5 Months

Trying on some glasses without lenses. He loved them.

Tristan is 5 months old today. I was looking back on some of his newborn pictures last night and realized how much he has changed. He looks like a different baby! His personality is starting to shine through and he is becoming so much more fun to hang out with. He is starting to laugh a lot. His dad is the king of making him laugh. He sometimes gets really shy around people and tucks his head into my shoulder and smiles. He gets really excited and kicks his legs when he's outside and he loves to look at all the trees. Shopping with mom or dad is one of his favorite things to do. He grabs items (groceries, clothing, etc.) in front of him and feels them or stares at them in awe. I know that he is going to be a wild child. He is a little wiggle worm and can't sit still. I'm getting a little nervous for when he starts crawling and walking, he's going to be a handful. But we love this little one more than anything. He brings so much joy to our lives.

Happy Birthday Tristan!

we heart christian

My hubby turned 30 today! You have to admit, he still looks 21. Not a wrinkle on that baby face of his. He is still as handsome as ever. Unfortunately he got sick yesterday and only worked half day today. What a way to spend your big 3-0. He's sleeping right now and that's why I am able to write this quick birthday tribute for him. So why do I adore this boy?

He's so talented.

C always has new projects up his sleeves.

He loves sweets.

I blame Christian for my chubbiness. I don't remember being this obsessed with chocolate until I married him. The boy has got to have his chocolate fix every night, as do I.

He loves the ocean.

For two people that love the ocean so much, what better place to live than Hawaii? Christian can't get enough of surfing. He lives in the water pretty much year-round.

He's an awesome dad.

TK just adores his dad, however, I don't think baby T realizes just yet how COOL his dad is. He'll find out in no time.

He loves animals.

I call him the 'cat whisperer'. He is one with the animals and I swear they understand each other. He loves all animals, except for Gidget (sorry mom). His favorite thing to do is talk to stray cats on the side of the road. There has been a few times were he has pulled the car over just to have a chat, and they talk back.

He's secretly REALLY funny!

This guy free-style raps like no other, and he has dance moves that would blow your mind. He is constantly making me laugh.

He loves to snuggle.

I love when my husband says, "let's snuggle". That's a little too good to be true.

Happy 30th Christian! We love you.

no longer safe to leave the boy unattended.

In the back room for 5 minutes and this is what I come back to. I think I'm going to have my hands full when he starts crawling/walking.

camping...hawaiian style

Last weekend we were invited to go camping with a few families at Hukilau Beach. We were told that the Pukahis were having a family reunion out there and that food would be taken care of. It sounded like a lot of fun and we were excited to take baby T camping for the first time. We really didn't know what to expect because our idea of a family reunion is just getting together with our immediate family. To our surprise, there are A LOT of Pukahis. When we pulled up to the campsite, we had a difficult time finding parking and we soon realized that the parking lot/campground was reserved just for the Pukahi's family reunion. There was a big tent set up for the luau, a generator running to light up the tent and to power the speakers and mic at the front of the tent, and a long buffet table of local Hawaiian food!

We were immediately welcomed to the Pukahi Family Reunion. Everyone was great. The food was so ono. Christian felt cool because he knew some people there. We set our tent (which hadn't been used for about 10 years) up a little ways away from everyone for some privacy before dark. It seemed to not like the constant on shore wind blowing there and looked like it may collapse, but we didn't let that bring us down. We partied with the others.

Hastings ohana, after the tent was set. Tristan and his movie theatre suit. (christian doesn't just believe in looking sharp for a camp out, but we came straight from work)

This picture was taken towards the end of the night as the Luau was coming to an end.

We ate and listened and watched the performances for a while, loving the authenticity of it all. Tristan was excited to be able to wear a lil' sweat suit that he hasn't been able to wear, due to the warm weather. We call such clothing our 'movie theatre' clothes, but since Tristan has been having issues with movie theatres, he hasn't been able to utilize his.

