#ruby maureen mcgregor

[applesaucesims]

As they had agreed, the twins moved their things into the bigger room that had previously belonged to Louis. Niall took them out to his favourite shops, so they could choose some new furniture to fill the space as well.

The most important purchase definitely turned out to be a lavishly decorated divider that the girls put up right in the middle of their room. That way, it was almost as though they had their own rooms after all.

Of course, each of their personalities could thrived much more in their own designated spaces. Dorothy had insisted on a vanity, where she could store her makeup and jewellery and fix her face in the morning. Ruby, on the other hand, wanted a comfy chair to read in, as well as some new books, now that she had more alone time to dedicate to her favourite pastime.

All in all, if anything, this new arrangement was a good influence on the relationship between the sisters. At least this way they would not clash with each other as often, and they could choose more freely when to spend time together.

Meanwhile, Louis moved his things to the twins' old room. He did not need to buy anything new, though, especially because he was only there on some weekends and special occasions. Emma was a little down about the girls leaving behind the elaborate murals she had painted for them, but they were at the age now that they did not care much about it anymore. Louis, on the other hand, actually quite enjoyed them, as they reminded him of the fantastical worlds from his favourite ballets.

[applesaucesims]

Many kinds of Simblreen

Looks like something went wrong and the McGregors were each sent to a different Simblreen AU. Oops.

Thank you to everyone that gave out treats last weekend! I tried to include as many as possible here.

Included in the edits are treats by:

@twentiethcenturysims @trillyke @historicalfictionsims @radioactivedotcom @simstomaggie

@lilis-palace @keirosims @shriekingllama @occultradio @gumdropgamespot

@atticwindowatdawn @unidentifiedsim @feralpoodles

@morrigan-sims @blueshistorysims @buzzardly28

[applesaucesims]

Following the twins' birthday tea, the guests had scattered in smaller groups across the McGregor house's ground floor. The celebrations were not ending soon, with chatter being heard all over.

Kenneth had offered to be the musical entertainment for his nieces' birthday, but it proved to be more difficult than expected. The girls were as different as they ever were, which translated to their music tastes, too. Ruby wanted to hear love songs to sing along to, while Dorothy insisted the occasion called for a faster pace suitable for dancing.

Finally, Kenneth let out a sigh and interrupted the girls with an idea for what he was convinced was the perfect song in this case, one that he had only recently arranged for piano.

[🎵]

With the argument coming to an end, Dorothy got too bored of standing around any longer, so she turned around to find something else to do. The first thing she caught sight of was her brother talking to his best friend. She knew Dayton somewhat well already, with her and Ruby playing with him, too, when they were all children. But she felt she knew him a bit better than that still, having read all of the sweet things Ruby wrote about him in her diary. Of course, she did not know that Dorothy had secretly read it.

Confidently, she walked up to the pair to strike up conversation. Ruby was never going to do anything outside of her diary anyway, so what was stopping her sister from approaching the older boy herself?

It was easy finding an excuse to interrupt the conversation. As the girls were growing older, it became more difficult for them to share a room, never truly having time just to themselves. And with Louis out of the house, there was a huge room that stayed empty for most days. Of course, Dorothy had to talk to him about this, but there was still time for that later.

The younger of the twins quickly drew her attention away from her brother, focusing much more on Dayton instead, batting her eyelashes innocently as she struck up a conversation. Dayton was especially taken aback by her forwardness and the way she spoke so much without really seeming to listen. However, he had known her for a while already, so it was not exactly new to him, just more apparent than before.

As Dorothy walked away from the two, she left the other two behind in confusion. But after a moment of puzzledly staring at each other in silence, they could not help but break out into laughter, not really knowing what else to say. While Louis was still busy trying to contain his laughter, Dayton threw another look at the girls that were now standing together at the piano again. Though he was still baffled most of all, he could not help but feel intrigued by how the girl that had invited him in the first place had approached him. But perhaps that was a thought for another time, he was mostly here for his friend after all.

[TRANSCRIPT]

*scattered conversations*

Dorothy: "Lulu! Sorry to interrupt. We were just wondering, since you live at the academy and all that. Do you really still need that big of a room here?"

Louis: "Oh, uhm... I hadn't thought about it."

