Yours Truly (Post Malone)

44

I sat at my computer, looking through the different activities to do in Albania while Austin looked at activities to do in Morocco. Winter sat between us, offering her opinions on the activities we were looking at. Daphne played on the ground with her toys, talking to herself.

Winter pointed at my screen. "Mom, I like the tour of Kruja Castle and the old bazaar. We could explore the capital city too."

"That sound fun," I said. "What have you found, Austin?"

"There's La Corniche, which is a promenade in Casablanca," Austin replied. "There's also Quartier Habous, a medina that's not that crowded."

"Those sound like a lot of fun," I said. "We'll keep looking in case there's something you'd like to do too, Winter."

"Okay," Winter said. "I'm still excited to go."

We spent a bit more time looking into what to do in both countries. I got up to start making lunch with Daphne following me. I gave her a plate of snacks while I continued making lunch. It was nearly done when Winter and Austin came into the kitchen. I gave them their plates and they went to the table.

Daphne kept asking questions on when we were going to her grandparents' house and how long we were going to be gone. She wanted something from our trip and I promised that we would get something for her. Daphne was also nervous about getting on the plane as she had never been on a plane before. I ran my hand over her hair, assuring her that it would all be okay.

After lunch, we decided to go on a walk around the neighborhood. Daphne ran ahead of us but kept close enough that she wasn't too far away. She was full of giggles as she kept ahead of us. I watched her with a smile as I held Austin's hand. 

We walked around for an hour before returning home. Daphne was ready for a nap so Austin tucked her into bed while I went into the living room. Winter sat right next to me and leaned against me, resting her head on my shoulder. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders to hold her closer.

"Mom, I was thinking of creating some original songs," Winter murmured. "I've talked with Dad about it and he said it's not a terrible idea."

"You're a bit young for that, aren't you?" I asked. "You're only fourteen."

"And?" Winter asked, giving a bit of attitude. "A lot of Disney actresses made albums when they weren't that much older than I am."

"And they also went through a lot with the newfound fame," I shot right back.

"I know." Winter sighed, deep in thought. "But I've got you and Dad. I can sign on with Dad's record label and start making music. I can keep out of the media and away from social media for a while. Or you and Dad can manage my socials for a time being."

"You've been thinking of this for awhile, huh?" I asked.

Winter nodded. "I want to make music, Mom. I love it so much and it's my life. I want to do as my career."

"Then we'll start making original music," I said. "I'm sure Austin can help too."

Austin walked in the room. "What am I helping with?"

"Making original music," Winter replied. "I want to create my own music instead of just doing covers. And I wanted to sign with your label. If possible, that is."

Austin grinned. "That's a fantastic idea, Winter. We can talk about it now?"

Winter leaned forward, a giant smile on her face. The two of them launched into making songs and even had the beginnings of one written by the time Daphne came into the living room, rubbing her eyes. 

Daphne stumbled over and leaned against my legs. "Mommy, I'm hungry."

I stood up, taking her hand. "Okay, let's get you a snack."

I took her into the kitchen and got her some apple slices with peanut butter. I got her into a chair at the dining table and set the plate in front of her. As she ate, I started making dinner. I never believed that a snack too close to a big meal would ruin. If my children were hungry, they could eat whenever they wanted to.

When Daphne finished her snack, she asked if she could help make dinner. She was still young and couldn't do a lot but she still wanted to help. I got a stool for Daphne to stand on and she got to help put dinner together. I loved creating memories with my children and knew how important learning how to cook was. I could knock out making memories and teaching Daphne how to cook in one go. 

When dinner was ready, I called out for Austin and Winter to join us. As they walked in, I passed them a plate and we sat down together. Daphne talked and talked about how she got to help make dinner and how she was proud of herself for being a 'big girl' now. Austin watched her with a loving look, listening very intently to what she was saying. 

"Can we go do something tonight?" Winter asked. "I feel like I've been stuck in the house for too long and I want to go do something."

"There's the park nearby," Austin said. "We can go there."

Winter sighed. "I don't know. I want to go do something but I don't know what I want to go do."

Austin got up. "Let's go find some stuff to do then. But we need to get the kitchen back together before we do that"

We got the kitchen cleaned up and went out. We ended up going downtown and walking around with the kids. I made sure to keep an eye out for anyone following us or for the paparazzi. I was always worried that the paparazzi was going to take pictures of my kids when I didn't want them to. My kids were important to me and I especially didn't want them to get of Daphne when she was so young.

It didn't look like there was any paparazzi around. I still kept my girls close to me and kept an eye out for anything. We found an ice cream shop and Austin held the doors open for us. Daphne skipped up to the glass to see the options. She had to stand on her tippy toes just to see. Winter stood behind Daphne, her arms around her little sister's shoulders as Winter pointed out the different flavors of ice cream. 

Daphne picked strawberry while Winter picked chocolate peanut butter ice cream. I got the same as Winter while Austin picked mint chocolate chip. We sat inside as to not be too obvious to the public. It was relaxing to sit there with my family. They were my everything.