Hi Five

This is Aspen, first-born of gen five.

“Gotta run! First day of school. The school bus is waiting!”

She was such a happy baby. She only cried once, and by the time I realized she was crying, I-dub had already gotten out of bed and was feeding her.

Ironwood is a loving and nurturing father.

“Num-num! Gonna be a glutton like your papa?”

Maybe because both parents have steel bladders, we never had to change Aspen’s diapers! Not once, all during her infancy.

“I’ve learned the magical art of transpiration.”

She looks like such a happy kid, and generally she is, but she rolled the gloomy trait.

“I know I look happy! And I am. But underneath this smiling exterior, I’ve got a blue thundercloud that’s raining raindrops.”

Now we have three gloomy females at Cradle Rock.

I expected that the women and Aspen would bond over their gloominess, but when they share melancholy thoughts with each other, it actually erodes their relationship.

In fact, one morning, after Aspen shared her sorrows with her mom, Linda was so upset that she had to spend an hour in a bubble bath to get back on an even keel.

“We three decided that we get along best when we keep things light.”

I guess it makes sense. I’ve got the cheerful trait, and my lifetime boyfriend and most of my closest friends have the gloomy trait. A few years back, while navigating the shifting hormones of midlife, I was gloomy for awhile. I thought my new-found gloominess would bring me closer to my gloomy friends, but it turned out they missed the sunniness!

Gloomy Sims, like gloomy people, have enough of their own sense of the melancholy–they don’t need anyone to amplify it.

So now, the girls sit around joking instead, and they’re much happier and closer to each other!

Willow, who has taken the stage name of The Weeping Willow, takes her comedy seriously. Right now, all her efforts are focused on her Joke Star aspiration and her career as a comedian.

The Weeping Willow finds comedic potential in the most serious of matters.

Her dedication to her career reminds me a lot of Mesquite, gen 2 spare. Cedar was not able to reach the top of the astronaut career in her lifetime, so when Mesquite chose to become an astronaut, his main focus in life was to complete that goal for his mom.

Palo Verde, the Royal Llama Tamer, came so close to reaching the top of the comedian career, but he met his demise on the day that he would have received his final promotion. So the Weeping Willow has taken up the torch, and with a single-minded focus, she’s putting all she has into reaching the success that just eluded her father.

Even as a little child, Willow was interested in comedy. She spent hours at home parties listening to the entertainers perform routines.

Willow spent hours listening to her dad practice his routines, too.

She’s not naturally funny, like Palo Verde was; she’s a serious comedian. She’s always smiling, yet her smile isn’t one to make you laugh. It’s a smile that makes you… think. She’s cerebral.

“It’s a postmodern style of humor, actually.”

Willow shows no interest in romance at the moment. She has four really good male friends, and they come over often, and Javier invites her over to his place to hang out.

Hanging out with Javier and his roomies, who happen to be the town mixologists.

But nothing romantic has developed. I got my hopes up when Willow met Gideon (don’t you just love that name?), who is a family-oriented, bookworm of a goofball. A goofball! And when Willow first introduced herself to him, he was immediately flirty.

In my mind, I had it all planned out, “The Return of the Goofball,” and I was even wondering if I could twist the succession rules a bit to allow a spouse with the exemplar trait to count for heir. But time has passed, and neither Willow nor Gideon seem interested in anything other than a family friendship.

At this point, Aspen is better friends with Gideon than her aunt is!

Aspen made friends with Gideon when he came over to hang out with Willow.

Aspen is adept at making friends. That’s lucky, for she rolled the Social Butterfly aspiration! That’s the one childhood aspiration I hadn’t yet completed, and the one I dreaded most. But Aspen is so well suited for it that she’s changing my mind!

Willow has become Aspen’s BFF, and this delights me to no end! I’ve always had a special friendship with my aunt, and one of my nieces and I share a special affinity, so it brings me joy to see a niece and aunt become the best of friends.

“When I grow up, I hope I’m as awesome as you are!”

While I was debating whether Linda and I-dub would create a sibling for Aspen, Linda rolled the wish to “try for baby” with I-dub. Thank you for making the decision for us, Cupcake!

Ironwood heard that he would be a father on the morning of his birthday.

“I just decided to take matters into my own hands. I mean, you don’t seem that interested in motherhood at this point, Willow, so that leaves the responsibility of creating the spare to me and I-dub.”

Ironwood’s birthday party was a silver-medal success, but the ranking doesn’t reflect how much fun everyone had! I’ll take a silver medal party when everybody’s having a great time over a gold medal party when everybody’s miserable any time!

“I wish our happiness continues.”

I love the way I-dub looks as an adult. He has crows-feet and the sweetest Cary-Grant dimple!

The mature Ironwood counts his blessings–it takes all ten fingers!

You know it’s been a great party when, even while exhausted, you can still smile while clearing up the dirty dishes. They partied the whole night through.

“Just. So. Happy.”

When Saturday rolled around, Willow and Aspen decided to head to the park. Willow needed to earn tips for both her next promotion and milestone, and Aspen needed to befriend five children for her aspiration.

In unison: “Ah! The blue sky! The fresh air! The flying… what is that?”

The trip was a success. Willow performed on the open mic at the park and chipped away at the tips she needed, and Aspen met five boys on the pirate ship, and befriended all but one of them.

Using AkramA’s tip, she quickly befriended the fifth boy by chatting with him when she got home. Aspiration complete with seven days left of childhood!

“Yes! A new friend!”

That should be enough time for a second aspiration and to earn that A in school.

One consequence of befriending five boys is that now Aspen has lots of visitors.

“I’m glad you guys don’t hold with gender stereotypes! Dolls are for everyone!”

I moved the boys and their families into houses in town, so they’ll be around to be lifetime friends of Aspen, if she wishes.

Ironwood, you’d better get used to having lots of boys dropping by!

“So, Kamden. What do you think? Is this boy good enough to be friends with our Aspen?”

Linda completed her curator aspiration, and she’s working on body builder now. She’s been exercising all through this second pregnancy.

I love the way the Cupcake looks when she’s in the zone!

Now, the new addition has joined the family.

Meet Madrona, the newest Bough on the family tree!

“Welcome to the world, little Madrona!”