Dorothy: "That's fine. Let's talk about it more later."

Louis: "Sure-"

Dorothy: "Hi, Day-Day! So glad you could make it. How's life treating ya?"

Dayton: "Well, I suppose things are as good as they can be."

Dorothy: "Fantastic! Oh, would you like to stay a bit, after everyone left? We just haven't seen you in so long!"

Dayton: "I mean, I was planning to, anyway."

Dorothy: "Lovely! Well... You know where to find me. I mean... Ruby and me." *chuckles*

Louis: "..."

Louis & Dayton: "Pfffft-" *breaking out into laughter*

Louis: *laughter continues*

Dayton: "..."

[applesaucesims]

Dorothy Linda & Ruby Maureen McGregor Infant + Toddler Lookbook

I've decided to include the twins' infant and toddler outfits together in one lookbook, since they're already almost teens now, and they didn't have that many outfits anyway. And, of course, they share a lookbook because (for now) they always dress the same. Ruby dresses in green and Dorothy in red, which was entirely decided by the colours of the bows that came with in their infant hairs. But the colours suited them so well that I just had to stick with it. The last slide is entirely made out of outfits we've never seen in the story, but I included them anyway, just like I did with Louis's toddler lookbook.

CC links + example posts under the cut.

Everything not linked is base game.

Used in all: defaults / body blush

INFANT

All: hair* / skin overlay / face blush / eyebrows (#68) / lashes

Everyday: outfit** [alt link] / shoes (sbp pantofel)

Formal: dress / shoes (maria) / hair bow

Sleep: gown (short) / bonnet

Party: dress** [alt link] / shoes (maria)

TODDLER

All: hair / hair under bonnets / skin overlay / face blush / eyebrows (#111) / lashes

Everyday: dress / socks / shoes

Sleep: gown** [alt link] / bonnet

Party: dress* / socks / shoes* / hat

Winterfest: dress / shoes

Formal: dress [deleted - reupload] / shoes / flower crown

Swim: swimsuit / bonnet

Hot: top* / bottom* / shoes / bonnet

Cold: outfit (holiday stuff) / shoes / headwrap

*tsr warning **cf warning

[applesaucesims]

Simblreen Shenanigans🧡💚🩷

Family costume day at the circus! Well, except Louis got distracted somewhere along the way.

Shoutout to everyone who participated and gave out treats this last Simblreen weekend! It was so much fun again, already can't wait for next year!

Treats included in the edit by:

@surely-sims @powluna @moluna03 @whirliko @ellone-andreea

@buzzardly28 @xiuminuwu @trillyke (can't see it well, it's emma's necklace)

@1-800-cuupid @talentedtrait @meteorsims @kirsicca

[applesaucesims]

Ruby and Dottie (as she prefers to be called) had their picture together for their birthday, and copies of it were sent as thank you cards to the guests. Of course, both of them signed the photo as well.

Some lore under the cut that I can't necessarily fit in the story right now, but I must spill all my headcanons.

The story behind their names.

You may or may not already know that the girls' first names were chosen by Niall, after his favourite film, The Wizard of Oz. Has he read the book? Kind of. He's more of a movie guy, though, not much of a reader. But he does own a first edition, obviously. This was mostly in use as a bedtime story for the twins, mainly read by Emma, but when Niall was there he made sure to point out their names were inspired by it.

Dottie's hate for Oz and her name.

As you can imagine, whenever Dorothy introduced herself to people, she would get the "oh, like from the Wizard of Oz?" treatment. She got tired of it really fast. Unlike her sister, she hates the book and everything related to it. Ruby wouldn't understand because she's lucky her name isn't as as on-the-nose. So what if Dottie only hates it because of the name thing? That's reason enough for her.

People have been shortening her name to Dottie or Dot forever, so as she got older, Dottie just started signing her name and introducing herself as such, too.

Ruby's interests and stuff.

As already established, Ruby is quite shy and hates spending time around people she's not close to. She's also had a crush on Dayton for the longest time, which she only really confesses to her trusted diary, which she writes in almost daily.

Her favourite hobby is reading, especially under the covers at night. She loves getting lost in another world, and she has a particular interest in romantic stories. Dottie likes to make fun of her for always being stuck in her head, but Ruby doesn't mind it too much.

