What a great weekend- no school, lots of eating, a great sister visit, and Christmas tree hunting!!

Ally came to Toledo to meet little Max this weekend, and we had so much fun! She was such a big help...especially when it came to entertaining Sam! We LOVED having her here.



We ate out for Thanksgiving again this year and it was so lovely and stress-free! For some reason doing something so non-traditional makes it a little easier to be away from family!! We were definitely the youngest table of people at the entire place; and we received several parenting tips from the numerous 'grandmothers' eating around us. I just had to giggle at one lady telling me she was worried my baby was going to suffocate in his carseat, and another who suggested that my 2 year old should drink milk and not Sprite. It was Thanksgiving for goodness sake...of course my kid can drink Sprite!!



Instead of bargain hunting on Black Friday we went Christmas tree hunting. The tree farm we found was wonderful! It was a little chilly, but fun nonetheless. Sam just loved being able to run outside.

It didn't take us long to find the perfect tree.

Ally tried to convince us to get this one...

We were THIS close, but we worried that it wasn't big enough.

Here's our little tree all decked out. We LOVE it!

And I couldn't help but add this little picture:
I feel like Max is getting so big...especially his cheeks!! We just love this little boy!

As many of you know, the game yesterday was pretty ugly and left many Cougar fans feeling angry...

However, I still have 3 loyal BYU fans at my house!

Eric has remained a true Cougar, but after last night's game he is seriously reconsidering the name of our 2nd child! Darn that Max Hall!!Besides football, things around the Dockter home are going well! We're trying to figure out what "normal" is now that we have 2 kids. Bedtime, bathtime, mealtime, ANYtime is so much busier...definitely better but definitely busier!

I'm having so much fun watching Sam interact with Max. He gets to excited to share toys with him and is quite proud of himself when he does. Sam also tries to have the sweetest little conversations with Max. He's constantly asking, "How are you, Baby Max?" "What are you doing Baby Max?" And my personal favorite, "Guess what, Baby Max, you came out! You came out!" They are cute little buddies already.

Life with Max...

is wonderful! He is such a sweet tempered little guy, and seems to be the perfect addition to our family. The past week and a half have flown by! I feel like Max has changed so much already!! Take a look for yourself...

I was so worried about how Sam would react to Max, but he has done so well! He LOVES his brother so much! He is constantly asking to kiss "it", hold "it", and touch "it!" Sam has been so sweet and is proud to tell people that he is a big brother!

Eric and I are adjusting well too! We never imagined ourselves with 2 little boys, but here we are!

There is NO way I could have made it through all of this without the help of my mom. She was wonderful! From doing laundry, to playing endlessly with Sam, to bathing Max, to making dinners, to making sure I had time to nap...she was amazing help! She just left yesterday (which means that today has been my first day on my own!) and I miss her so much! I was also lucky enough to have my dad come for a few days to meet his newest grandson! It was so great to see him! He took Sam to the zoo one morning, and I don't think Sam will ever forget that. He was a great help too, and I love that he was able to come!! I love seeing my parents interact and bond with my kids...it is one of the greatest things ever.

We love our sweet Max and are so glad he is finally here!

The Name agreement

This baby boy officially has a name, but not without some serious legal advise and official documentation. His name is Max Jensen Dockter but only under the agreement that our next boy's name (if there is one) will be chosen by yours truly. You see, I really like the name Max just like I really liked Sam when we named him. However during both of these events there was a name that I also liked a lot. So, the agreement is that I concede my current holdout on naming Max and if we ever have another boy, that boy will carry this other name. All who read this statement stand as witnesses that this agreement took place. In a couple years I may be searching out your testimony.

Max and Lindsay are both doing really well!! Sam is loving his little brother a lot. Everytime he comes to the hospital the first thing he says is, "Where is the baby?" He loves to hold him and give him little kisses. When he left for home tonight, he gave baby Max a kiss and said, "I love you baby Max." So far the adjustment has gone well...everyone hold your breath!!

He made it!!

Cletus the fetus officially is no longer a fetus and according to Lindsay he's definately no longer Cletus. Due to this setback as far as names go, his name is yet to come. This sweet little boy came at 11:42 p.m. weighing 8lbs 3 1/2 oz. and 20 inches long (Sam was 8lbs 4 oz and 20 inches long). Lindsay is also doing well. We are so excited to have him here. So far he hasn't been too entertaining except as soon as he came out he left his urine all over us. We will keep you posted as soon as we make progress with a name.

And a little wink...

The REAL Halloween

We had a fun, busy Halloween yesterday! It was full of what have become some Toledo traditions! Sam was shocked and elated to find out that he got to go trick-or-treating again...and not just once, but twice!

We met up with ward friends in Perrysburg in the afternoon for our first trick-or-treating adventure. I LOVE this tradition! All of the stores and shops lining main street hand out candy during the afternoon. It is so fun! We had a much smaller group this year, but it was still as fun as ever. Sam's little pumpkin was packed with goodies.

Then last night, I had not planned on taking Sam trick-or-treating again (he has TONS of candy!), but Eric insisted! He wanted to be part of all the fun, too. We went to a neighborhood just around the corner from us and Sam and Eric had a blast, and I loved watching them have so much fun together!

And what could top off Halloween night better than Chipotle?? We met up with friends again this year for free Chipotle! I completely forgot to take a pic...but just picture aluminum foil. YUM!