A/N: I honestly have no idea what this was supposed to be or anything but it's cute lol xx Mariah

Ages:

Melinda - 52
Ned - 31
Katie - 28
Lana - 10
Emma - 7
Asher - 3

When Lana was four-years-old she did her first successful trick on the balance beam and she knew that being in gymnastics was the thing for her. It had turned into more than just open gyms with her mom on Tuesdays after that.

Her mom signed her up when she was in Kindergarten and had gotten her five brand new leotards. She'd never seen so many brightly colored ones in her life, but she was so excited and so was her mom. It was something new to watch one of her babies do and she loved watching her children do things they loved.

But now that Lana was older and she wanted to compete, her mother didn't want her to. At least not until she turned fourteen. It was so stupid. Her mother let Katie start competing when she was eight. Mackenzie had been ten before she made the competition team, but she had to start when she was fourteen.

That was still four years away! Stupid.

She decided to ask again, hoping for different results. "Mom, can I start competing this year?" Lana asked, getting into the backseat of the jeep. She slid her backpack by her feet and buckled up. "I know I asked you last week and the week before, but I hoped you'd change your mind this time."

Emma hoped in after her, buckling up too just before her mother started to drive away. She was reading a piece of music while her sister and mom talked, her blue violin case sitting on her lap.

"Lana, I told you not until you're fourteen." Their mother said, turning her blinker on as she eased herself into the after-school traffic. "All buckled?"

"Yep," both girls said.

Lana sighed, looking out the window. Of course, her mother said no. She never said yes to anything anymore.

Another show before bed? No. Can she finish her drawing? No. Can she get a new leotard? No! What about competing? Nope!

"You let Katie and Mack start when they were younger. It's not fair mom," she muttered and drew on the fog against the window, looking at the snow falling outside. "Aaron was on the traveling team by the time he was eight too."

"I know. I'm sorry Lan," Melinda sighed, turning her Jeep onto the main road quickly and getting out of all the school traffic congestion. "I was younger when I had your siblings so I had a lot more energy to travel for competitions every single weekend, but Mackenzie just graduated last year so I'm sorry you're getting the short end of the stick. I am. But I kind of need some time off from all that right now, you know?"

"I guess." She sighed, pulling out her sketchpad and colored pencils. The window bored her. There was only so much she could trace with her finger. Plus her birthday was last week and her parents had gotten her the more expensive colored pencils and sketchbook this year. Double digits were a big deal after all.

Lana focused on drawing a sunflower, using a bright yellow to outline the petals. She took her time, carefully starting to shade in one petal.

"I get it," she muttered after a while.

"Okay. I'll make you a deal." Her mother glanced at her through the rearview mirror but noticed Lana was drawing, smiling a little. She was always doodling something. "But it involves you looking at me."

"Alright," she pushed the pencil back into the box and glanced up at her. The serious expression on the ten-year-olds face was priceless. The furrowed brow, pouted lip, her jaw set. She was her father's child. "What?"

"Less attitude next time?" Melinda laughed, her eyes flicking to the road and meeting back with hers. "I'm going to talk to your father. Maybe you can start next year. I guess one year off might be enough."

"Really?" She said excitedly."You're the best mom."

"It's not set in stone, but it's a maybe." Melinda corrected, not wanting to get her hopes up. That meant there was still a good chance that she might say no. "So how was school girls?"

"I got my art project back from the show," she said, unzipping her backpack to pull it out. It was a winter sunset painting. She'd been one of the ten kids in her class to be put in the winter art show. "I know you wanted it to frame it. Oh, and Mrs. Evans said I did well on my English project that Katie helped me with."

"Ooh yes. Put it on the seat. That's awesome Lana, better tell her that when you see her. I'm bringing you guys straight to Katie's and then am going to pick up your father from the dentist." Melinda explained, carefully driving toward the Banks household. "I don't know how late we'll be, so if you need to spend the night Katie said she'd bring you both home to get clothes. Ems.. you're quiet. How was the second grade?"

"It was ok. I have spelling and math homework." Emma explained, smiling. "But music was fun. Mr. Carson is the best. He let me bring my violin to class."

"Oh yeah? Did you play?" Melinda asked, smiling at her through the rearview mirror. She'd been taking violin lessons for almost three years and had gotten pretty good at a few songs for her age.

"A little," the little girl frowned then as their mother turned onto their sister's street. "I messed up on Amazing Grace. Some boys laughed at me."

"Who laughed? I'll sucker-punch them." Lana muttered, brow furrowed. Emma wasn't the type to stand up for herself, so being in the fourth grade, she scared off anyone who made fun of her little sister. She had been in many scuffles with boys on the playground and gotten sent home four times this year already.

"Lana, no you won't. If you get sent home again you'll likely be suspended too," Melinda warned her as she pulled up in front of Katie's house. "You go inside. I want to talk to Emma on her own."

"Whatever. See you later mom. Love you," she nudged her sister and hugged her mom before hopping out. "I want names later, Emma."

"Lana knock it off," Melinda laughed, warning her again as she got out of the car. "Ems, you come to sit up here so I can talk to you."

The seven-year-old moved to the front seat as Lana walked across the lawn. Katie and Ned's cars were both parked in the driveway so she went straight inside.

Asher was eagerly awaiting the arrival of his aunts, which was so weird to her considering they were so closer in age, and sitting by the stairs with his stuffed elephant. His favorite animal.

The little boy squealed when she was the first to come in. "Lana! Can we color?" He asked immediately and she hugged him. "Pwease?"

"Of course! Where's your mom and dad?" Lana slid her backpack off, leaving it by her shoes as she looked around for her older sister. Usually, Katie or Ned was with their son at all times.

"They are talking grown-up stuff," the almost four-year-old shrugged, pulling her up the stairs and to his room. Katie must've set this out for him because there were all sorts of crayons, colored pencils, and markers put out on his play table. "Look! Mommy put all of it out for us."

"Awesome!" Lana cheered, sitting on the floor while he sat in the little chair. She was just a little too big for the other ones now. "What do you wanna color?"

Asher pondered over the sheets he'd likely asked her sister to print out for him. Lana had picked a blank piece from the other pile and grabbed a crayon. He eventually decided on a dinosaur and a red crayon as the front door closed and feet pounded up the stairs.

Emma came in soon after hugging Asher and sharing a glance with her. "Mom said I can't tell you their names or I won't have dessert for a month. Sorry."

"Ugh. Fine," she sighed.

"Mom?" Katie's voice rang out.

"She left," Lana said. "Dad is almost done at the dentist. She's running late."

Their older sister came in through the opened door, her braid barely together as Asher put down his crayon and ran to his mom. "Hey girls," she smiled at them, picking Ash up to kiss his cheek. "Hiya bud."

"Mommy, will you color with us?" He asked and squirmed in her arms until he was set back down.

"Oh I think she has to go finish that grown-up conversation with your daddy first and then she'll make us some snacks later," Lana said, holding out his red crayon to him. "But we'll have fun still!"

"Okay!" Asher hugged Lana and took the crayon, resuming his doodles on the dinosaur.

The ten-year-old winked knowingly and hugged her. "Nice hair, sis."

"Shut up," Katie sighed. "I'll make you whatever you want later. I swear. Ned's been working doubles." Emma squeezed her too before she turned to leave. "Thank you."