So here’s the thing… Casey Anthony? I hate to beat a dead horse that the blog world has sufficiently killed with endless posts and tweets about this topic. Especially when the blog world has expressed so many different opinions on the trial and the verdict. But this is something I can’t get out of my head. And I think I have the answer as to why I’ve been so interested and fascinated with the trial.

I know my judgment of Casey Anthony and the kind of mother she was is based solely on what I’ve seen on Dateline and what the prosecution presented. And because I do not know her personally, I can only say that this is all just my opinion based on what I’ve seen. And honestly? My opinion on this means jack squat. But I can’t stop thinking about it, so I need to write about it.

Do you see this little boy? His smile, his tears, his laughs, and his whines. The funny things he says and even his temper tantrums. Every single thing about him is my world. My heart. My life. My everything.

Every night, after watching the trial, all I could think about is how much better my life is because Hudson came into this world. I feel the same way about sweet Hayes, obviously. But Hudson made me a mother and Hudson is around the same age that Caylee Anthony was when she died.

My judgment of Casey Anthony means nothing and it may not even be accurate. And I’m certainly not trying to stir up a debate. But a child died. And that child was probably just as adorable and hilarious as I think my child is. And that just makes me sad.

I end every single day hugging that precious boy of mine and wishing he could always sleep so peacefully and that he will always feel safe, loved, and protected. And I pray that every child in this world can feel those same things. Every child deserves a warm bed and to have someone read to him or her every night. No child should be ignored in favor of a fun night out or even just to take time to clear out your email inbox. Their little lives are so precious and their innocence is so short-lived.

All I know is that this face means everything to me and I would fall apart if anything ever happened to him. And that is why I was so fascinated with this case.

The start of a new life (Hayes’s) makes me feel even more like I need to do what I can to get on track. And I have a lot of areas where I feel like I am off track. Don’t get me wrong, please. This is not a pity party that I’m trying to start and I am really very happy. But adding a new member to our household and trying to keep up with everything else we’ve got going on has kind of thrown me for a loop when it comes to actually getting stuff done.

I have a lot of things I’d like to accomplish or add to my daily and weekly routines. I’m just thinking that maybe if I put it all in writing I’ll have some more accountability. The list is in no particular order– these are just the things that are weighing on me right now.

1. Begin and complete Couch 2 5k with two fun friends.

2. Train for and complete a half marathon with the same two fun friends. (I cannot believe I put that in writing. I put it at the top of the list because I figured if I put it at the bottom I may chicken out and leave it off the list completely!)

3. Do all of my grocery shopping on Sunday afternoon for the week. Getting out of the house with two babies is hard. Getting out of the house to go to the grocery store with two babies is even harder. Gotta grocery shop when TC is home.

4. Menu plan on Saturdays. You know, to be ready for Sunday’s grocery adventures.

5. Come up with a great menu planning/organizing system for the house. I’m thinking a monthly calendar in a binder along with a grocery list and menu references.

6. Develop a weekly routine for the boys and organize my calendar before the week begins. Hayes has a great daily routine, but for the rest of the summer I want there to be things that Hudson gets to do every week like trips to the museum, the zoo, or even just the Chick fil A playground.

7. Go to yoga twice a week. I miss yoga so much and I know how good it is for me. Now that Hayes is sleeping so well, nightly activities like this are more of a possibility.

8. Set aside time every day to complete my quiet time.

9. Purge. We have a lot of stuff around here that we don’t use and that, frankly, we forget that we have. I want to get rid of it!

10. Take more pictures. I need to be ready to take cute pictures of the cute things that happen around here!

I didn’t put “lose 30 pounds” anywhere on the list because I just don’t want to put that pressure on myself. I want to be healthy and eat healthily. I want to look great in my clothes. But I’m not attaching a number to those things right now.

So what’s on your list of goals?

It’s time to play a little bit of catch up, or as Hudson would say, “wetch up.”

1. We just returned from a really fun holiday weekend in Bentonville, Arkansas celebrating my best friend, Catherine. She married her best friend in a gorgeous ceremony and true down home reception. I got to see lots of new and old friends and it was just a great time! Unfortunately, I didn’t get a single picture on her wedding day, but got one of my Matron of Honor, Jennifer.

Catherine’s maiden name is Traylor and his last name is Parks. We all got a huge kick out of this when they started dating because her name would be Traylor Parks someday. They decided to embrace it and do some adorable things at the reception like have an air stream trailer and set the bar up in front of it. The whole wedding was so charming and had such an adorable sense of humor.

2. My sweet boys did great on the plane. TC was with us and my parents met us there to help out so TC and I could attend all the wedding events. Hudson is so used to flying that he knows exactly what to do when he gets on a plane now. And Hayes is at such an easy age where he sleeps all the time, so it was a really uneventful trip… on the way there.

On the way home, however, we were delayed for nearly 6 hours in Atlanta. This included boarding the plane then getting off the plane because of weather. And then boarding again, pushing back from the gate, and then finding out that we couldn’t take off… again! So we got off the plane again. It was all very annoying because we had the boys with us. They did fine, but eventually Hudson reached his limit where he really wanted to go to sleep and Hayes was hungry, but we only had so much formula left and I was trying to save it for as long as possible.

TC took this picture of me when we got on the plane for the last time. We made it home around 1:00 a.m. and should have been home around 5:30 p.m. Oh, the joys of flying these days! (That’s my “You’re in big trouble, Delta” face and my leftover bridesmaid hair.)

3. I have been glued to the Casey Anthony murder trial this summer. We were even watching it in the hotel this weekend. It was the perfect post-baby activity since we did so much sitting around. I can’t believe it is over. TC can’t figure out why I was so interested in it and I don’t really have a definite answer for that either. All I’m going to say, though, is hug your children and hold on tight.

4. I feel like all I talk about these days is how much Hayes is sleeping, but we had a big break through last night! Hayes went from 9:00 p.m.-6:45 a.m.! I feel great. And then Hudson slept until 10:30 a.m. this morning. I think the long day of flying caught up with him.  We’re all happy to be well-rested.

Hello, lovelies!

Our household has taken a turn in a great way in the last few days. After I wrote my post on Monday, I got a comment from a sweet reader with some much appreciate help and advice.

We have had Hayes on a pretty strict schedule, sleeping in his own room, swaddled with white noise since the day we brought him home from the hospital. But after some chatting with my friend and another friend, I decided there was one place where I was making a mistake. And that was our bedtime routine.

Both of these sweet friends referred me to Moms on Call, which is a sleeping training and parenting guide developed by pediatric nurses who are also moms in the Atlanta area. I watched their online seminar, took vigorous notes, made a few changes to our bedtime routine, and Hayes slept 8.5 hours! It’s a miracle! Since then, he has slept anywhere from 7-8.5 hours each night. I feel like we’re heading down a great path.

Visit Moms on Call for more information and watch their online seminar or buy the book. I’m a believer!

Another super fun development since Monday’s post… The Gamecocks won the College World Series! For the second straight year! We are so excited and feel like our two little boys are good luck charms for Gamecock baseball.

Here’s a picture of Hudson from last year’s parade celebrating our 2010 College World Series victory! We won’t make it to this year’s parade, but we are just so excited for the University and the state of South Carolina.