We put Tristan to bed in his vibrate chair in Hiram's tent and we broke off from the reunion party to start a fire with our friends we went up there with and made smores. The weather had been a little ominous all evening and finally during the smore festival the pouring started. It had been off and on all night but usually didn't last too long. But this rain was serious, so most people went off to bed and we went to check T-bone in Hiram's tent. The tent was pretty flooded, but Tristan was safe in his chair. Even though his face was right next to the tent wall that was flapping all over, he didn't wake up. When the rain stopped we transfered Tristan to our tent that had handled the rain ok so far. There was a puddle on the windward side we had to soak up. We put Tristan in and went for round 2 of smores. Watching the tent, we become concerned that it was getting more and more flat and if another big rain came we might be in trouble. After much (those of you who know us can imagine how much) deliberation, we decided to take the rain fly off and try to fix the tent. So at about midnight we took it apart and carefully reconstructed it. Thanks to our friends who helped, it looked much better. Tristan slept through it all again, like the champion he is. Shandra went to bed around this time (that's right, Christian is typing now).

By now pretty much everyone was in bed, but with a fire that could still be played with nearby, I couldn't yet. Hiram and Josh came back and we began our marathon camp fire hangout. I told them my favorite things about camping were smores, fires and ghost stories. So we stood and talked for a long time, taking cover whenever a rain squall would hit. Josh turned in next and finally Hiram and I gave in and went to bed at about 3. By then our fire had started burning the tree trunk next to the fire pit, so I think it was a success.

mahalo for removing your shoes

The next morning we were pretty lazy and stayed in the tent for a while. It was overcast and didn't look too appealing.

Tristan's sleeping quarters. Me trying to scare him.

After breaking camp and thanking the Pukahis, we headed over to Goat Island for some sun and surf. By now the day was actually looking pretty nice. We set up a shelter next to the water and Shandra stayed on the beach with Tristan while I went out for a quick surf.

Hiram and me.

Teaching Tristan.

We always love the drive home because the Ko'olau mountains are the most amazing things to look at. I almost crash every time because I can't stop looking out the window.

It was so fun to get out to the country and camp, it had been a long long time. Tristan's first camping experience was a success. We're excited to start going more often.

someone's sitting up all by himself.

Curren vs. Occy

The boys couldn't miss one of the most exciting heats of the contest at J-Bay (South Africa).  Tom Curren and Occy, two iconic surfers, a classic duel.  Tristan appeared to be really into it.  

sweet land of liberty

I love 4th of July. It's all about the hot dogs, watermelon, and root beer floats. And of course the sparklers. And not to mention the birthday of our Country! Christian had Friday off from work so we started our holiday weekend a little early. On Friday we hit up Waimanalo Beach with some friends. It was a beautiful day and the water was so warm. I finally got to jump in the water for a swim, it's been awhile since baby T has been around. Dinner and Settlers game at the Garners. I'm proud to say that I won! I'm sure there's no surprise there.


Baby T at Waimanalo Beach.
We are fortunate to have awesome friends with an incredible view! It was perfect for watching the fireworks at Ala Moana. The firework show was super.



The fireworks were followed by root beer floats and sparklers. It was funny to watch all of the men/husbands get more into lighting off the fireworks than the kids. All boys are secretly pyros.



God bless America!

Tristan vs Tay

We went to our friends, the Pukahi's, house for hot dogs and talk story on Saturday. They, too, recently welcomed a new baby boy into their family, Tay. When we got there Tay was hanging out on the floor so we took Tristan over to kick it with his new little friend. We were confused and laughing at their being almost the same exact size. Can you guess who's older??



Tristan: 4 months, Tay: 2 months.
Excited after discovering his growth progress at his last doctor's appointment, Tristan was humbled when laid down next to Tay. Time for some poi and another growth spurt, son!

We had a great long weekend hanging with friends and being together as a family...more pics to come.

Mr. T

Since we take 100 pictures of T a day, I thought that I would post a few.


He's really into Baby Einstein and Curious George right now. Don't judge me for sticking him in front of the TV. :) It buys me about 30-45 minutes a day to get things done. But I love watching him watch the show. He looks so sweet.

He has discovered his feet.



He loves his Dad. It's cool because you can see C in the reflection of his eyes with his board.

He is mastering floor time. Notice his long bangs. Thise are going to get snipped soon.

He's drooling a lot! We go through 3 or 4 bibs a day. Those teeth are getting ready to break through. Also, these mangoes fascinated him, (his namesake while in the womb). He loved playing with them. I think he may be ready for some real toys :).

