Rose noticed Thomas taking requests of sandwich spreads from his parents. Looked like he was getting ready to leave now, and Alexia seemed to agree with the sentiment. Rose decided to chime in slightly, taking the stuff he had already brought out and helping him place it neatly in the basket.<br/><br/>"You know what I like already, Thomas," her eyes crinkled in the corners as she smiled at her grandson. She wasn't a person who enjoyed change well. It was why she had been so scared to move away from home, to marry David, to do everything. But their farm gift had made everything better. She could be happy and safe in a place that was just a little different, from the layout of the rooms to the colours of the walls and the door handles, but still with the same air. The same feeling. The fields.<br/><br/>Peanut butter and jam sandwiches with bananas wasn't the only thing in Rose's life that stayed constant.<br/><br/>Rose stole a strawberry from its container, admiring how sweet it was. Wiping her lips clean of the juices, she threw the leafy head into the garbage under the sink. They had a compost bin out the back, but sometimes she was guilty of time-saving by throwing organic waste into the wrong pail.<br/><br/>Alexia didn't seem to respond to Rose's silent communication. She let out a little sigh. Maybe her daughter just needed time. Alexia had always been a little roller-coaster, usually going back up on her own. Rose only wished that she didn't have to go down at all.<br/><br/>"I can take the things that are hard to reach out of the fridge for you, Thomas," Rose said, grabbing the handle and pulling the mentioned receptacle open. They kept the left-over cooked meats in the top back of the fridge, which Thomas couldn't yet quite reach by himself. He was growing though, as evident by the door trim in the family room, that proudly displayed Alexia's growth stages, and was beginning to accumulate Thomas'. Rose looked forward to adding a new addition to the chart in some months' time.<br/><br/>As Conor and Thomas headed for the door to prepare to saddle the horses, Rose grabbed the basket of food and the two loaves of bread which didn't quite fit in, but were easy enough to carry. She would have to walk down to the river. Conor could lead Puddles, though Rose would want to saddle her. It wasn't that she didn't trust Conor, as he was an excellent stable hand, but Rose liked the personal touch of doing it herself before riding.<br/><br/>Rose looked down at her full arms before replying to Alexia's question. "I think I've got this, but thank you. You go have your nap, sweetheart." Rose gave her daughter a quick kiss on the cheek before heading out the door, following in the footsteps of a curly-haired boy on a broad man's shoulders.