Between a mother who just loves to give attention and a toddler that just loves to receive it, the time they spent together is definitely something that Gaby cherishes.

Miranda and Ramona absolutely do not mind sharing half of the childcare with her, but when Gaby insists, it is final. Or at least now it’s negotiable, seeing how badly her high chair placement has led to in the previous chapter.

Rocco doesn’t mind either way, since it means he gets to be showered with more attention from more people.

His grandmother once caught him sticking his hand inside one of the vases, and she’s trying to be stern with him how it’s not a good thing to do, but Rocco’s not taking her seriously.

Ramona, as the fun-loving aunt, never runs out of little tricks and games that constantly amuses the toddler.

He likes to explore the living room upstairs, but of all the things to explore, he is very fond of this pirate chest. Rocco wants to sleep here now, where he’ll be closer with all his toys (especially the purple dinosaur one), but of course his mother won’t allow that.

He is also fascinated with Ramona’s art studio and occasionally drops in to see what his aunt is preoccupied with for the day. She never seems to notice his presence whenever she’s at the easel.

She calls this “Ninja Disco Raid,” but it’s lacking something.

What if they are scientists who are disguised as ninjas to do a disco raid as a mission? That would be cooler. Ramona just thinks the world needs more scientists.

Thinking of silly backstories for a painting slowly led to more serious thoughts of what she could be doing right now if she pursued a less prioritized passion: the sciences.

She’s not regretting her decision to stay at home, tending to the garden, paint, and more recently, look after her nephew and practice the guitar. No one’s making her look or feel bad for not having a “real” job (then again, she hasn’t heard much approval from her other siblings), but the stories that Brentley tells her from his job at the science facility leaves her wondering for other possibilities.

Ramona idly wonders if her twin has those kinds of doubts, and she scoffs at herself. Gaby has always been sure of what she does.

Up until recently, Gaby has been faithfully handing out sing-o-grams to wherever they need her to be, but now she finally gets the chance to shine on stage and show everyone what’s she capable of!

Too bad the weather isn’t cooperating today, and “everyone” in the vicinity basically consists of Tamara Ursine-Su and Nicole Villalobos, the proprietor.

“Break a leg, dearie!” Nicole shouts over the rain. Whether it was out of pity, a genuine encouragement, or both, Gaby figures she’s gonna take it anyway.

This is normal, right? she wonders, trying to get to the root of her frustration before she sets up the stage with her props.

She’ll be performing out here in the heavy rain, with an audience — if she can call it one — being one measly sim and a disinterested proprietor, and an increased chance of having either of them getting hit by lightning. If she’s feeling extra down today, she might as well expect her future live shows to turn out like this.

She can almost hear Nicole grumbling at the fact that she forgot to bring an umbrella. It almost sounds like she was telling Gaby to hurry up with it.

This is not embarrassing at all. Gaby has never been so unsure of herself until now.

Anyways, the show must go on! Lightning and embarrassment be damned!

She pours her heart out into singing this song for the 2 people who bother to be here today.

Tamara may be soaked and freezing right now, but she thinks that Gaby has a great voice and an even greater performance, considering the circumstances!

After her performance, the weather has finally cleared up, and Gaby thanks her only audience with a cute stuffed toy when she asks for a sing-o-gram.

Tamara appreciates the pink bunny, which makes whole experience worth it.

The next morning greets Sunset Valley with a promise for a better weather, and a better day.

(Also, my first gnome! So this is where it usually hangs out :O)

In any case, today’s Love Day.

Vinca Ramos-Velasco is here to demonstrate how one properly appreciates their wife, not just on a special holiday, but everyday!

(Sadly, Tammi has run off to work before I get to take a picture of these two being lovey-dovey)

At the very far end of the park, her baby sister Ramona is out there catching one of the many butterflies that their father had caught during his lifetime.

Ramona can definitely see the appeal of attracting these beautiful creatures, but she releases it as soon as she is satisfied. They already have several terrariums at home, it’s unnecessary to add even more.

Ramona runs into her oldest sister first, who appears to be surprised to see her in the park. These two have never been close, even when Chelsea still lived at the house.

“I never thought I’d see you here in the park!” Chelsea exclaims. To her, Ramona will always be the weird sibling who tends to stay in the house to play on her computer all day.

Ramona stares at her for a moment, making Chelsea feel awkward for the statement. “Mom and I planned to go outside today, and so here I am.”

Looks like the extended family is here, with Brentley eyeing the lady at the kissing booth who may be not too subtle with her intentions.

The poor guy had just gone through his 2nd break-up since the last few weeks, and he really wants to get his mind off of it.

Oh well. She’s cute, and he’s here, so he might as well go for it.

He stops halfway and quickly excuses himself from the disappointed lady when he sees his relatives going over to the dance floor. Brentley’s feeling too guilty about the possibility bumping into Irma Vasquez here in the park to go through one kiss.

Ramona is oblivious to her nephew’s distress and recent heartbreak, and so she gladly obliges to his request to dance together.

Gaby and Rocco catch up to everyone at the park later in the day.

Before she strolls over to the booths, where they are hanging out at after all that dancing (Vinca was crowned the Spring Dance Queen for her mad dancing skills), Gaby lets Rocco try one of the cute spring riders first.

Gaby definitely thinks that her son is the cutest in the whole world when he shows her this goofy smile. She wants to capture it in her memory and never let it go.

“I should have brought my camera today,” she laments to no one in particular. Her mother and sister would have loved to see this scene themselves.

(Author’s note: I’m really pleased with how well my spares’ love lives have been going on so far! No one’s cheating on anyone or getting into fights with each other, and that really makes me happy. Unlike the tangled mess from the townies that I’ve been keeping track of…oh well.

I’ve been playing more to get more screenshots, which will make me focus more on writing the chapters. I don’t want to worry about not having enough screenshots since I won’t have the time to play much for these first few months due to schoolwork. I’m kinda far off into the game now? I really do hope I get to reach Gen 4 this time around! I’m getting attached to these characters and I want to give them a proper ending for once)