Life As A Collins

This tumblr showcases the lives of my fundie sims, and therefore will contain (very) conservative christian messaging which will include (but isn't limited to): biblical messaging, religious rituals, traditional gender roles and the enforcement of them, bigotry of all kinds, pro-life messaging, mentions of pregnancy and pregnancy loss, infertility, birth complications, and death.

Consequently, I do not share the same ideals as my sims. This whole thing is just a way for me to be creative and document the lives of my sims, and is sort of a way to snark on the fundamentalist views I was raised on as well as the lifestyle. I'd also like to add that I'm not American, so a lot of things will seem 'international', especially when it comes to my spelling. However, in my mind the country that my sims live in is definitely based on America due to the variety of terrain available within the country and (mainly) the way that american christian fundamentalism has been broadcast in media.

✨Let the snarking continue✨

MOBILE LINKS:

To view the story from the start, click here

Family Tree

Founder's Introduction

2nd Generation Characters

3rd Generation Characters

(Narrator) Bursting with pride at her family, Lea took to SimBook to catalogue their updated family picture. This year they celebrated Harvestfest with almost all of their extended family so her kids and grandkids (the out of town ones anyway) travelled into Newcrest and stayed with her and Branden. Now that Tanner and his wife Tabitha have moved back to Newcrest they've got 2 grandbabies near them all the time.

Caption:

"Happy Harvestfest from our family to yours, the kids came to us in Newcrest this year and we couldn't be more thankful. Always love getting to see the kids and the grandbabies, the Lord has been very good to us and we praise Him for doing so."

gabihunt748

(Narrator)

Sometimes forgotten by their creator (AN: Out of sight truly does sometimes mean out of mind HAHA) it was time for James and Emma to get a little spotlight, considering their storyline. As this would be their first Harvestfest with their baby boy, James' family wanted to come and celebrate the holiday with them. Funnily enough, Harvestfest isn't considered a holiday in Henford-on-Bagley, so they celebrated as a family over the weekend. James and Emma are missionaries and have helped grow their church into a flourishing congregation and are enjoying their work alongside their baby boy.

Caption:

"Such a blessing to be able to be able to travel to Henford-on-Bagley to visit with James and Emma for Harvestfest! Harvestfest isn’t actually a holiday in this area so we brought the holiday to them and encouraged them as they serve in the mission field here. Little William is such a darling, he remembers us from our video chats and we’re so happy to be here with them."

Comments:

"So glad you were able to be together for Harvestfest, little William is such a dear." - Claire Paulson - Danielle's twin sister "Such nice pictures, love you guys." - Casandra Collins - Danielle's sister-in-law "Lovely pictures, hope the weather was great when you went, we got scattered rain. Isn’t Will so cute." - Janet McNally, James' Mother-in-law/Emma's mother/William's other grandmother "Thank you, we had a few drips and drops but other than that it was cold and windy with periodic sunshine. William is such a dear, we’ll call you soon." - Reply by Danielle "Nice pictures, the kids are getting so big. Praying for you all." (John &) Audrey Matthews - family friend and NBC member

Pictures are below the cut

Harvestfest was a hit! Since Sabrina and Tucker have a newborn, we travelled with them in a van so we could help with the kids as all 3 are in diapers. Celeste, Reid, and their twins chose to fly then drive so the distance would be shorter as the twins have reached the stage where they don't want to be in their car seats for too long. Our entire extended family had the main Harvestfest dinner at the rec hall of Newcrest Baptist, so we had a very large family dinner on the actual day of. Before Harvestfest we were doing a lot of preparation because there were more than 150 people that we'd be taking part in providing food for, the craziest thing about that is that we'd all be related in one way or another - some more than once! (AN: referring to siblings that married into the family i.e. Tessa & Tabitha, Madelyn & Felix) We all got to do the usual family pictures as well as general pictures, it's such a blessing to get together with one another like that, especially with so many people in so many different seasons of life.

My mother always wants an updated sibling picture whenever we can take one, we've been blessed to have always been able to make it to Harvestfest so there's always been an opportunity for a picture, but you never know where life will take you in coming times. I feel so blessed seeing my siblings with their own families, it feels like just yesterday we were being told about another sibling on the way and praying for them then eventually getting to meet said siblings, especially if they were home as I'd often get to be present. I sometimes feel like my siblings were my children before I actually birthed my own children, I used to help them with homework which became hearing them spill about who they were courting, then with their weddings and now them having children we discuss milestones and all of that. One can't help but praise the Lord for all of His goodness and mercy at being able to witness such.

We've had 2 of the 4 expected babies born, so we all got to meet Bowman Crawford and Jacob Paulson (amongst many other new additions) whilst we fellowshipped together.