Dottie's interests and stuff.

With age, Dottie started building an interest in makeup and dressing up nice. She loves to feel pretty, but it doesn't hurt to impress some boys along the way, too. She might have only just started, but she can already tell that flirting is loads of fun.

Sure, her siblings have been just as spoiled as her, but you would be able to tell it the most with her. Combine this with her competitive nature, and you get a girl that always fights for what she wants, no matter if her ways end up hurting others.

[applesaucesims]

When most guests had already left, the kids gathered in Ruby and Dorothy's room for some discussion. As Dottie had previously brought up to her brother, the twins were tired of sharing their small room, while Louis was not even using his, even though it was the biggest bedroom in the house.

Louis felt down about the fact that he seemed to be left out in his sisters' idea of a new arrangement, but that did not mean he was unwilling to discuss it. Although, the discussion was more of an argument between them. The two easily had the most intense personalities of all the siblings, so it was hard for them not to clash.

It was almost possible to feel the angry electricity between them, when the bedroom door suddenly opened, and in walked Dayton, followed by Maurice, the youngest McGregor sibling. Dayton had been held back from joining them, when Maurice pulled him away to show off some new toys he had received for his own birthday, but eventually the older boy was able to leave, with the compromise that Maurice would join them.

Dayton barely noticed what he had interrupted, but it was not long until he was dragged into it, too. He definitely did not want to be part of it, though, so he found it easiest to side with his best friend in this situation. To Dorothy's dismay, Ruby decided now was the time to chime in and join their side as well. Realising she had been outnumbered, Dottie reluctantly agreed, though she had to make sure everyone knew how unhappy she was about it.

[TRANSCRIPT]

Dottie: "So, best case, one of us gets your room. Then there's one for each of us."

Louis: "But where would I sleep, when I'm home?"

Dottie: "I don't know. The sofa?"

Louis: "What? No way!"

Dottie: "Come on, you're barely here. You can sleep in Mum and Dad's room for all I care."

Louis: *gasp*

Dayton: "Hey, this little guy wanted to join in on the fun. Hope that's fine."

Ruby: "Hello, Dayton."

Dayton: "Ruby, how are ya."

Louis: "Look, if anything, you can share the big room. But I'm not staying room-less. And I'm not sharing with Maurice, sorry."

Maurice: "I don't wanna share either."

Dottie: "Ugh... Day-Day, what do you say?"

Dayton: "Oh, uhm... I don't think I should really have a say in this."

Dottie: "Should, too! Don't you think it would be better if we had a room to ourselves?"

Dayton: "Well... I think Louis's idea doesn't sound so bad."

Louis: "Thank you!"

Ruby: "Uhm, I think that's a good idea, too."

Dottie: "Oh, gee, fine. If that's what everybody wants."

[applesaucesims]

One afternoon, when Louis and Dayton were hanging out together in Louis's room, they could barely focus on their games, with the ruckus happening in the room next door. Curious about what was happening, the two of them sneaked down the hallway, where they found the girls' door wide open.

Inside, there was a chest surrounded by all kinds of clothing items, with the girls stood next to it. They were wearing funny hats and dresses to make them look like princesses, and had even attempted putting on their mother's makeup for a more convincing look. However, there was not playing going on. Instead, Ruby and Dorothy were arguing about which of them would be the princess in their game, as apparently there was only room for one. Of course, it could not be a proper fairy tale without the evil stepsister.

Dorothy insisted that she would get to be the princess, since she was the first to say so, but Ruby hated the idea of even just pretending to be evil. Louis knew it was time for him to step in as a big brother and figure out a way to diffuse the argument. Otherwise, they would never actually end up playing their game. He looked around the room, until his eyes rested on the costume chest.

There were more than enough costumes and accessories for all of them to dress up, which meant that the girls could easily both be a princess in this case. Louis would just have to be the stepsister in this case, the answer seemed pretty obvious to him.

The twins jumped excitedly at the idea that they would get to dress up their brother, and the two girls got to work on it quickly. Soon, Louis was sat on the chest in a barely fitting baby blue dress and a matching bonnet, while Dorothy painted his face with lots and lots of makeup. He actually did not mind it, in fact, he almost felt pretty, although he knew his sister was not the most skilled at what she was doing.

