." >> reporter: ronda loved nikki. and nikki loved her girls.he put the twins in dance and music classes. at school, they won awards. >> their teachers describe them as almost angelic, sweet, and happy and engaged. and there's pictures of them, you know, one on each of nikki's arms. >> reporter: catie beck is a reporter at nbc affiliate, wxia in atlanta. >> and teachers described them that way, that they had a sweet demeanor in their classrooms, and with their classmates, and that they were almost timid. >> reporter: and then, as they reached their teens, they changed, somehow, in the ways children often do, in the ways nikki herself once did. and, just like nikki, the twins were sent to live for a couple of years with the rather permissive family matriarch, della. until 2010, when nikki welcomed tazz and jazz back, all together again in robert's house, a fresh start. and nikki turned up at school, beaming. >> yeah, she was in a very good mood. she looked great. she had a new look with her hair. she had braids in her hair, and she looked happy.