#francesca bertram

Having a very strange time at the moment, and haven't had the time or energy for my Sims, but I'm trying to get back on track. Back to the Bertrams again today, where kids are sprouting up all over.

It's a quiet Sunday morning at home, and Julius makes the most of his last day for bouncing on the bed, before his birthday later!

A leisurely family breakfast...of spaghetti, for Eccentric Francesca.

And a family game of kicky bag, to round off the morning.

Well, that will be why Julia's cereal was making her feel a bit queasy earlier on!

Extended family drop in, to celebrate with the two birthday boys. Julia clearly didn't feel like dressing for the occasion. (And is having prenatal doughnut cravings, it seems.)

At least she put on some clothes to go outside, and explain the facts of life to her slightly perplexed nephew Marcus.

Crawford prefers to spy on his neighbours in his bath towel. Eccentric, or misunderstood genius? I'll let you decide.

One last noogie from big brother Francis...

...and Julius's teen transformation is complete.

~ Aries 6 / 3 / 5 / 5 / 2

~ Shy / Anxious / Loves the Outdoors / Hot-Headed

~ OTH: Tinkering

~ Favourite Colour(s): Grey

~ Aspiration: Knowledge

~ Turn-ons / -off: +Alien / +Reserved / -Supernatural

It's youngest Timothy's birthday too.

~ Taurus 10 / 8 / 10 / 7 / 10

~ Eccentric / Friendly / Adventurous

~ OTH: Arts & Crafts

~ Favourite Colour(s): Blue

We're back with the Tilneys today...

...where Felix is still being an exemplary big brother to Dinah.

It's Friday night, so Dora invites her good friend Estella over to hang out.

And Felix extends an invitation to his best friend Francesca...

...for a little well-received flirting.

Uncle Lucas drops in too.

Aww, Shy dancing.

Little Dinah isn't entirely sure what's going on, but she's happy for her big brother, that Francesca seems to like him a lot - after all, she thinks he's the best, so why shouldn't everyone else?

A crush is born!

Swiftly followed by a first kiss for both of them! Felix doesn't seem quite so Shy, when it comes to Francesca.

They've only just shared their first kiss, Estella, so maybe it's a little premature to be thinking of engagement just yet?

So many of my youngsters are now entering their teenage years - ah, they grow up so fast!

Francesca takes the lead - as always.

Ooh, she's turning out well! I think the Churchill genes are dominant here.

~ Aries 7 / 0 / 7 / 4 / 3

~ Brave / Eccentric / Loves the Outdoors / Brooding

~ OTH: Tinkering

~ Favourite Colour(s): Turquoise

~ Aspiration: Knowledge

~ Turn-ons / -off: +Alien / +Reserved / -Fun-Loving

Twin brother Francis is close behind - also looking good!

~ Aries 9 / 0 / 4 / 6 / 2

~ Eccentric / Perfectionist / Workaholic / Natural Cook

~ OTH: Cuisine

~ Favourite Colour(s): Yellow

~ Aspiration: Knowledge

~ Turn-ons / -off: +Alien / +Foodie / -Practical

And both of them have a bit of a thing for aliens, it seems.

This is standard behaviour in the Bertram household, and visitors just have to deal with it.

Hmm, Francesca's lack of social graces doesn't seem to be off-putting to her childhood friend Felix though...

To celebrate the double birthday, Julia whips up a special treat - Crepes Suzette! (Exactly what are those pink lumps supposed to be?)

They may be a family of solid introverts, but the Sanditon Bertrams have been entertaining a stream of visitors lately.

Julia's youngest brother William drops by.

Cousin Janet comes home from school with Julius, but ends up spending time with the littlest Bertram, Timothy, and his Wobbly Wabbit.

And old friend Georgiana calls in too.

It's all a bit much for Crawford, when he comes home from work with a stinking cold, so he escapes into a soothing bubble bath.

And Francesca retreats to the garden, to lose herself in the night sky.

The next morning, Crawford is feeling a bit brighter.

The boys are - uncharacteristically - playing contentedly together.

While poor Julia is being insulted in her own home by a random stranger who invited himself in!

Annabel really does get everywhere in my game - she has more friends and acquaintances than any Sim I've ever known! Today she came home from school with Madeleine.