Happy Harvestfest! We survived the journey to Newcrest and made it in one piece, we did have to stop a few times to feed the girls and for bathroom breaks but other than that we made it to Newcrest 2 days before Harvestfest so we could have a day to unwind from the journey but also so I could help my mother and sisters with preparation. The boys stay in the boys room since all my brothers are married with their own households, they love getting to sleep in their uncles' room, it makes them feel grown up and is a giant sleepover. AJ and Benji came over and they had a sleepover for the entire time we were in town so it was great that the boys got to spend time with their cousins. Getting to be in the kitchen with my mother and sisters again was so refreshing for my soul. Beckett and Mandy were also in town for Harvestfest as well as to fundraise for their work in the mission field. They're back for longer than usual as they want to see a doctor to get more answers on their chances of having children. They've been married for 6 years and have not gotten any straight answers on why they've been unable to conceive a child, we pray that they get the answers that they seek.

We actually had our main Harvestfest celebrations at Newcrest Baptist's hall in a combined dinner with our extended family, so we prepared all the food as arranged in our groups then headed to church for an (almost all family) service then we had our meal. My uncle Branden led us in a prayer of thanksgiving, with my dad handling the sermon and my aunt Claire and my sister Zoe handling the music for the day. It was such a blessing to be with almost my entire extended family as we gathered to praise and thank the Lord for all that He has done in our lives over the past year. There have been A LOT of new babies born so there was a mini introduction for them as well since they will have their own dedication services at a later date. It was so good to get up with the twins and introduce them to almost all of their Collins side of the family.

When we were done at church, we headed back to my parents house and gathered there for dinner with just us (my siblings and their families) and did the celebrations for the autumn birthdays. I think autumn is the smallest birthday month because there was only me (turning 36), Barrett and Macie (turning 35) from the siblings then Andrew (Priscilla) who turned 5, Hazel (Reece) who turned 5, Sofia (Zoe, held by Macie) who turned 1, and Jaxton (Charles) who also just turned 1. Barrett held his newest addition Timothy, his and Kyleigh's 13th child, and I held Amelia who is Parker and Lana's newborn. Funnily enough, Ruth & Rachael were actually born at the end of the summer, so they missed out on this years' birthday shoot by a few weeks but will be there next year.

It's so heartwarming to see my parents still so in love with each other! They celebrate 37 years married this winter and are such an inspiration to us with how they serve each other in their relationship and work to put each other first. They serve the congregation at Newcrest Baptist while also being active parents and very active grandparents and for that we are very grateful. They have 38 grandchildren that have been born, and who knows whether we'll get a pregnancy accountment soon and have that number change very soon - with our family it's a very strong possibility.

[1] Adalynn & Chloe, Barrett and Allan Jr, Macie & Benjamin, Zoe & Rose [2] Maggie & Violet, Reece & Daisy, Beckett & Marigold, Amira & Olivia [3] Priscilla & Preston, Annette & Jefferson, Charles & Jackson, Parker & Lilliana [4] Ashton & Timothy

Our church recently hosted a ladies' meeting specifically catering to widows & elderly ladies who have served in various roles within the church. The women's ministry team planned it for weeks and we gathered young men from our church and from churches in the area to be the waiters for our guests. Noah and his friends volunteered for this worthy cause, it's important for our children to learn to serve others. Noah is already such a great servant in the home, so it warmed my heart when he told me that he had volunteered to help with the serving along with his friends. I contributed a meal to the meeting so I drove him over and handed it over to the kitchen team before taking a few pictures of the boys before I left.

We leave for Newcrest in a few days so I'm in the packing trenches trying to get everyone arranged whilst also making sure that the house is clean before we leave because there's nothing like coming home to a clean house. The boys do good work at keeping things clean but for this pre-trip deep clean I had to do it myself and get into every crevice to make sure that things were spotless. We get the kids used to the sound of the vacuum cleaner when they're young so that they adjust to loud noises and are able to sleep through the various sounds in our chaotic household. Sometimes I can get caught up in the stress of everything I need to get done, but growing up my mother would always say to turn everything into an opportunity to praise the Lord. As a married woman with a household of my own, I've maintained the habit of thanking the Lord for having a family to clean up after, saying a prayer with each fold of laundry, singing my way through a hymnbook, and just overall having a grateful heart and pleasant attitude about things. Being a keeper of the home is the most important job the Lord has seen fit to give me and I intend on giving my very best.

We've fallen into a nice routine at the new house, the kids are rolling along with their work as we start the new school year. Aria turns 10 and Ansel is 9 this winter so they've started 5th and 4th grade for this school year. Their curriculum is great and we've all been loving it, plus it's made our communication with the district really smooth. In Brindleton Bay and the county we're in, the school district gives all students (including homeschoolers) standardised tests twice a year. We do our testing at a co-op with a proctor from the local school administration and the kids always pass with ease. My homeschooling journey so far has been easy, though when the 4 littles start school I know that will be an entirely different journey in itself, but I know the Lord will help us through it.

The kids' violin lessons are going great, they've got a recital in a few weeks so there's been loads of practice here. They're also both doing piano lessons with me, but soon they'll be starting lessons with my mother online. That opens me up to do other things around the house while also giving them bonding time with Grangran (my mum)

We have a cow! We have yet to name her but she's a very valued member of the family. The kids are responsible for the animals entirely now (for things within their ability) so Aria wakes up and milks the cow, then handles cleaning both the cow and her enclosure and making sure she has enough food.

