Fall 2012 - First

Seth (46), Ivy (43), Kendra (10), Jared and Leah (2)

In the First household the twins were turning 2.  The family had a quiet celebration at home.

And then continued on with their daily routine.  Seth and Ivy would get the twins up in the morning

before the babysitter arrived and they left for work and Kendra left for school.

Kendra and Seth would be home first in the afternoon and spend some quality time together.

Unless Kendra had invited a friend home from school,

then Seth would help the nanny get the twins up from their nap.

The nanny knew Seth had a strong interest in stargazing and was curious if he'd ever seen any signs of alien life.

Ivy was still working long hours at the lab and usually got home late.  If the twins were still up she'd spend some time with them before putting them to bed for the night.

On her days off, she tried to catch up on the housework or yardwork.

And the little ones, especially, were always eager for some extra attention from their mommy.

When they weren't getting into trouble.  They were at the age where they could really be a handful.

Work was taking up a lot of both parents' time.  Seth had recently had a proposal accepted to build a local medical and research center in New Eden.  He and Bruce Lillard, the former chief of staff in Eden, were working hard to get everything together and running smoothly.

Back in the spring, when the McMillians had been in town visiting, Bruce had invited his niece and fellow doctor, Suzanna, to check out the work they had done.

It was kind of nice seeing an old friend again after so many years.  They had parted ways after college and since had found happy marriages, had children, and had been successful in their careers.

Since Apple Valley had a medical center for many years, Bruce and Seth were sure that Suzanna would have some helpful suggestions for making their endeavor work.

She was quick to point out a few minor glitches that would need to be addressed.

And she was excited about the research facilities located in the building.

That was Seth's favorite part too. His field was more in medical research than medical practice.  He knew as a professional scientist Ivy was excited about the new facility too.

Seth was going to have to get used to the idea of medical practice soon.  Since the newly opened center already had two patients.  Both were suffering from severe food poisoning.

"You just need to rest, take it easy for awhile and make sure you take in plenty of fluids."
"But I have so much to do at school with finals coming up."
"I know how that is, but right now taking care of your health, Violet, is more important."

After checking on his patients and after Bruce had finished giving Suzanna a tour of the facility, she stopped by Seth's office to say goodbye.

"It's too bad you have to go back to Apple Valley already.  Next time you're in town, Ivy and I will have to have you and Bradford and the girls over for dinner."

Amidst the seemingly fluid everyday routine, family strife was brewing underneath the surface.  Ivy was not happy

and Seth realized he was going to have to spend a little more time paying attention to his wife.

He promised her some night soon they'd hire a babysitter to watch the kids and go out for a night on the town.

Summer 2011 - First

Seth (39), Ivy (36), Kendra (9), Jared and Leah (1)

The First household was settled into a nice routine.  As soon as he came home from work, Seth would chow down on whatever leftovers Ivy had made earlier in the day,

then he'd head upstairs to take care of the babies,

so his wife could catch some much needed sleep.

The babies and Ivy in bed, he hoped on the computer to do some research until Kendra got home from school,

then they'd head outside for some one on one, daddy-daughter play time in the front yard,

before it was time for the babies' afternoon feeding.  By then Ivy would be well rested enough to enjoy some time with the family.

If they were lucky, they'd find at least a few moments to let each other know how happy they were to be married to the other.

As she was getting older, Kendra was starting to become more independent.  She was making her own friends at school.  She often invited her best friend, Bridget over.  Bridget was a lot younger, but there weren't really any kids in the hood that were any closer to Kendra's age, so she didn't mind that Bridget was only in first grade, when she was in fourth.

She was also developing her own hobbies as well.

She really enjoyed playing chess and was glad when she could get some special time alone with her mom and dad.

Soon Ivy would be returning to work, so the family had to employ a nanny on a regular basis.  She arrived just in time to change the babies' diapers.

Once the babies were taken care of, she let Kendra entertain herself, and the cat, while she caught up on her favorite soaps.

Kendra was always glad when her parents came home from work at the end of the day.

She couldn't wait to spend time with them.

And they with her.  As she was getting older, it was fun to watch her develop her own interests and grow into the sim she would become in the future.  They could hope for nothing more than for her to remain the sweet girl she is now.

Spring 2010 - First

Seth First (38), Ivy First (35), Kendra First (8)

Ivy was up bright and early.  As usual she was on a slightly different schedule than the rest of the family.  She had been trying to get back in sync with Seth and Kendra, but pregnancy was playing havoc on her internal clock.  Taking good care of herself and her baby meant eating when she was hungry and sleeping when she was tired and that didn't always match up with when Kendra and Seth needed to eat or sleep. 

 So she was up well before dawn having pancakes along and hoping the leftovers would still be fresh when her husband and daughter were ready for breakfast.

Kendra, at least, was up in time to have warm pancakes.  Ivy was appalled by her daughter's table manners.  She made a promise to herself to take some time to teach her daughter better eating habits before she had a chance to eat like that in public.

By the time Seth arose to get ready for work, Ivy was already wearing down and had to lay down for a nap.  But she was patiently waiting to greet him as soon as he got home from work, eager to hear about his day, and just happy to spend time with him.

Seth had hoped to be at home when the big moment came, but unfortunately he was at work when Ivy went into labor and he could not get away.  With the help of a midwife, Ivy gave birth at home

to twins, one boy and one girl, Jared and Leah.

As soon as he was able to get away from work, Seth rushed home and to the nursery to see the newest additions to the family, only to find the cribs empty and Ivy resting peacefully in bed.

Hearing a noise downstairs, he followed the noise to the kitchen, where not one, but two nannies were taking care of the newborns.

He thanked them and quickly dismissed them from their services.  He was eager to take on the task of childcare and knew that he and Ivy could handle this on their own.

After all, there were two of them and two babies.  So while Ivy bathed one infant in the sink,

Seth was upstairs changing the other's diaper.

Somehow they even managed to grab a quick dinner together while the twins were napping and Kendra was upstairs looking through the telescope.

After dinner, they took advantage of a few quiet moments to play with the cat

and pursue their own hobbies before the babies were up and demanding their attention.