1.11 - Bittersweet Endings

Lucas turned his attention back towards his writing and worked on his newest novel, a science fiction story he had always wanted to write.

Haley tackled something a bit more challenging and began the slow and stressful process of teaching Jacob how to drive.

Shane and Tyler did their best to help the younger twins with their homework. They were doing their best to finish out their school year strong.

Lucas put his strength to a different test and started working on the board breaker to advance his martial arts skills.

Tyler took an interest as well and started  working with one of the dummies that mom and dad had brought back with them from China.

Jacob tried his best but didn't quite have the natural athletic skill needed to really grasp martial arts.  Still, it was fun to hit something - until it decided to hit back!

Shane couldn't let his twin brother show him up and he got busy on the practice dummy as well.  He proved to be quite a natural at it.

Everyone was really glad that the decision to install outdoor showers in the backyard had been made.  

Tyler and Lucas continued to have fun in the backyard by playing with the Gnubb set.  Lucas just barely took the game against his son.

Meanwhile, Shane taught Jacob the skill of Rock, Paper, Scissors and hung out a bit with his younger brother Jacob.

Tyler and Lucas decided to throw the football around and enjoy the last bit of daylight after a fun day out back.

Haley came home from her shift at the spa and decided that cooking was not something she felt up to.  The family decided to enjoy a nice meal at the Bistro.

Layna and Stefan discovered the joys of basketball.  Although still too young to start dunking, they enjoyed shooting hoops anyway.

Not able to resist, Lucas took a moment to show them how it was actually done!  The twins watched their dad in awe!

Stefan put the multitab to great use and learned that doing homework was fast and simple.  He also enjoyed listening to a few tabcasts as well.

As usual, the house experienced a few more birthdays.  This time, the twins were about to become young adults.

Shane was up first and the whole house was thrilled that he was about to start a new and exciting chapter in his life.

Shane turned out to be a very handsome young man.

Next up was his twin, Tyler, and he was more than ready to break the chains of childhood.

As always, Tyler aged up well and his sense of style shone through.  Both boys had grown up so well.

Lucas and Haley were so proud of their two sons and took them out for a night on the town.  It was hard to believe how quickly they had grown up.

More birthday excitement continued as the other set of twins reached teenage status.

Layna was first to age up with older brother Jacob looking on with approval.

Stefan, a bit hesitant,stepped up to the birthday cake once again.

The youngest child was now a full-grown teenager - with mood swings to prove it!

Shane and Tyler got ready early for graduation.  Both were excited to finally be done with the demands of school.

The entire family gathered at City Hall where the twins would finally graduate from High School.

Tyler emerged first and was proud that he had been named Valedictorian.  All that work had truly payed off for him.

Shane was able to graduate with honors and tossed his diploma with pride and relief.

The family celebrated by having one final family dinner at the Bistro.  It was hard not to feel sadness as the end of childhood closed for the twins.

Ready to embark on a life of their own, the twins packed their bags and moved out, ready to start their new life.  Everyone in the house was extremely proud but heartbroken by the emptiness that their leaving would cause.

Lucas and Haley helped the boys buy a home of their own.  It just so happened to be the same home that Lucas had owned when he first moved to town.

The boys were excited to be out on their own, but it was nice to know that the family still lived just down the street and were a quick jog away if needed.

The void left behind was sad for everyone in the home.  Besides the memories that were made, the photographs of the boys remained so as to keep the boys in the house with the family - at least in some form.

It wasn't long before Tyler was back for a visit.  He loved the basketball court and enjoyed coming back over for dinner and a little fun on the court with Dad.  The family looked forward to the visits of the boys and hoped they would be frequent.