Even Dayton, who had simply thrown on a scarf as a makeshift cape and a paper crown, had to admit that the outcome was quite convincing. Had he not known any better, he could have thought Louis was a lost third McGregor sister. Speaking of whom, Dayton put on his smoothest prince voice to flatter the twin girls as best as he could. If he was going to be their prince, he was going to try his best at it, too.

With no music player in the room, the four children made up their own ballroom songs, as they danced around laughing. Dayton even took upon the role of announcing the next dance that would be coming up each time, while the other three came up with songs matching the increasingly absurd themes.

They kept playing for a while, until all of them were too tired to continue, and Dayton had to go home. All arguments were soon forgotten about, but it sure was a princess ball to remember.

[TRANSCRIPT]

Dorothy: "No, we can't both be the princess!"

Dayton: "Sounds like they're in a bit of a pickle, eh?"

Louis: "Let's see what's going on!"

Dorothy: "One of us has to be the evil stepsister!"

Ruby: "But I don't want to be evil, Dottie."

Dorothy: "Well, I chose first!"

*Louis clears throat*

Louis: "Hey, girls! What's the issue?"

Dorothy: "We're playing fairy tale princess ball. But stupid Ruby doesn't wanna be the evil stepsister!"

Dayton: "What's with the bear?"

Dorothy: "Why, that's the beautiful prince, of course!"

Dayton: "Naturally."

Louis: "Hmmm... Maybe I have an idea how we can fix this."

...

Louis: "Are you finished?"

Dorothy: "Hush, art cannot be rushed."

Dorothy: "Aaaand... done!"

Louis: "So? How do I look?"

Dorothy: "You look lovely!"

Dayton: "More like you're ready to meet the wonderful wizard of Oz!"

Louis: "Is it bad?"

Dayton: "I don't know. Dorothy's pretty, too, no? You could make a pretty girl. You know, if your dress actually fit."

Louis: "Oh, thank you, your maaaajesty!"

Dayton: *flutters eyelashes* "Of course, not as pretty as the beautiful princesses I'm meant to meet tonight at the royal ball!"

Ruby & Dorothy: *giggling*

...

*singing incoherently*

[applesaucesims]

Even though they were attending school in different towns now, Louis and Dayton still made sure to meet up whenever they could. Of course, they were very aware that this would become difficult once Louis moved to live at the academy, so they were already making plans to keep their friendship alive somehow.

Realising that any proper planning was just too boring and complicated to do in one afternoon, they simply decided they would make it work somehow. Dropping the topic, Louis was already itching to dance again. He quickly jumped off the bed, excited to show his friend what he had learned recently. After all, he had not even seen him dance before, and something had to be done about that.

Dayton was prepared to give the strictest, though least knowledgeable, ratings imaginable, when he noticed the door handle moving from the corner of his eye.

While Louis was too focused on his dance practice, Dayton watched as the door opened just enough for Ruby to poke her head through. However, once she noticed him looking, she immediately closed the door again and left.

Though he had not noticed any of that short exchange, Louis could not help but laugh about it, when his friend let him know. He loved his sisters, of course, but sometimes he just could not understand their strange behaviour.

Embarrassed about being caught trying to catch a quick glimpse at her crush, Ruby ran back to her and her sister's room. Since she was still looking behind her to make sure no one had followed her, she did not notice Dorothy standing at the end of the hall waiting for her.

Dorothy seemed to be upset at the fact that her twin sister had just left their playtime together, only to spy on their brother and his friend. Of course, Ruby tried to make up excuses, but Dorothy was not stupid.

She had been noticing her sister's excitement whenever they heard Dayton come home with Louis, and how she was barely paying attention to anything else when he was there. If Dorothy was being honest, it had started getting on her nerves, but seeing her sister's face of guilt made it hard to show this to her. So, she acted as though she had no idea what was going on for now. Any further annoyance could wait for another day.

[TRANSCRIPT]

Dayton: "So, you're really going to move to Brindleton?"

Louis: "It's amazing, isn't it? Of course it's only a train ride away."

Dayton: "Do they even allow visitors at that posh place?"

