Lava...

We decided it would be fun to head up to Lava Hot Springs on Thursday and stay a night to kill some time the last couple days before Christmas. We went for the first time the year before last right after Christmas and it was so fun, we were excited to go back. We stayed at the same place as before, this cute little place called the Alpaca Inn and happened to be put in the same room as before too! #6!

Like I've mentioned before anytime the boys get to go stay in a "hotel", is SO fun to them!

We got there and checked in about 1:00, then let the boys play in the room for a bit before we got our suits on and went over to sit in the hot pools.

 It felt SO good! When it is freezing cold outside, to go sit in that hot water...LOVE it!

Our good friends the Hansons happened to be going that same night, and with our recommendation stayed in the same place. So it was fun to have all the boys there to play together. 

After we'd all had enough of the hot water we went back to our room and got ready for dinner. We went to the little pizza place in town, then went and got our fishing licenses and snacks for the next day, then went back to our room again.

I have to say that I love Ashton and Gunnar's imaginations...they pretended and played for 2 hours straight in that little room! They built a fort, used the ironing board for a surf board, played swamp monsters and on and on and on all while Lars and I watched a Hallmark movie. Such a fun night....

They finally settled down to sleep...both of them in the same bed for the first time at a hotel :), at about 9:30, then we were all up at 6:00. They just get way too excited when we're staying somewhere.

We met the Hansons for breakfast, then all headed out for another fun day of ice fishing at Deep Creek...which is on the way home.

I had gotten Brianne a bright pink ice-fishing rod for Christmas and she got me this sweatshirt, that she also got for herself (and we both happened to be wearing!) haha!

We caught lots of fish throughout the day again, and it was another beautiful sunny day!

All the boys had fun for hours just sliding around on the ice and sledding.

Oh I almost forgot to mention that as we were getting ready to check out that morning Lars' back suddenly locked up on him and he was in horrible pain most of the day! He could tell that it was a pinched nerve in his sciatic nerve because the pain just shot down his leg to his foot. Off and on it would feel better, but most of the day it was really bad. By the time we loaded up the truck after fishing he could hardly stand up straight. He tried everything he could when we got home to stretch it out, but nothing worked. When he decided to try to go to bed about 11:00 and couldn't even lay down, he decided he was going to the emergency room. They figured it was what he thought and prescribed him some muscle relaxers and cortizone pills, so he started taking them, but was still up all night trying to sleep a chair in the living room.

Saturday morning all he could do was walk really hunched over and try to lay down...he was so frustrated thinking that this was how his Christmas was going to be! But then all of a sudden early in the afternoon, it just loosened up. I walked by the bedroom and he was standing straight up and said it was gone...we were so glad!

Next up...Christmas Eve!