Being an enthusiastic student of Sim culture, Green Bean is keen to pass on his knowledge of Twikkii local customs. Lydia is game to have a go...

..but Annabel is merely bemused.

These kids just love the snow!

A rare appearance in the wild of super-shy Francesca! She has zero Shy/Outgoing points, but it seems perhaps she's making a friend in Madeleine, who's completely at the other end of the spectrum (with 10 points). 😊

And then Madeleine suddenly sprouts into teenhood, with Snowbert presiding. (Another birthday that took me by surprise.)

~ Libra 3 / 10 / 6 / 9 / 9

~ Friendly / Charismatic / Born Salesperson / Flirty

~ OTH: Arts & Crafts

~ Favourite Colour(s): Purple

~ Aspiration: Popularity / Pleasure

~ Turn-ons / -off: +Daydreamer / +Outgoing / -Alien (I guess it's the equivalent of a non-alien Sim being attracted to aliens?)

Now that both girls are teens, they're becoming even closer.

But they're also both careful not to leave out their kid brother Octavius.

Oh, and guess who just had to put in an appearance? In true Lydia style, Grim catches her in her undies.

There's still a chance though...

Nope, Lydia is resolutely staying put - she's not going to be hustled off the mortal coil like that!

It's a long while since we've visited the Bertrams, so let's see what they're up to.

We're just in time to catch a touching moment between father and son. Edmund found the news of the unexpected demise (aged only 60, in my game years) of his contemporary, George Knightley, to be rather sobering, but William tries to reassure his dad that he's going to be around for a good while longer yet.

Although the Bertrams aren’t really party people, it's pretty much open-house for friends and family to drop round whenever they like.

Theophilus in particular has quite a collection of chums, including Anthony,

...Giles,

...and his cousin Francesca.

William, being a caring, but Shy lad, prefers hanging out with childhood pal Boo,

...dancing self-consciously, even when he's alone,

...or immersing himself in his favourite culinary pursuits. He clearly still needs a bit of practice with a chopping knife though.

Doofus Boo also still has a lot to learn. After all these years, he still hasn't figured out that the sofa is not an acceptable place to pee.

The Bertram family is expanding again.

And here he is - new son, Julius!

Julia takes an unconventional approach to caring for three infants at the same time.

Perhaps it's for the best when the twins age up. Francis goes first - what a dapper little chap!

~ Aries 9 / 0 / 4 / 6 / 2

~ Eccentric / Perfectionist

~ OTH: Cuisine

And Francesca follows later that day - she definitely takes after her grandfather Frank.

~ Aries 7 / 0 / 7 / 4 / 3

~ Brave / Eccentric

~ OTH: Tinkering

Julius isn't far behind - he borrowed his older brother's outfit for the occasion, and has a strong resemblance to his sister.

~ Pisces 6 / 3 / 5 / 5 / 2

~ Shy / Worrier

~ OTH: Tinkering

Three toddlers at once are of course a complete handful.

And it's a bit of a relief when Frank and Mary pay an unexpected visit.

But despite the plaintive entreaties of their granddaughter...

Toddler chaos still reigns.

Francesca is proving to have a very dominant personality, keeping younger brother Julius firmly in his place.

And growing up at quite a pace.

~ Aries 7 / 0 / 7 / 4 / 3

~ Brave / Eccentric / Loves the Outdoors

~ OTH: Tinkering

~ Favourite Colour(s): Turquoise

She is of course matched by her twin Francis.

~ Aries 9 / 0 / 4 / 6 / 2

~ Eccentric / Perfectionist / Workaholic

~ OTH: Cuisine

~ Favourite Colour(s): Yellow

Francesca knows absolutely everything there is to know about balloon animals, and loves to regale the whole dinner table with her wisdom.

Julius soon catches up with his siblings.

~ Pisces 6 / 3 / 5 / 5 / 2

~ Shy / Anxious / Loves the Outdoors

~ OTH: Tinkering

~Favourite Colour(s): Grey

Now that the kids are a bit more self-sufficient, there's time to finally plan and execute a wedding!

It might be a chilly winter's day, but that doesn't hinder the romance of the occasion one bit.

The newlyweds even manage to squeeze in a brief honeymoon.