Louis: "Not sure... But I'll visit home now and then."

Dayton: "Hah! You'd better!"

Louis: "'course!"

Louis: "Hey, can I show you what I've been practicing?"

Dayton: "Sure, if you don't mind a harsh judge!"

...

Dayton: "?"

Dayton: "Alright?"

*door closing* footsteps subsiding*

Louis: "Hm?"

Dayton: "I think I just caught your sister spying?"

*Louis laughing*

...

Ruby: *phew*

Dorothy: "There you are! Where've you been, Ruby?"

Ruby: "Oh, I-"

Dorothy: "Why did you just disappear? I've been waiting this entire time!"

Ruby: "I, uhm, just went to the bathroom."

Dorothy: "Since when's the bathroom in Lulu's room?"

Ruby: "Well... I just thought I'd say hello."

Dorothy: "Sure, whatever you say."

Ruby: "...Are you cross with me?"

Dorothy: "What? Why would I? Are you coming to play now or what?"

Ruby: "Of course! I won't be leaving this time, promise!"

[applesaucesims]

Flowerfest was meant to be big celebration for the McGregor family. Emma and Niall had even purchased some cute matching outfits and accessories for their children, as well as themselves, so they would be getting some pretty family photographs later.

While the adults were still adding the finishing touches to their own outfits and preparing the holiday meal inside, the children went on their egg hunt in the backyard. Even little Maurice could participate, since he had just grown big enough to play and walk around outside with his siblings.

Emma had just finished baking a strawberry cake to have for dessert, when her preparations were interrupted by the phone ringing. Her parents were expected to visit later that day for the holiday, so it did not surprise her to hear her mother's voice on the other end of the line.

However, the reason for her call was one of much sadder news. Earlier that morning, when Maureen had walked into her and her husband's bedroom to check whether he was already dressed in his Flowerfest best, she had found Edward still lying in bed. At first, she had assumed he had only gone to get some more rest before leaving, but she had quickly realised that this was not the case.

With tears starting to stream down her face, Maureen had lied down beside her husband's body, looking down at his peacefully closed eyes which made it seems as though he really was only sleeping, but she knew better. Sobbing quietly, she had cuddled up closer to him and buried her face in his shoulder, partially wishing he would wake up any moment.

After the phone call, Emma had to prop herself up on the counter, hardly even able to form a thought. She felt a tear roll down her cheek, as she watched her laughing children through the kitchen window. How was she going to break the news to them on what was supposed to be a day of joy for the family?

Part of her wanted to just stay in place forever, trying to hold on to that moment in time, before the news of her father's death would leave her little bubble. For now, she was the only one in the house who knew about it, while speaking a word of it would somehow make it feel so much more real. But she knew it had to be done. After all, the kids were still expecting to see their grandfather's visit.

[applesaucesims]

On his birthday, Louis woke up early and excite because he would finally be old enough to join the ballet academy! Of course, he still had to wait a few hours for the party guests to come visit, which was mostly spent restlessly walking and dancing around the house.

Of course, Louis's best friend Dayton was there, too. Ever the mischievous spirit, he could not help but tease his younger friend about his grandparents getting him yet another sailor suit for his birthday. But Louis did not mind, he loved the suit just as much as he did the last one, and he was used to the Dayton style banter at this point.

Niall had signed up Louis for the academy as soon as possible, so it was only a matter of time until he would receive the letter announcing whether he was accepted or not. So, once Louis noticed something stuck in the post box, he immediately ran over to have a look. As expected, the letter from the academy was there waiting for him.

Louis felt his hands shaking as he slowly opened the letter. He had thought he would have quickly ripped it open, but he was so nervous that doing that would have just ripped the letter, too. With his heart beating fast, Louis read what was written on the paper in his hands, a huge grin forming on his face. The academy had accepted him!

With all his nerves going wild, he had barely noticed his mother coming to join him outside, but when he did, he ran up to her, almost jumping even, so he could break the amazing news to her. Emma was almost as excited as her son, knowing how much he had been wanting this for such a long time already. It was difficult to think about her little boy growing up and moving on with a life of his own, but on the other hand she was proud to see him live the life he wanted, and she would be supporting him on every step there.

