge, I believe. Ming and the children took Drake's last name. Ava took Patrick's.

Em, thank you for leaving such a great response in my game antics thread.

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...but I really like how you decorated their place. Very fitting for them.

It's small & modest, but it seems to suit them just fine.  
(Although now that Callista has grown into a gorgeous teen, they're going to need another bedroom if the Kings wish to continue to grow their lovely family. And they do.   )

I'm glad you like the back story with Nanny Calista.
I never used to bother with back stories, but I'm trying to get better about it.
And I think it's neat that in your game, Will and his brother, might've had a nurturing, loving nanny, too (having been raised by a single dad).  

April Lillard ... Hmmm ... I don't think I recall a nanny by that name.
Did she come with an EP I don't have, maybe?
Nanny Karen and Nanny Calista are the two I recall in my game, but I know there must be others...  

Anais = Anaïs because I copy and paste it from elsewhere on the web (like HERE). I don't know how to type special characters either, but I'm an expert @ "copy and paste"!  

Again, I thank you for stopping by and for the terrific comments you left, Em.
I am always appreciative of members taking the time to do so.  



I was able to play last night for a bit.

I don't play in rotations like some folks here do.
I normally just load up my game and get a feel for which family I am in the mood to visit when I play.
Then, I hang out with that family until I either shut down my game for the night or until I'm missing another particular family.

Last night, I spent time with the absolutely lovely Benedettos (again ): Anthony, KimberLee, Mia, Anna, Isabella and Orion (the alien formerly known as Celestino).
I changed Celestino's name to Orion because I realized I already had a Sim child named Celeste (Evie and Zen's daughter).
The names seemed to alike to me. Anyhoo...

Em wrote:

I like the back story of Nanny Calista being both Will and Callista's nanny and the baby's name sake.

Me too.

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Maybe moving her out of my apartment complex that seems to have a problem with fidelity would help.

It probably wouldn't hurt!

Lady S. wrote:

I never used to bother with back stories, but I'm trying to get better about it.

Once again, we're on the same page. I have to fight my urge to play "fast" and just slow down and enjoy my families.

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"Don't tell daddy what I got him for Father's Day, but ... !"

Oh my stars -- that is the most precious picture!

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I love it when stuff like that just happens on it's own, don't you?

I do, and now that I'm more willing to relax and see what happens, I get to see more of that kind of thing. A lot of the things involving kids are really special.

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I will try to take more snapshots as I finish the interior.

Yes, please! I love all that vegetation around the pool area. The plants in front are especially nice, as they give a feeling of privacy and maybe being in a tropical oasis somewhere.

Do you build all your Sims' homes?

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April Lillard ... Hmmm ... I don't think I recall a nanny by that name.
Did she come with an EP I don't have, maybe?

I either started this neighborhood (as I have most of mine) with a blank template or using the "deleteAllCharacters" cheat, so it does not have any of the defaults NPCs and townies, so she's unique to this particular hood. There's also a Nanny Kitty in this hood that shows up sometimes when my sims try to dismiss Nanny April when she is not needed.

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Anais = Anaïs because I copy and paste it from elsewhere on the web (like HERE). I don't know how to type special characters either, but I'm an expert @ "copy and paste"! laughin

Smart! And you must be very dedicated to do so every time! Copy and paste I can do.

Normally I play with rotations, because aging sims, particularly siblings is important to me. That is one thing I am picky about. But this time I'm not. I'm just playing whoever I feel like. I started out trying to play everyone evenly, but then I quickly realized there was no need to. There's no reason my starting sims should be or stay the same age. I'm starting to regret it a little bit now that I have siblings and half-siblings in the game. In one of my households I have a toddler that should technically be older than one of the teens since they were conceived first. It puts a crimp in the timeline that's in my head. I'm trying to keep the second generation aged more evenly. I have a general sense of what their birth order should be.

I actually prefer the name Orion to Celestino. (I'm sort of partial to Orion anyway.) I had a similar conflict in my hood. I realized Francesca was closer to Frances than I would have liked, but I liked that name for her too much to go with something else and at that point Frances was already a teen (or close enough to one) and it was too late to change her name. I almost had an Amelie and an Amy born close together too, but I decided to avert that one and went with another name in the latter's case that occurred to me before her birth.

Isabella is still lovely and the gossiping with her step-daughter is very cute. The family's new house is very nice! I'm sure the teens appreciate having their own separate space too!

