Wonderful life

Round 15: October 2023

Nyah Marlowe is 37, Thomas is 36, Skye is 11, Jett and Kyra are 9 and Lina is 7.

(Alexandra is 49, Quinn is 47 and Iona is 11.)

Narrated by Nyah Marlowe

We've been trying to spend even more time with the kids than usual since Ethan's death in August.It was such a shock for everyone but it's especially hard for the children to understand how a young person could die so suddenly.

Thomas got a promotion to Corporate Lawyer and he has to work long hours but he dedicates his free time to reading to the girls or playing catch with Jett. We're doing very well financially now so that's one less thing to stress about nowadays.

Skye has been begging us to let her start riding lessons for years now. There was no stopping her once Rhys Gallagher and his sister Rory moved in the neighborhood and started a riding school just across the street from our house. Thomas and I went with her for her first lesson - one of the reasons being that we wanted to be sure it's a good establishment with responsible adults looking after the kids. I was a bit hesitant when I realized how young the Gallagher siblings were - Rhys is 23 and Rory is 18 - but they seemed like they know what they're doing.

Rory helped Skye get the horse ready for the lesson and I could already tell that she will become Skye's idol. Much better choice than idolising some brainless pop princess.

The first few lessons are ridden without a saddle. "This way you feel the horse's movements better and can get used to riding" Rhys explained. I don't think I've ever seen Skye smile so widely before!

Skye would've probably wanted to take the horse home with her if it was possible. We practically had to drag her away from the stable.

I can't believe she's going to start high school next year. I can already see the first symptoms of puberty on her and Iona. They visit each other almost every day and spend most of their time gossiping.

I'm just glad that Skye has such a good friend. Thomas is already worrying that she'll probably start dating as soon as she goes to high school. He's not amused when I remind him that we were only 13 and 14 when we started dating.

With children developing so fast nowadays it's nice to see that at least Kyra and Lina don't think they're too old to play with the dollhouse they have in their room.

Jett still kisses me goodnight every evening before going to bed. Of course he's totally mortified if I even ruffle his hair in the public but deep down he's still mommy's little special guy.

We've been inviting Alexandra and Quinn over for a few times after August. Alexandra doesn't feel like going anywhere but everyone agrees that she has to get out of the house every now and then.

We try to keep the dinners really stress-free. Alexandra isn't quite ready to talk about what happened to Ethan although I know she goes to therapy. I guess it's easier to talk to an outsider than to someone who knew and loved Ethan.

I can't even imagine how she's feeling. The thought of losing a child is so terrifying that I can't even get myself to think about it.

I'm just very grateful for every moment I get to spend with my children.

Notes:

• Title reference: Wonderful life by Hurts.
• Sorry for the long hiatus. I was feeling quite uninspired with the game for some time but I think I've gotten the good ol' Sims spirit back and will hopefully get a few more updates done this year. 
• Skye rolled the ros Night out with 2 closest sims and I chose to send her out for a riding lesson. The riding school (called Allerdale Equestrian Centre) is still mostly under construction but I'll post a tour once it's finished. The Gallagher siblings are the newest addition to my playable NPCs and I've updated the page with some info about them.