[applesaucesims]

Louis was still shaking from a mixture of nerves and excitement from his first day at the new school, when he arrived home. However, the house seemed awfully quiet as he entered, the only sound being a soft sob coming from a living room.

Careful and a little bit scared of what expected him, he stepped into the next room, where he found his parents cuddled up on the couch. But it was not the usual kind of cuddle, as Louis could tell by the tears across his mother's face. Something was definitely wrong.

The news hit especially hard, since it was not long since Edward had passed away. Now, his beloved wife Maureen had gone, too.

Emma was heartbroken. Not only had she lost her mother who she had always been so close to, but she had lost both of her parents within a short time now. Kenneth was trying to put on a brave face and comfort his sister, but he, too, was much quieter than usual. Of course, they had expected it to happen eventually, but the grief was still hitting them both.

[applesaucesims]

Since they had become friends, Louis liked to invite Dayton around to play after school every now and then. The two of them had become pretty close by now, and they loved playing games that made use of the space the big house and yard provided, as well as causing a bit of mischief.

One of those games they liked to play was hide-and-seek. This time, it was Dayton's turn to hide, while Louis stood in a corner of his room and counted to ten.

Dayton had been taking his sweet time looking for a hiding spot, so he was barely out of the room, when Louis had finished counting. Knowing that he would be found as soon as Louis opened the door, he had to think quick, so he could have a chance at winning. So, he took a turn around the corner and opened the door he was met with, to hide away in there.

Meanwhile, Ruby enjoying some quiet alone time in her room, while Dorothy was busy playing outside. Entranced in the book she was reading, she let out a surprised gasp, when the door suddenly opened and Dayton jumped in, closing it again quickly.

Since starting school, the twins had come up with their own little rules for their room. One of them was that Louis and his boy friends were not allowed to enter. Louis always made sure to follow this rule, but Dayton was not thinking much about it, when he had entered the first door he had touched. However, now that he was there, he figured his best shot was to get his friend's little sister to help him hide.

Ruby, who had first been annoyed at having her reading time disturbed, was now warming up to the boy sitting next to her. It was silly, but she could not help but smile at him, even though he was just her brother's stupid older friend.

Unfortunately for her, Dayton was quickly bored with just sitting around in his perfect hiding spot and decided it was time to leave. Ruby wished he would have stayed for just a bit longer, but she did not want to embarrass herself in front of him now, so she let him go.

[TRANSCRIPT]

Louis: "...six...seven...eight, nine, ten! Ready or not, here I come!"

Dayton: "Oh, bollocks!"

...

Ruby: *gasp* "What are you doing? Can't you see I'm reading?"

Dayton: "Sorry, mind if I hide away in your room for a bit?"

Ruby: "You're not supposed to be in here, actually. I don't think my dad would be very happy about-"

Dayton: "Shhh!"

Ruby: "!"

Louis: "Dayton? Where are you?"

Dayton: *whispers* "Louis mustn't know I'm in here."

Louis: "I hope you're not in the girls' room! You know they don't want us in there!"

Dayton: *laughs quietly*

Ruby: *laughs along nervously*

Dayton: "Welllll, I should probably come out of hiding. He isn't gonna look in here, and I don't wanna be a spoilsport."

Ruby: "Already?"

Dayton: "Yeah, I'm not supposed to be here, anyway."

Dayton: "Hey, if you want, you and Dot can join us some time. I wouldn't mind, and Louis wouldn't either."

Ruby: "Right..."

[applesaucesims]

Spring, 193–

Dear Diary, It's been a while since I last wrote to you. So much has happened and is still happening in my life, I simply do not get much time to journal anymore. But since quitting my daytime job, I have a lot more time, so I figured that this would be a great time to start recording my days again. And what turbulent few days I've had!

Our fourth child was born in the middle of the night, while all the other children were still asleep. Little Maurice is a healthy little boy, and I already love him just as much as my others! I adore having a baby to dode upon in the house again. If he did not need to sleep, I'd never put him down!

But, alas, he does need to go to bed just as much as any of us. I dearly hope he likes the room we've decorated for him. It's much smaller than the others, but it has its own kind of charm. Unfortunately, we could not fit a fireplace in the room, but we installed a few radiators to keep Maurice snug and warm. I've also decided on a calming blue floral theme to make up for the lack of a cosy fire.

