#francis bertram

This is the last we'll see of this particular bunch of Bertrams for a little while.

Swift on the heels of multiple family birthdays, is the safe arrival of another daughter for Julia and Crawford. They name her Deborah.

Unfortunately, Julius has to miss his first day at high school - and a chance to show off his trendy new haircut - thanks to a bout of pneumonia! (I recently installed the 'realistic sickness' mod from MATY, and had a fright from how rapidly my Sims became seriously ill, and how much care they now need in order not to keel over!)

A bit of TLC from mum is what's needed.

And he's soon feeling well enough to challenge her to a pillow fight...

...and preside over his baby sister's birthday.

~ Libra 4 / 4 / 6 / 5 / 2

~ Eccentric / Mean-Spirited

(Another grump!)

Older brother Francis likes to exercise his mean streak on a regular basis - on this occasion mocking his dad's work colleague Martha for recently losing her mother to the Grim Reaper! How low can you get?

Julius is soon up and about again, and able to join his older siblings at high school, where he starts getting up to youthful hijinks with some of his fellow students, including Annemarie...

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

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?)

Benjamin has the face of a man who is not looking forward to what comes next.

It's nowhere near as bad as he anticipated though, and at the end of it, they have a new son - Joshua!

Another redhead, with his grandma Jane's light turquoise eyes.

~ Aries 7 / 4 / 8 / 6 / 8

~ Athletic / Erratic

~ OTH: Fitness

Another grandchild for both Charles and Frederick to dote on.

And another playmate for Moody.

With two out of three bedrooms now housing cots and toys, Benjamin has to dismantle his dedicated studio and find a new place to work - on the landing.

Annabel meanwhile is getting to know her classmates at school, including Georgina and Francis.

Moody is always Annabel's faithful sidekick in every game.

"Moody, kill!"

Which of course, he won't. Cousin Phineas is in far more in danger of being licked thoroughly than mauled.

Walter is however, living life on the edge. Thankfully, he survives the episode.

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.

We're spending some time with the Bertrams of Sanditon today, where the family is expanding once again.

Oldest child Francesca is still a force to be reckoned with, keeping her younger brothers in their place.

It looks like she will soon have another sibling to lord it over!

Julia is a happy mum-to-be though.

A quiet evening at home, with Crawford supervising homework while Julia naps. Francis is wondering whether he can copy his twin sister's answers without dad noticing...

In the Zone, and about to max out his Logic skill. He couldn't be a happier Knowledge Sim!

Ouch!

Ta-da! it's another boy, named Timothy.

Crawford, would you like to put down your logic toy for a moment, and say hello to your new son?

Random shot, because I liked the pretty snow. *_*

Esther drops by unannounced, and finds herself in the middle of after-school playtime!

Outside, I'm really happy to see two of my shyest Sims - Felix and Francesca - making a friend outside the family.

Francis is really excited about the prolonged spell of snowy weather this winter; although younger brother Julius is far more interested in sleeping.

Crawford shows Julia how it's done.

Happy birthday, toddler Timothy! And he couldn't be more different to his introverted, grouchy siblings:

~ Taurus 10 / 8 / 10 / 7 / 10

~ Eccentric / Friendly

~ OTH: Arts & Crafts

As a result, he's more demanding of parental attention than the others have been.

Back at home with the Bertrams...

...Theophilus seems to have once again barged in on a tender moment.

And then it's family time again, with William visiting from college to eat burgers with them. He and big sister Julia were were not especially close when he was growing up, but they're forming more of a bond now that they're older.

Theophilus and cousin Francesca are still enjoying their regular chess games, but she's becoming a much more challenging opponent these days.

Francis clearly doesn't have a great deal of respect for his grandfather. Or maybe - knowing what a science fan Edmund is - he thought he might enjoy taking part in an 'experiment' on static electricity?

He also has his reservations about Boo, even though Edmund tries to reassure him that the family pooch is just a big old softie.

He prefers the ants, to be honest.

But like most of the family, William certainly loves the daft old dog.

And Theophilus is heart-broken, when out of the blue, it's time to say goodbye to him - they've been pals all their lives.

Fanny is distracted from their loss by finally getting a promotion that she's been looking forward to for a very long while (and a genie lamp into the bargain).

While Theophilus becomes embroiled in a love-hate relationship with new school chum Tosha Go. (I guess it's not serious with Alexander?)

In the end, they settle for a nice friendly game of rock-paper-scissors.