Asa Called!

I got to talk to Asa today! I had just put Marley down for a nap and was checking my Facebook when I saw an unknown number come up on my phone. I got a little twinge of excitement, but I really didn't want to get my hopes up and then hear the voice of a salesperson on the other end. but it really was him!

Everyone in his company who passed their recent physical training test and rifle marksmanship test got a four hour pass to "eat junk food and hang out" according to Asa. He actually left his group to come call me. I talked to him for about 20 minutes the first time, and then an hour later he called back and I talked to him for over an hour. I haven't gotten to talk to him at all since he got there, so I can't even explain how happy I was to hear from him.

He sounded like he was doing really well. He said that time is going by much faster now and it seems like they are starting to do more fun things. They are in white phase right now, and will soon be in blue phase. The higher up in the phases he goes, the more fun things they get to do and the easier the Drill Sargents are on them. He said blue phase should start in the next week. They are leaving Wednesday for a three day overnight stay out in the woods. They have a much more official name for it, but I can't remember it. They have all kind of fun, and Asa sounded really excited about it.

He told me that on February 5th they will be done with the basic training part. Even thought there isn't an official graduation, he does get a 36 hours pass to spend time with family. So, Marley and I are going to fly up there and visit him for those 36 hours. And then his final graduation should be March 20th. I don't know for certain enough to book a flight or anything, but I will soon hopefully. That is the big graduation that everyone is invited to.

He also said that their orders will start coming in soon. He could find out anywhere from a week from to a few weeks before graduation. So, I am really looking forward to finding that out and planning our next couple of years. He has been told so many different things as far as where he will be stationed, for how long, when he will get deployed. I just can't get excited about one plan or another because there is no possible way to know. So, I am just planning the very best that I can as far as the next two months. But after that is completely up in the air. I could be in school, or I could have to drop my classes. I could be still living here, or we could be a few hours away, or we could be a plane ride away. Asa could get deployed immediately, or he could in three months, or he could in a year. It's exhausting to try and figure out a plan for any of that, so we just can't. And that's hard to settle with.

14 guys got caught with forbidden items, so that caused a lot of drama. One of the guys in getting kicked out and the rest of them will have something in their permanent Army file. Asa did really well with his BRM (something rifle marksmanship). He got sharpshooter, which is the step below expert. He gets a little medal to go on his Class A uniform. He said his Drill Sargent is having fun with them, laughing and playing music at nights. Oh, and doing donuts in the snow! The weather is warmer there now, and should stay that way while they are on the overnight stay.

Geez, we talked for so long but I really can't figure out what else he told me! If I figure something else out I will write about it. We really talked a lot about Marley. She loved hearing his voice and would gasp when he said her name. She really misses him. Since my letters to him take so long, he is over a week behind on what he are doing, where as I have gotten his letters from a few days ago. He just really sounded like he was doing well. I know he misses us, but I am so glad he can have fun while he is there. He is taking it much more seriously than some of the other guys, but at the same time he is enjoying himself. It's crazy to feel like the end is in sight. Marley and I can go see him in 18 days, and then 7 weeks after that he will be graduating. Just thinking about going to his graduation gets me all tingly with pride!

Three New Things

Marley LOVES puzzles lately! She will do this puzzle over and over. And over. She's really good at it, and applauds herself every time she gets one in!

Sometimes she does get a little frustrated though. It's so cute! She pretty much just keeps trying to shove it in there, pushing as hard as she can on it.

She also has several new signs now. She can say please, thank you, pretty, airplane, deer, lion, elephant, and diaper change. Sure, that looks a lot like she's blowing a kiss, but she is really saying thank you! It's so fun to have a little girl with manners!

The night before Asa left, he spent 20 minutes popping this little round toy out of his mouth and into the air. Marley thought it was hysterical.

Laughing with Daddy from Jillian Shaw on Vimeo.

Well, the other night, Marley brought me the shape sorter that the piece came from. She sat on the bed with me and rolled it around until she found the spot the circle goes into. She got my attention, pointed to the circle, stuck her finger in her mouth, and then pulled it out really fast making a pop noise! I literally almost cried! First of all, because she remembered doing it with Asa. She could remember what he did and that she thought it was funny, even from weeks ago. And then secondly, because she's so smart! She just told me exactly what she wanted!

Asa, The Action Figure

Abigail and Brett sent us the sweetest gift a couple of weeks ago. I think the official term is "Hugs To Go" but we just like to call him her Daddy Doll. It has a little slit in the front of it where I put a picture of Asa, so she knows who it is. She loves it. She carries it around with her calling it Dada and wants to bring it in the car when we go somewhere. It is such a sweet idea, a safe way for her to carry something around that makes her think about Asa. I tried giving her pictures to hold, but she just crumpled them up.
The only thing we need to do is cut his hair!

Back to the Park

It was finally nice enough to get out the house last week, so Marley and I took a few trips to the park and nature trails around Nacogdoches. I have made it my quest to lose some weight while Asa is gone, so I am very thankful that it's warm enough to take Marley walking with me. I also think Marley isn't getting enough physical activity, so I love that she can play outside now. That girl will go down the slide 50 times in a row if I let her!

Sleeping Baby

It's so hard to not take pictures of her when she's sleeping. She looks so sweet.

How Many Ducks Does One Girl Need?