With Aria's main focus being the cow, Ansel now handles the chickens. We've got more chickens coming soon as we did have a few chickens be turned into dinner, so for now he's only got a few to look after. As we head into the colder months they'll slow down on the egg laying, so we're appreciating what we can get while we can.

I've been working to get a proper garden up and running, I planted more winter vegetables and some autumn ones for us to enjoy while they're in season. The previous owners left us a tonne of rose bushes so I can't wait for them to bloom and be gorgeous, I've been approached by local flower shops about our flowers as they used to buy them from the previous owners, so there's a new unexpected earning opportunity for us! Praise the Lord for his guidance in leading us to buy this house and opening this door for us to earn more.

I've finally got around to putting up pictures in the house, this collage is by the entry way and feels like a walk down memory lane. There's definitely more pictures I need to put up, we're taking our most updated family photo soon so that shall be put up as soon as we take it, Lord willing of course. Our family photos don't stay up to date for very long, so here's to hoping I can get around to getting it up on the

Little Timothy has been progressing so well, the newborn stage goes by in such a flash that I make every effort to soak it all in. He may be by 13th newborn but each child is so different that it's like having my first child all over again. Timothy is actually the only child to be born in the autumn, I don't know how it took us 13 children to finally have one in the autumn but he's got that season to himself. He does however share his birthday season with his dad, which is also special.

We got to dress up and head out to dinner to celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary, we went to our favourite restaurant as we got a voucher from a family friend as a gift. Allan and Casandra were watching the kids for the night so we were able to enjoy ourselves, along with little Timothy in his bassinet. It's funny how life is, ever since our 1st anniversary I've either been pregnant or we've brought a newborn baby to dinner with us.

Casandra and I were discussing how time has just flown by! The Lord worked it out so that Barrett and I met, courted, got engaged, and got married within a year! (AN: You can find their love story here) It truly felt like the Lord worked it all out for His good, we're celebrating 12 years married just having our 13th child, we have a house full of happy and healthy children that we are raising to be soldiers for the Lord and his Glory. We've weathered life's storms together and have leaned on each other just as the Lord planned. I always tell the kids that the power of prayer can move mountains, had Barrett and I (as well as our parents) not been praying about the matter then I don't think things would have happened the way they did. I wouldn't change a thing about how things happened as I believe that the Lord planned it perfectly, and it indeed was perfect.

Eliza and the kids came over one afternoon and the kids were able to meet the babies, little -- was over the moon at having two baby girls living next door. She's the only girl in a house full of boys so she's always asking to come over and coo at the girls, she's even offered to come and help me take care of them if I ever need her! I've been blessed with many hands that are available to help when needed, but it's so precious that she insists on helping whenever she comes over. She's going to be such a great mother one day, should the Lord will it.

It's great having Eliza over to chat, being able to fellowship with a fellow with and mother is always good for the soul. As we approach holiday season there's loads of things with our out of town family and our church that are happening so we were figuring out how we were going to manage it. We're travelling into Newcrest for Harvestfest with my family very soon so that's what we've been preparing for. Travelling long distance with two newborns is definitely something that's going to test us on our journey, we have a 15 passenger van so we're fine on space but with so many little legs we do stop for breaks. There's going to be loads of prayer carrying us on our journey, before we leave we talk to all the kids on the importance of a good attitude, and the ride is a great example for them to show that they do have a good attitude.

Now that my family has gone back home and we're truly on our own in the house, Parker and I have adjusted to our new routine with baby now that he's at work full time again. We still tag team during the nightshift, but I still take on most of the work so Parker can sleep in and head to work early in the morning. Amelia isn't the best sleeper, she's quite restless so we have to take turns walking around to put her to sleep as she only wants to be held.

yesitskelsey_

I'm working on a post that should be posted tonight, but I wanted to post this before I forgot to again. I have plans for Lana to do a simstagram story Q&A/simstagram live type of session starting with herself then potentially having different family members joining in. In an attempt to get a variety of questions, I thought I'd open up the floor and have you guys submit questions that you think would be entertaining for Lana and/or other family members to answer.

There's like 5-7 (maybe even 10 if I get ahead of myself) posts that'll come before I can even think to get that post together (because I've decided to make the poses I need for my Harvestfest posts) so this is definitely something that can pile up and I just work my way through them as I make the post.

Life with little Amelia has definitely been a learning curve, getting discharged from the NICU and finding our routine has put us through our paces. She's been given a clean bill of health when we visit for her shots, so we praise the Lord that there's nothing else we need to worry about, we just pray for more grace and strength as we make our way through the newborn trenches.

My mum and my sister were already here with us, but my dad came down to stay with us for a bit so he could meet little Amelia before they would all head home. It's been such a blessing having them here with us, healing from my surgery scars has been tough so I've been sleeping a lot and unable to lift anything else except baby so my mum and sister have been doing the lionshare of the work whilst Parker and I focus on baby.

Sabrina went into labour early one morning, she started at home and continued in hospital, labouring for almost 36 hours with her husband Tucker by her side.