Gen 5 Chapter 12: Goodbye Cribs and Diapers!

So where was I? Ah, yes, the girls had just left for Prom! 

Well, back at  home, Sage was celebrating his birthday! Happy birthday Sage!

My word, 3 teenagers in this house now. I had a feeling Sage might be a little more of a handful as a teen, but I guess we'd just have to wait and see.

The girls came home just a minute before curfew, and trust me, we couldn't have missed it even if we wanted to. Juniper came running in, showing off the crown she got when she was voted Prom Queen! We were so proud of her. And to top it all off, Jazz finally asked her to officially be his girlfriend. I'm sure you can imagine that it was no small feat to get her to quiet down enough not to wake the toddlers.

And Ginger, when asked about how prom went just shrugged and said, "Pretty good, I guess,"  then went to her room. Confused, we asked Juniper what the deal was, and she said, "Well, when we first got there she got in a fight with someone because they were being mean to the class weirdo, and this one guy named Kidd Goldbeard saw it all, and was apparently impressed with Ginger, standing up to someone like that, and they were inseparable the rest of the night."

I don't know why Ginger kept to herself so much, I knew she was a good kid, and I made a mental note to tell her that I was proud of her for standing up for someone else.

Sage fell right into step with his sisters in helping out with his little brothers. I loved seeing the older ones loving on the younger ones, but there was no doubt about it, Basil and Curry were spoiled rotten. I'd almost bet they were now the most snuggled, tickled, cared for toddlers in all of Barnacle Bay!

"Patience, have you noticed anything strange going on with Ginger lately?"

"Um, no, I haven't. What do you mean?"

"Well, she's been turning down her sister for time to hang out, and yesterday, I saw her talking to herself again, like she used to when she was little."

"Wow, I didn't know that. I remember her having an Imaginary Friend when she was a child, but I thought it was only a phase and she outgrew it."

"Hm. I don't know. She seems more withdrawn. Should we be worried about her social skills?"

"I don't know. I have an idea. What if we take her with us to my boss' party this weekend.? We'll see how she does with new people and such. Maybe that will tell us something?"

"Good idea, if she'll go for it."

So, I asked her the next day, and at first she was reluctant, but when I mentioned that I was concerned about her making friends and getting out more, she quickly agreed.

My little boys were growing like weeds! They were now able to talk pretty well.

"No, mommy, not the claw!!!"

"EEEwwww... I'll be glad when they can use the big toilets like the rest of us."

My onion plant was growing well, and the onions were definitely great, but they were not as good as I was hoping. I really needed a better fertilizer to bring them to the quality I wanted. Looked like some more fishing trips were in my future!

On Friday, we let the kids invite over whoever they wanted, and of course, Juniper invited Jazz over, and Sage invited a boy from school named Topher.

Ginger, as usual, didn't have anyone in particular to invite over. I started to bring up the whole "I'm concerned about your social life" topic again. I suggested that maybe she should find a group or something to get involved in in school, and she at least agreed to try something. I told her she could pick whatever one she wanted, and she decided on a study group that met twice a week. At least she'd be out with kids her age a couple of afternoons a week!

I had to hand it to Ginger, though, she was the best with the twins. She just seemed to be a natural with children. I had a feeling she'd grow up to do something with children someday.

That weekend was the party at my boss' house, and Juniper and Sage agreed to babysit the youngest while we went out with Ginger to the party.

It was definitely a fun mix of people at the party, we all saw friends and acquaintances we hadn't visited with in a while, including some of Phillip's old friends from the School.

And, much to my surprise, Ginger was quite the little social bug! I saw her talking to several people during the party, and they seemed to be having an enjoyable conversation. I pointed that out to Phillip, and he whispered to me, "Maybe we're worrying for nothing." I nodded in agreement.

Jazz and Juniper were pretty serious now. I could tell that she really loved him. And, I'm guessing Jazz must have been feeling the same way, because we had an unexpected visit from him mother, Royal Velvetcake.

It's so nice to finally meet you Royal, come on in!

"Well, I decided it's finally time to meet the family of the girl who seems to have stolen my boy's heart."

Royal was probably one of the nicest people Phillip and I had ever met. 

She and her children had moved here from Sugar Valley after a bitter divorce. We could tell in the short time we spent with her that she was a loving, caring, devoted mother, and I felt so much better about Jazz and Juniper being together after our visit.  It was nice to know that my daughter was dating a very nice boy, with a wonderful parent. The way their relationship was going, I could see them together long term.

Ginger surprised us that next school day when she called us after school to ask to go over to her friends' house. I know, I was surprised too. She had been invited over by that boy who apparently had a crush on her, Kidd Goldbeard. 

What is funny is, they live across the road from us! So of course, I had no problem letting her go.

About this time, Juniper decided she really wanted to learn guitar. I'm not exactly sure what inspired her, but when she asked if she could get a guitar, I told her she could have my old guitar, one that had been passed down for generations in the Song Family. She loved it!

And, my co-worker did end up taking that job in Bridgeport, and naturally, his vacant spot fell to, ME! I was now the Executive Chef at the Scrumptious Nibbles!

The promotion I received also meant I got off work a little bit earlier, which apparently was needed now that there were 3 teens and 2 toddlers running around, keeping Phillip busy. One evening I had come home from work, and I happened to walk in the door right as Juniper and Jazz were making out on the couch! Of course, as soon as they heard me shut the door, they flew apart, and awkwardly sat in silence until I went to my bedroom to change.

Ginger was still going strong with her rock collecting.  She still hadn't found that particular rock she had been looking for ever since I could remember, but that didn't stop her from searching and taking copious notes of her ventures.

Time had finally caught up to my darling Phillip. His elder birthday came just as mine did, quietly and without too much fanfare. My Phillip looked took to old age well. He still had that twinkle in his eye that captivated me the moment I met him.
Happy Birthday!

But Phillip wasn't the only one with a birthday around here, Curry and Basil would be leaving their toddler days behind, and heading into childhood.

Happy Birthday Basil!

Happy Birthday Curry!

That was it! This house was officially done with cribs, baby toys, and potty chairs. A bittersweet feeling, for sure! But I was nothing but proud of my brood. 5 Song kids, all on their way to becoming the great people I knew each of them would be.



*Buckey's Notes*- So, this chapter was short, but there is only one more chapter left in this generation!
I've had a small hiccup with Patience, however, and I'm actually quite nervous, I don't know if I'm going to be able to pull off her finishing her LTW.  If you visit the Wishacy forum on the Sims 3 site, you know what I'm talking about. I have no idea when I'll get the last chapter out now, as it will all depend on if I can come up with a non-cheating solution to my problem. Soooo.... hopefully this won't be the last generation of the Song Wishacy! We shall see.....

Oh, and for those of you with the Pets EP, I'm sure you are realizing that Sim pets are wreaking havoc in your Wishacy households. Never fear, all of us over at the forum are talking through how to add rules for the Pets EP that are Wishacy friendly. So, look for changes to the rule page coming soon. :)