I've been feeling conflicted about moving some of my sims too. It seems like as soon as I bother to take time and decorate their homes/apartments, I start feeling like they need more space, but I'm hesitant to move them, after I just got their places fixed up.

Em wrote:

I've been feeling conflicted about moving some of my sims too. It seems like as soon as I bother to take time and decorate their homes/apartments, I start feeling like they need more space, but I'm hesitant to move them, after I just got their places fixed up.

I'm having that same conflict right now. My families are getting too big for their starter homes, but some of them aren't even as fully furnished as they should be.

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... because aging sims, particularly siblings is important to me. That is one thing I am picky about.

I've been playing the same way for years. When I was playing Pirri Pirri, I even made sure to stagger the Uni students by birth order, making each semester equal to a week in the main hood. I haven't decided how I will do it with Sugah's Pleasantview. I'm thinking I might dump this entire generation into Uni and play them, once they're all there, as if they were the same age. I think it might make it easier to see who they're attracted to. That's where I thought I might add Paloma, the extracted offspring of Toni's Jack and Sugah's Ella.

Sugah wrote:

I love the whole random tucking in thing this game has going on, don't you?

Me too!

I love the pool area you decorated for the Benoits, and I was admiring the pretty cat Lady Luv!

Nanny Karen looks like she is great to have around!

I think the Benedetto's are sure to be very happy in the new home you made for them! Beautiful decorating!  AND the teens get their own abode?  

How wonderful! So much activity in this thread!
Big shout out to Cher, Em and Sandy for visiting and for your wonderful comments!!!
Thank you, thank you, thank you, ladies! I love it!

Cher wrote:

Once again, we're on the same page. I have to fight my urge to play "fast" and just slow down and enjoy my families...
...I do, and now that I'm more willing to relax and see what happens, I get to see more of that kind of thing. A lot of the things involving kids are really special.

It's a challenge for me, but I'm working on it, Cher.
I get freakin' fixated on having everyone be ultra-studious so they can get to the top of their careers PRONTO.
So, I've been making a conscientious effort to be more laid back about that AND ...
To just let them "BE" more often ... Just let them "LIVE". You know?
Like you, I struggle with just slowing down, sitting back and enjoying my families.

Em wrote:

I either started this neighborhood (as I have most of mine) with a blank template or using the "deleteAllCharacters" cheat, so it does not have any of the defaults NPCs and townies, so she's unique to this particular hood.

Oh, I forget about that option more often than not, Em.
It makes sense now.

Em wrote:

And you must be very dedicated to do so every time! Copy and paste I can do.

Haha! It only takes seconds to pull up the names with the accents & special characters (like Désirée & Anaïs) to copy and paste 'em.
I rather like the fancy schmancy way they look, so it's worth the tiny effort. Call me "silly".

Em wrote:

I play with rotations, because aging sims, particularly siblings is important to me. That is one thing I am picky about. But this time I'm not. I'm just playing whoever I feel like. I started out trying to play everyone evenly, but then I quickly realized there was no need to.  

Interesting! I'm learning that more and more of you play in rotation.
I never really thought about it until some of you (namely Cher & Mac) starting discussing the subject.

Cher wrote:

I'm thinking I might dump this entire generation into Uni and play them, once they're all there, as if they were the same age. I think it might make it easier to see who they're attracted to. That's where I thought I might add Paloma, the extracted offspring of Toni's Jack and Sugah's Ella.

That's a neat idea, Cher! I don't play with Uni, so I'd be tickled to see your SP Offspring all off at college together.  

Em, did I see somewhere that you are wanting the offspring of the SP project to be teens simultaneously, too?
I have four teen daughters so far (they are the oldest of the Tres Lagos offspring: Désirée, Celeste, Isabella & Callista).
The boys are still toddlers, I believe (Zach & Dion), but I'm about to visit the Haeven family this evening.
If I play long enough, Celeste & Zach will both be teens together in the household.
I'm getting ready to have a few other long time residents in the 'hood advance in their relationships, too.
Some, I don't want to rush though. They still need time for a proper courtship.

Em wrote:

I actually prefer the name Orion to Celestino...

I think I do, too, Em. It's more "other worldly", don't you think?
I had to Google how to change a Sim's name, because I had forgotten how (Re: Spawn the Tombstone of L & D).

