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Vanessa Bryant and Daughters Pose in Front of Kobe and Gianna Mural

Robyn Merrett
5 min read

Vanessa Bryant and her girls are doing their best to put on a smile despite the pain of their loss.

On Monday, Vanessa, 37, shared a touching photo of her and her three daughters Capri, Bianka and Natalia posing in front of a mural of Kobe and Gianna Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash alongside seven others on Jan. 26.

In the photo, Vanessa holds 8-month-old Capri as her second youngest Bianka, 3, stands alongside big sister Natalia, 17.

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Kobe’s widow wore all black for the outing as well as black sunglasses while Natalia and Bianka matched in navy blue polka dot dresses.

Little Capri wore a pink ensemble with a matching bow.

In the caption of the post, Vanessa quoted the lyrics of late singer Nat King Cole’s song “Smile,” writing, “Smile though your heart is aching / Smile even though it’s breaking.”

“When there are clouds in the sky, you’ll get by / If you smile through your fear and sorrow,” she continued.

“Smile and maybe tomorrow / You’ll see the sun come shining through for you / Light up your face with gladness / Hide every trace of sadness.”

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“Although a tear may be ever so near / That’s the time you must keep on trying / Smile, what’s the use of crying? / You’ll find that life is still worthwhile if you just smile.”

“That’s the time you must keep on trying/ Smile, what’s the the use of crying? You’ll find that life is still worthwhile if you just smile,” Vanessa added.

The sweet post comes after Vanessa posted a solo image of Natalia in front of the mural of her late husband and daughter before the 17-year-old’s winter formal dance.

“My babies. Natalia. #winterformal #together #family,” Vanessa captioned the post, adding a red heart emoji.

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RELATED: Kobe Bryant’s Daughter Natalia, 17, Pays Tribute to Late Dad and Sister Gianna at Winter Formal

Earlier this month, Vanessa’s legal team spoke out about the allegations that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies shared graphic photos of the helicopter crash site where Kobe and Gianna died.

In the statement, they denounced the “inexcusable” acts “of injustice” and called on “an Internal Affairs investigation of these alleged incidents.”

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s office also released a statement, claiming an investigation surrounding the allegations was underway.

Last month, Vanessa also filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the helicopter company that owned the aircraft in the tragic crash.

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In a complaint obtained by PEOPLE that lists herself and her daughters as plaintiffs, the NBA star’s widow is suing Island Express Helicopters and claims that pilot Ara Zobayan of Huntington Beach, California, who was piloting the flight at the time of the crash and died, “failed to properly monitor and assess the weather prior to takeoff,” “failed to abort the flight when he knew of the cloudy conditions” and “failed to properly and safely operate the helicopter resulting in a crash.”

The complaint also claims that Island Express Helicopters “knew or should have known” that Zobayan had been previously cited by the FAA for violating “the visual flight rules minimums by flying into an area of reduced visibility from weather conditions.”

Vanessa and her daughters are seeking general, economic and punitive damages.

In response to the lawsuit, a spokesperson for Island Express Helicopters told PEOPLE, “This was a tragic accident. We will have no comment on the pending litigation.”

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At Kobe and Gianna’s memorial on Feb. 24, Vanessa tearfully spoke of how much she misses her late loved ones.

“My baby girl,” she said, taking a moment to compose herself. “Gianna Bryant is an amazingly sweet and gentle soul. She was always thoughtful.”

RELATED: Vanessa Bryant ‘Spent a Lot of Time’ on Eulogy for Kobe and Gianna: ‘It Took Everything She Had’

Vanessa Bryant 'Spent a Lot of Time' on Eulogy for Kobe and Gianna: 'It Took Everything She Had'

"She's exhausted but she knows that after [Monday] she can rest," a source tells PEOPLE

Continued Vanessa, “She was daddy’s girl but I know she loved her mamma. She was one of my very best friends.”

“She had the best laugh. It was infectious, it was pure and genuine. Kobe and Gianna naturally gravitated toward each other. “

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“We will not be able to see Gianna go to high school with Natalia … we didn’t get the chance to teach her how to drive a car,” said Vanessa. “I won’t be able to tell her how gorgeous she looks on her wedding day. I’ll never get to see my baby girl walk down the aisle, have a father-daughter dance with her daddy … or have babies of her own.”

Concluded Vanessa, “I miss you, all of you, every day.”

Allen Berezovsky/Getty Gianna and Kobe Bryant

“Now for my soulmate,” said Vanessa before transitioning to words of remembrance about her husband. “He was the most amazing husband. Kobe loved me more than I could ever express or put into words.”

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Continued the grieving wife, “I have no idea how I deserved a man who loved or wanted me more than Kobe.”

“We loved each other with our whole beings, two perfectly imperfect people making a beautiful family and raising our sweet and amazing girls,” she said of her longtime husband, who she married in 2001.

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