In other news, the girls have grown so much, too! It feels like it was only yesterday that they were born, but now they have become their own little people! Louis is still doing so much as a big brother, I'm so proud. The puppet theatre proved to be a smart purchase, he still makes up stories for them all the time. I'd have thought that he'd grow out of it, but he doesn't mind doing more childish play for his sisters. Isn't it just so sweet?

As I'm writing this, Ruby and Dorothy are running around in the fields outside the house. I wish I could record the sound of their joyous shouts alongside my writing! It's easy to forget that Ruby is the older of the twins, with how much more outgoing her sister is. Whenever she's not with her sister, she prefers to spend time by herself, reading under the covers and such. But I find that, when the two of them are together, they bring out the best in each other, but the worst as well! I suppose that's just what friends are like, especially when they're your twin sister. Dorothy seems to have taken the energy of the fiery red clothes I like to buy for her to heart. In fact, I'm not sure she would ever run out of energy, if her sister were not there to keep her calm. But don't get me wrong, I encourage her big personality. I don't want my children to ever think they have to be anything but themselves.

[TRANSCRIPT]

Emma: "Well, hello, old friend."

(in Emma's handwriting) Dear Diary...

[applesaucesims]

Filled with excitement to attend the ballet classes his father had signed him up for, Louis had started practicing the moves he had seen the professionals do on stage, or at least the easiest steps he remembered. Thankfully, his room had enough space to practice without breaking anything, should he fall.

His practice was interrupted, when his mother called him downstairs for dinner. While he would have loved to continue his dance, ballet dancers needed the energy for success, so he quickly ran down the stairs to join his family.

At the dinner table, Emma and Niall dropped the news on their children that they were expecting another baby. While the girls seemed to be over the moon about the idea of being big sisters, Louis was much less enthusiastic. But what really killed his mood was his parents' idea for the baby to share his room.

Now, that he was going to seriously practice ballet, Louis needed his own space in the house. He had been glad that his big room was just right for this, but with a baby in the way, and everyone constantly coming in to care for it, he would never get to be on his own to dance.

Despite his mother's pleas, Louis immediately ran back upstairs, trying to hide the tears that were already rolling down his face. He had barely even touched his dinner, but it did not matter, now that he was no longer in the mood to dance, anyway.

[TRANSCRIPT]

Dorothy: *nom*

Emma: "So, my children... Your father and I have got some news for you."

Niall: "That's right. I know how much you already love being a big brother, Louis. I think you might quite hearing this!"

Louis: "What d'you mean?"

Emma: "Well... There is another little sibling on the way!"

Niall: "Ruby, Dorothy, this means you're going to be big sisters, too!"

Ruby: "Yay!"

Louis: "But... There's no room for a baby."

Emma: "Not yet, but we will do some renovations. Maybe you can even share your room."

Louis: "What? No way! I need the space!"

Niall: "It's the biggest bedroom in the house, so it only makes sense."

Louis: "This isn't fair!! I didn't ask for this!"

Emma: "Louis, calm down, please..."

Louis: "No, you're not listening! You don't even care about me! I don't want another sibling!"

Emma: "Louis! Please..."

Niall: "Leave him, Em. He'll need some space for now."

Louis: *sobs*

[applesaucesims]

Not too long after Louis, it was his twin sisters' birthday. Emma had spent all morning in the kitchen, baking sweet treats for the party, and soon, bit by bit, all immediate family arrived to celebrate.

With a cuddle and a kiss, it was time to send Ruby and Dorothy off to be yet another year older. Although, to Emma and Niall, it felt like they were only just born yesterday.

In toddlerhood, just as when they were younger, Emma still insisted on dressing the girls in matching dresses at all times, with Ruby wearing green and Dorothy wearing the same in red. This was not going to change any time soon, for as long as she had any say in dressing them.

Their personalities were only just developing, but it became clearer than before that Dorothy was a much more energetic child than her sister, even more so than she was as a baby. Meanwhile, Ruby's tendency to seek the protection of her parents and to stick near her younger sister was manifesting more now as well. Either way, their bond as twins was still as strong as ever, that much was clear.