Ladies, I am like you (conflicted about moving Sims into a bigger place to accommodate growing families).
I am not a huge fan of building and decorating, as you may recall.
I fear I may be doing this for quite a few of my Tres Lagos 'hood residents with the recent population explosion.  
(To answer your question, Cher, I normally build my Sims' homes or, on occasion, renovate & decorate Maxis lots.)

Thank you for the compliments on the Benedetto's new abode, Cher, Em & Sandy.
Oh, and Sandy, their three teen girls don't get their own abode/apartment!
Haha! They aren't THAT spoiled!  
It's just a bedroom and bathroom overlooking the pool.  

Speaking of...
Here are some snapshots I took last night.

Sugah wrote:

Em, did I see somewhere that you are wanting the offspring of the SP project to be teens simultaneously, too?

Yes, that was my plan. I still want to keep a little bit of age difference between them, so I might send them in groups. I'm finding I have more boys than girls though, especially among the first born, so I may have to send them closer together than I originally planned. The first group of students were four boys and one girl. I went ahead and started adding the second born from some of my families (and some of the younger first borns) and ended up with 6 boys and 3 girls. I really don't want to send everyone all at once because I feel kind of bad leaving the parents so suddenly with a completely empty nest. I'm finding that some of my offspring have already started to pair off as teens. They already seem to know who they like and who they don't.

Cher wrote:

I'm having that same conflict right now. My families are getting too big for their starter homes, but some of them aren't even as fully furnished as they should be.

My sims seem to get by with very sparsely furnished (and even less so decorated) homes. Then by the time I actually take the time to make an effort to decorate, I've realized they've really outgrown the place anyway. It wouldn't be a problem if they weren't apartment dwellers. They would be find if I could just add on a room or two or build a couple of walls to subdivide the larger than necessary rooms.

The kids' bedrooms are so cute! It's nice of the girls to make an exception to the "girl's only" rule to let their brother study with them. I really like the huge living room window overlooking the pool. Nice idea!

Em wrote:

I'm finding I have more boys than girls though, especially among the first born...

The same thing is happening in Cher's (Sugah's) Pleasantview.
For awhile, she had ALL boys, just like I had all girls initially.
Hopefully, things will even out for all of our SP Offspring Project 'hoods!

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I really don't want to send everyone all at once because I feel kind of bad leaving the parents so suddenly with a completely empty nest.

Awww!  

I think that's why I am not in a hurry to have my Tres Lago's teens grow up and move out.
All of these families are so close and dear. And I REALLY love them all together.
I'm hard-pressed to separate some of them for awhile.  

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They would be fine if I could just add on a room or two or build a couple of walls to subdivide the larger than necessary rooms.

I hadn't thought of that issue with apartments, Em.
There's no adding on. Moving out and starting in a new place is the only option with your growing families.
It is a time consuming, not-necessarily-fun and tedious business for me. Is it the same for you?
So, I really have to be in the mood to build & decorate all new abodes (which isn't often).

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The kids' bedrooms are so cute! It's nice of the girls to make an exception to the "girl's only" rule to let their brother study with them.  laughin I really like the huge living room window overlooking the pool. Nice idea!

The girls also make an exception to letting Orion in their private space when he is itchin' to make their beds.
Smart girls are they.  

Sugah wrote:

Check out the top (little) sign: Wear your seatbelt! It makes it harder for the aliens to suck you out of your car.  

What a cute room!!

I love the kitchen dining and livingrooms! You say you dislike decorating your homes, but every time I see your handiwork, I am so impressed!! I love the cute rooms of the Brainy Benedetto's-love all of the pink and your comments about the man of the house!

Sugah wrote:

Check out that living room view of the pool. Nice, eh?

 I love it too!!

Sugah wrote:

Some, I don't want to rush though. They still need time for a proper courtship.

Yea! There should be a lot of great photo ops there.

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To answer your question, Cher, I normally build my Sims' homes ...

I wish I did more of that. I usually download lots, often without the CC, and then renovate them. In Sugah's Pleasantview, I'm forcing myself to play the lots (redecorated of course) already there. I can add on to them or build new lots as the population expands. I have built maybe a dozen lots over the years, pretty much all from floor plans or my memory of a house. I did most of my building when my nieces were playing and would ask me to build a certain house for them. I do have more I want to build, but I'm in playing mode these days.

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The Brainy Benedettos

They really are, aren't they?! That's funny about Orion the neat freak. I really like his room, too, especially the X Files poster.

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A typical Saturday morning at the Benedetto abode.