More to come!

DISfunkshion

Arkotec was just recently featured in DISfunkshion, a fashion magazine that just went national. Quite the colorful spread! If you can't read the article, this is what was said;

"Christian Hastings is gradually spinning art in a more positive direction by creating graphics and products which promote a respectful relationship between nature and industry. Hastings has a desire to design fresh art for our fresh new world and while keeping them separate, he derives inspiration from his background as an architect! The love of design has led this local artist right to the birth of Arkotec. Arkotec is an evolving community based artistic company that merges the many concepts of technology, nature, and design. After cruising through Arkotec.com, one can conclude that this company beautifully illuminates the relationship between nature and technology using limitless different media. Arkotec was founded with a concentration on t-shirts, however the company is slowly expanding to photography and home furnishings. The theme (as stressed across some t-shirts), is basically to harmonize opposites. Arkotec considers the Earth as one co-operative laboratory, and thus creates art with this mind set. Interesting subjects for photography, such as the fascinating natural deterioration of both rustic country and urban areas, can also be found on Arkotec.com. Hastings loves to zoom in on ordinary things, a railing for example, and take a closer look. His photography also emphasizes factories and the simple beauty of nature on the Big Island. Various thought-provoking free-lance sketches are also posted on the website. Basically, Hastings has a vision of Arkotec one day being a small but trusted creative hub for artists to exchange design ideas, revere Arkotec as an uplifting community resource, and request products which are parallel to their unique concept of the Earth. Arkotec is an emerging company, with many ideas still in the making. Upon request, many photos, sketches, and other art media can be turned into a product of choice. Therefore, all inquiries should be sent to Christian@arkotec.com. Meanwhile, other products, such as adorable recycled throw pillows, can be found in Chinatown of Honolulu at [area], a vintage furniture store". - By: Catherine Lebongo.

Pretty exciting! I'm a little jealous that the Mrs. didn't get mentioned :) but it's probably better that Christian is the 'face' of Arkotec because he has a cuter one. Grab your copy of DISfunkshion at your local Barnes and Noble or Borders!

4-month old check up

I was really nervous for this check up because he was getting his second set of shots and the first time around was an awful experience. He cried these noises that I have never heard before. I started crying too because it was so hard to see him like that. So this time I came prepared with his medicine and a bottle for comforting. He was in a pretty good mood today and I was so proud of him. As soon as he got his first shot in his upper thigh, he growled at the nurse. It was so cute! He whined a little for his second shot but he didn't even cry. He's a tough little tyke.

As for his stats. The boy is growing! He weighed in at 13 lbs, at 15% (same percent as last month). His height measured at 24 3/4 in., 25% (last month his height was 5%). And his head circumference is 41 cm., 15% (last month his head was 5%). Doc said that he has the strength of a 6 month old. He passed his push up test and he was impressed that he could almost sit and stand on his own. So strong! T still sleeps 10 hours straight every night. It's nice when he wakes up after me, I can get a few things done. We are so blessed to have a healthy baby boy.

Happy Birthday baby T!

mobile

My talented husband made this mobile for T's nursery this past week. I love it and think he did an awesome job. It may appear to be dangerous, but it is completely safe and secure :) It's kind of appropriate because we have these red Cardinals flying around outside and they sit on the trees outside of his window and chirp. Every morning around 5:30 when the sun begins to rise, all of the birds sit on our trees and sing, and they are super loud! We normally sleep through it so it doesn't really bother us. Tristan seems to like his new mobile. Special thanks to his dad for being so creative.

father's day

Father's Day was nice. Tristan slept in a bit. We went to church. I taught my lesson. Tristan was fussy for the full 3 hours. We came home and made Christian's Roast. Had the Gardner's and Larsen's over for dinner, dessert, and this...


Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful fathers in our lives. Especially to my cute husband, who his baby boy just adores. We love you Dad.

poison dart frog

After a good rain in Manoa, we find these guys jumping around everywhere. They are really tiny; probably the size of your thumb. The skin of the frog contains toxins, which is not really a threat to humans, but it allows them to hang out with their predators if they wanted to. We usually see a few jumping around our house. They are really cute. The picture above is from our walk around the neighborhood this morning.