#itmeansiris

King and Queen Prescott. If they were royals

Thank you for the tag @perolesims @pamsimmer @simmerbeans 😊💕

❄️Emerson Love Church hails from too hot and too sunny Strangerville. Right from the beginning, she was born in the wrong world, during the wrong holiday, and definitely the wrong climate. No one loves Winter more than Emerson. Her Winterfest decor is up at the same time most Sims are picking a Halloween costume. You can trust her to be playing the newest and oldest Winterfest music, and best of all, every day is prime for hot cocoa and ice skating!

Transcript

🎨: Before I knew it, our court date had arrived. It was time to win this once and for all. We had everything we needed, including Bob, his husband Max, and their teen son, Iggy Pancakes. Eliza didn't even have a lawyer; just a smug smile she flashed at everyone present. She was too cocky for her own good, and her past was about to repeat itself. She would lose another child to the birth father and their partner, but I didn't think that was the part that would bother her.

First up was Lizbeth. And despite being the center of this whole court proceeding, she was cool as a cucumber.

Judge: Good morning Lizbeth do you know why you're here today?

Lizbeth: Good morning, your majesty. Yes! It's so that Mr. Esquire can help my mom become my real mom, like my dad did with my sister, Lane.

Judge: [chuckles] Your honor or judge will do. And yes, we are here to decide on the matter of custody and adoption. You will be asked some questions, and I want you to do your best to tell the truth. Can you do that?

🎨: I’m more like my dad all the time. When I was a teenager, my dad was teaching me about flower arranging when suddenly he was pulled into the sky by a strange light right from the garden.

*My game crashed after this and so I didn't get to see when they returned her or her moodlets.

🎨: Sasha asked if I was still meeting her and Junbug at Willow Creek Athletics for yoga. Willow Creek Athletics, unbeknownst to me, is owned and run by the Daniels. Yes, the same Austin Daniels and his soon-to-be ex-wife. Apparently, they still run the business together. He came nosing around while we were weightlifting. He hovered in our space, making faces in our direction. Eventually, he must have decided he needed to step in before someone got hurt in his establishment. Austin started correcting Sasha and Jun’s form until he noticed me. I’d intentionally had my back turned towards him, praying he wouldn't recognize me.

Of course, he did. I was polite when he came over to say hello, but we quickly abandoned the weights and headed up to the second level for yoga. To my disappointment, Caitlin Daniels was the instructor today. I’d never seen her run a class in all the time we’d been coming here. I hadn’t even known the Daniels were the owners till now. Much to my surprise, the class was excellent! Sasha was so pumped after the session that she tipped Caitlin and stayed for a second session.

🪖: My little star was about to make a major impression on the people of Willow Creek. Lane’s violin class was putting on a recital at the Willow Creek Concert Hall. Tickets were sold out, and formal wear was mandatory. This was their first of the season, and the most exciting part was that my Laney love was “First Chair” or the "concertmaster". Which ultimately meant she was the head violinist. Second only to Lane was the ever-mischievous Tiana Dainels.

Before the recital even began, Tiana’s mother could be making a fuss about Tiana’s 6-inch position behind Lane. Apparently, her ex-husband hadn’t informed her that Tiana wasn’t the best in the class anymore. He must also not have warned her about the stipulations for Tiana to remain in the music program, or she didn’t care. Ms. Muñoz managed to settle her and got her into a seat without too much difficulty.

At 8 p.m., the lights dimmed, and Ms.Bolton came out onto the stage. She doesn’t teach music, but she was the best early childhood educator from Willow Creek to San Myshuno for hearing-impaired children and was often involved in various activities centered on them. She introduced the children by name in both spoken word and ASL. Then she gave the cue to Ms.Muñoz, who signed to Lane to begin.

Lane lifted her violin to her chin with ease. Her shoulders slowly rose, then fell as she took a deep breath. When her bow met the strings of the violin, it was as if she’d cast a spell on the room. Beautiful music filled the hall as she played solo for one of the proudest moments of my life. Too soon, the other kids started to position their instruments. The magic waned some as the quality of the music shifted slightly, as some of the less experienced players hit off-key notes. There were a few times Lane's expression read as unsure, and I told myself to ask her about it afterwards.

After her 3rd solo, Lane's expression relaxed into something more serene as they played through the six-song set list. She finally seemed comfortable and in her element. She worked so hard for this, attending violin lessons 5 days a week after school, practicing with Neddy, and even composing her own song. Being deaf hadn’t discouraged her love for music. It motivated her to work harder.

When the show ended, the kids lined up and took a bow as the audience shouted their approval. When Lane finally exited the stage to find us, I pulled her into a bear hug to congratulate her before I asked her about her first stage performance.

Lane: It was kind of scary but fun to play in front of a crowd, but you know how I have to take out or turn down the sensitivity on my hearing aids when I play?

Then it hit me, we forgot to adjust her hearing aids before we sent her backstage. The music was probably way too loud and had disoriented her while she was playing. My assumption was close.

Lane: I turned them down before we came on stage, but I turned them down too low. I could hardly hear myself play, and once the other kids joined in, it was kind of hard to feel my vibrations vs. theirs. Did I mess up?

I looked her straight in the eyes, intent on telling her the absolute truth.

Jack: Laney Love, you played flawlessly. You didn't miss a single note, and you were an outstanding concertmaster. I’m so proud of how hard you’ve worked, and you should be proud of yourself; everyone else is. Especially Mom.

🎨: After Lizbeth’s scouts meeting, we took the girls to the circus. After a few hours, Lane wanted to go home. When we asked her why, she said she didn’t feel well. Liz and Paisley weren’t ready to leave yet, so I volunteered to take her home. Before I could get her there, I realized she had a fever and redirected us to the nearest urgent care. Turns out she had pneumonia, a mild case but pneumonia nonetheless.