"It's his first birthday, the biggest party of his life," said Knight, 23, smiling upon the infant in his arms.

Ayden "Stryker" Antone Kekaulike Yan-Wei Knight celebrated his first birthday with a traditional baby lu'au on the huge front lawn of his grandmother Suzette Parraga's Kailua home.

"He's such a gift to us," said Ayden's mother, Amber Andrade, 22. She wore a dark-brown halter dress to match the outfits of her boyfriend and son. "It's just nice to have people we care about, our family and friends, celebrate him."

Ayden's family spared no expenses on the festivities, which took nearly a year to prepare for. An open tent housed nearly 1,000 guests, covering four long rows of seven picnic tables each.

"He loves the ocean," said Andrade, of Honolulu.

As a trio of musicians played Hawaiian music on a separate stage, party-goers enjoyed a bounty of lu'au fare: kalua pig, squid lu'au, shoyu poke, lomi salmon, guisantes and steamed fish, among other local grinds.

"We want to share our culture, our traditions," Parraga said while

hanging a photo quilt she had made for her grandson. Ayden's ethnic mix includes Hawaiian, Spanish, Portuguese, African-American, Filipino, Chinese and Caucasian.

While the adults ate and mingled, children stormed an inflatable bouncy house that Ayden's family rented for the party.

Ayden's grandfather, Ernest Knight, stood by the reception table as he watched his son carrying his grandson. As the pair walked through the crowd, well-wishers congratulated them with hugs, kisses, handshakes and coos.

"I'm having flashbacks of holding (my son)," said Ernest Knight, of Pearl City.

"Grandchildren remind me of what's really important about family. It gives that clarity and focus on why we're here."