I love the family meal! I also see nothing wrong with a little pizza for breakfast. That dance party looks like a lot of fun.

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And may I just go on record as saying Anthony is a REAL man who has NEVER feared PINK.
He raised two girls all on his own (a widower) until he met his beloved wild & crazy KimberLee.
Mr. Benedetto is confident in his masculinity and, in fact, adores being surrounded by so many women.
"Pink walls & decor", you say? "Bring it on!!!", says Mr. B!

Go Mr. B!

I like your take on this family so much, Sugah.

Sandy, thank you for your generous compliments about my decorating skills.
You truly flatter me.  
I look at others' work and feel my minimalist abodes pale in comparison.
I don't like to take a lot of time & rarely have the inclination, so my Sims never have extravagant, fancy, big-time-done-up homes.
(This old lady was not granted the patience or energy for such a huge endeavor.   )
But your positive comments mean so much and I thank you, most sincerely, for them.

Cher wrote:

That's funny about Orion the neat freak. I really like his room, too, especially the X Files poster.

Who needs a maid with Orion-the-he-ain't-heavy-he's-my-alien-brother-the-neat-freak in the house???  
Don't tell me you're a big fan of the X-Files, too, Cher? If you mentioned that awhile back, I'd forgotten.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the X-Files and am so tickled they're doing 6 NEW episodes later this year.

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I also see nothing wrong with a little pizza for breakfast.

Thank you, Sandy and Cher, for stopping by and taking the time to comment, as always.

~*~

I was able to play the Haeven family for awhile last night.
I shared (in my SP Offspring thread) a photo of young Zach Haeven as a child (in comparison with his older sibling, Celeste).

I took this close up snapshot of Celeste & Zachy's mama.


Well, it appears the Haevens have outgrown their humble abode.
I may have to spend this evening knocking down walls & renovating the place to accommodate the four of them & Sunny.
Both Zen and Evie have been wanting another baby (off and on) for awhile now...
So, a bigger home is definitely on the very near horizon for this growing family.

Lady S wrote:

Who needs a maid with Orion-the-he-ain't-heavy-he's-my-alien-brother-the-neat-freak in the house???  

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I LOVE LOVE LOVE the X-Files and am so tickled they're doing 6 NEW episodes later this year.

I don't think it's come up before, so you didn't forget anything I said. I faithfully watched every episode. If I remember correctly, the new episodes will be on Showtime, right? I don't get that channel; I'll have to see if I can get my neighbor to record them for me.

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Look at Sunny's expression!

 My brother's first wife had a cat that looked like Sunny, except it was mostly gray. Whenever he talks about it, he talks about how you had to force affection on him because he wasn't a very cuddly cat.

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I didn't know toddlers could be fascinated with fish tanks.

I didn't either. That's a cool picture you got of him; looks like it's through the glass?

I thought I recognized Maddy McMew! It's great to see her again.

So cool you're an X-File fan, too, Lady C.  
I was thinking they were set to do six episodes of the X-Files and it'd be on Fox, but don't quote me.
I hope you're wrong about Showtime, because I don't subscribe to that channel either.  

Yes, I snapped the picture of toddler Zach from the opposite side of the fish tank.
I kinda liked the effect, too.

Thank you for visiting my thread and for your comments, as always, Cher.

...

Well, just when the Haevens decided to sacrifice their basketball court, build on another bedroom for Zach and do some redecorating ...
All hell done broke loose in the household!

Both Evie and Zen got their wish for another child ... in duplicate! Yes, TWINS!
Oy vey! I certainly wasn't expecting that, but I must admit, I'm rather tickled in a strange, maniacal, masochistic sorta way.  

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I hadn't thought of that issue with apartments, Em.
There's no adding on. Moving out and starting in a new place is the only option with your growing families.
It is a time consuming, not-necessarily-fun and tedious business for me. Is it the same for you?

I wonder if there are any cheats I can use to at least build extra walls within the apartment or add windows. I knew I cheat that would let me access build mode in dorms, but I don't think it worked with apartments.

Yes, it's the same for me, absolutely! I often just want to jump into playing and not take the time to furnish or decorate more than I have to and the sim days start to get away from me.

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The girls also make an exception to letting Orion in their private space when he is itchin' to make their beds.
Smart girls are they.

Who could say no to that!

Zach and Sunny are cute. I can see Maddie knows exactly what is expected of her!

Yay for twins! I hope the Haevens can keep up with the building and remodeling necessary for their expanding family.