Everything Has Changed //Ryan Blaney//

3.0 - Cookies

Sienna

I hadn't noticed the days counting down to Christmas until Eleanor came running to me in the kitchen as I was getting dinner ready. Grabbing around my waist, she asked me about cookies for tonight. I had to give her a confused look because I was not sure what she meant.

"Cookies for Santa, Mommy. He'll need milk and cookies when he drops off my presents." She giggled like it was the most obvious thing in the world. To her, it most likely was. Smiling down at her, I set the spatula I had been using down beside the stove. Wiping my hands on a hand towel on the oven handle.

"What kind of cookie do you want to make for him?" I picked her up off the floor and set her on the counter beside me, away from the stove.

"The ones with the snowmen, Mommy. They're the best." Faking a shocked expression because she chose a store-bought cookie over my own, I had not expected that out of her.

"My cookies aren't the best anymore?" I asked her. Ryan made his appearance known then as he made an offhand innuendo about my cookies. Sending him a playful glare, he shot his hands in the air. Mumbles could be heard from him, but I didn't catch what was said.

"But mommy, these have snowmen in them." Eleanor reasoned, pulling my hand so the attention was back on her.

Smiling, I agreed. I couldn't blame her; my cookies didn't hold a candle to those Pillsbury seasonal cookies. Well, almost.

"Okay, baby, dinner first, and then after your bath, we'll make cookies. If your dad doesn't eat them all, we may take some with us tomorrow when we go."

Eleanor had loved her trip with my parents; they had played in the snow and gone snowshoeing to go tubing. She had a blast and wanted to go back as soon as she could. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be after the start of the year, and then it might not be for a while with school.

My trip, on the other hand, was horrible. I hate the snow, so driving in it was the worst thing for me. Add in the mountains, and I was ready to be back home the minute we crossed over into West Virginia. Ryan had a good time; he and my dad had hung out a lot, and then he got on well with Ashton's parents when we were around them, so it was never awkward. Until I had to give them the stuff that I couldn't hold onto anymore.

I felt so bad for the decision to part with his stuff, and I could tell that seeing everything brought up memories for Lena. She never mentioned anything, but I could see it on her face. We didn't stay long that day, but we did see them the next day whenever we were getting ready to leave.

That wasn't much better than when we came over the first time. I didn't feel good at all when we went through the mountains, and not even medicine was helping the nausea go away. The migraine that came along with it was worse than the time before.

Since we've been back, I've not gotten much better with the headaches and tired feeling, but I had to put on a smiling face for my daughter. That's why I honestly forgot what day it was.

"I'll preheat the oven so when you get done with dressing her, you won't have to wait long." Ryan peeked his head into Eleanor's room as I had just finished brushing through her hair and putting it up into pigtails. She had on her favorite jammies at the moment, which Daddy bought her for the night before Christmas. The pants were red and white striped with green Christmas trees all over them, and the shirt had in sparkly writing, 'I've been nice.' She wore them every night this week when she found them.