How to eat sand (and other fun pictures from Hawaii)

so maybe I should have been more clear. more pictures from our vacation really means more pictures of Max on our vacation. Here are some favorites.

First, get yourself a nice big handful, wrinkle your nose, and laugh to yourself about your little plan. 

(his expression in these pics kill me)

Then, stick a whole bunch of sand in your mouth, squeeze your lips shut reeeeeaaaal tight 

and chew for a minute to experience the gritty goodness. 

wipe off the excess. no need to make a mess. 

tell mama how it tastes.

But it's ok. 

Danny took Max skinny dipping at the Mauna Lani Beach. Just to clarify, 

Max was the only naked one. =)

Just cruising around. I am obsessed with this outfit of his! It's a handmade vintage piece (It has to be at least 30 years old) that I found at DI for a dollar. Some people have no idea what they are doing when they throw things out. I put it on him every chance I got!

This is what happens when you decide to give yourself a sand faceplant facial immediately 

after your mom slathers you in SPF 50.  Shockingly, although it was stuck even in his eyelashes, no sand got in his eyes!

max and mama

just plain humorous. it's almost ridiculous how obsessed they are with him!

Thanks mom and dad for the amazing trip. we love you!

Jordan looking oh so GQ. One thing you have to understand about my little brother. Dressing like a complete goof and watching us react (see the white socks) brings him pure joy. He is such a crack up. See Jordan. You DO make the blog.

Kenz, what a babe. 

The grand finale. This is my sweet (most of the time) autistic brother Tyler. He decided to join Marilyn (our Peruvian sister) for a brisk session of water aerobics. I wish I had a better picture, but the class consisted of the two of them and about 10 senior citizens.  The initial conversation went something like this:

Tyler: "Hey, Hey! What are you guys doing?! [keep in mind that my brother speaks loudly, very very loudly. It's pure entertainment]"

Marilyn/Instructor: "We are having an aerobics class in the water" 

Tyler: "Oh, are you excercising?"

 Instructor: "yes"

Ty: "Oh splendid. Would you like me to join you?!"

Marilyn, Instructor, old people: "Sure Ty!"

Tyler: " Alright, sure you do. You sure would like me to join you!"

Tyler jumps in and starts flailing his arms with everyone else. Priceless. 

A couple of my favorite moments:

Taking the whole group out on a little boat in the middle of the ocean, then jumping in the water with our snorkel gear and swimming with TONS of WILD DOLPHINS. then later snorkeling in a little cove with the most amazing tropical fish. There were literally thousands!

Finding a sea turtle on the rocks with Jordan, Mackenzie, and Danny. Standing about a foot away from it for probably 15 minutes. Jordan breaking the law and touching it. 

Swimming with about 3 huge sea turtles later that afternoon. Pure amazement. 

Sitting on the beach, doing a whole lot of nothing, just loving being in the company of the people I love the very most on this earth. My husband, my baby, my parents, my siblings. It was unforgettable.