Photos from Korbyn Hanan's happy childhood

Hi Korbyn. I love you very much. Hope you enjoy these photos. I'm here for you always. Love, Dad.

Images and Stories

Family Vacation

We had some fun vacations together. Later on we started going on cruises. They are fun as we can see multiple places without having to pack up and to go a new hotel. We also enjoyed eating together, going to shows, and comedy, singing karaoke, and trying new adventures or hikes. We pet stingrays in the Atlantic and rode a camel in Mexico. There were go-carts on our cruise to Alaska where we saw whales, eagles, and a glacier. Many great memories!

Catching waves

Here in this photo you see one of the first times Korbyn go up on a wave surfing. I was so proud of him! He was having fun and felt the deserved sense of accomplishment of doing something not everyone can do. We had some chances to surf together that day. I’ll always cherish the times we went on calorie negative activities together. Whether biking, hiking, surfing, skiing, or just playing catch, being outside enjoying nature with your son (or daughter, or wife) is one of the best things ever. Korbyn has always liked the water. From before he was one year old he wasn’t afraid to put his face under the water in the pool or swim. Once on his birthday, I distinctly remember him braving the cold of the pacific ocean and enjoying swimming until his lips turned blue and we had to call him in to warm up. Next stop, lets go scuba diving! Just let me know when you are ready...

His first Mountain Bike

This was the mountain bike Korbyn picked out for himself. He became rather good at it and was brave on the steep trails. I remember the first time we took it out on a trail I selected what I thought might be an easier trail on the Dalton canyon. He did great! I was trying to keep up with him and over tighented my front break and went over my handlebars. I was glad I was wearing gloves. I do remember Korbyn having a good spill on the Alosta canyon one time. He was not wearing his gloves and scratched up his hands a bit. He was able to get back on the bike and keep going. He probably remembered to wear his gloves from then on. I really enjoyed hiking and biking with him. The advantage to hiking was it was a little easier to have a conversation. I think he preferred that too. Early on, I would often end up pushing his bike up the hills, so we still had some good times to talk.

Seeing the volcano

On this particular day, Korbyn and I had a special chance to go hiking around the big island of Kawaii. His mom and sister had to go to an audition and left us there. We really enjoyed taking it all in. The volcano was active behind him in the photo, causing the haze in this sky. We made it all the way around to the end of the road before the end of this evening. It was a real adventure! I think he had just finished eating some fresh pineapple before this moment. I would go back there again!

Baseball was also a fun part of Korbyn’s life. He started out with T-ball in Sand Springs and then went on to baseball when we were in Glendora. His first time up to pitch, he did strike some batters out. They didn’t know what to do with some of his pitches, he had a change up that they couldn’t hardly hit! I was proud of him for giving it a try. We enjoyed going to batting practice too as well as the occasional Dodgers or other local Quakes games.

The Lego Death Star

This was a fun kit Korbyn put together one summer. The summer of 2015 Korbyn decided to take on building the death star. I really enjoyed helping him with that. It had a lot of great smaller components that helped convey the original Star Wars story. He did a great job and had a lot of fun.

Little League

I’ll never forget the day Korbyn was born. The nurses were learning a new software, so they seemed a little less personal than when his older sister was born. There were computers outside the rooms in the halls that they were constantly updating and checking on which took time away from being with their patients. Either way, there was enough certainty that when it was clear that he was going to take his time after we showed up at the hospital, I went and picked up my parents who had landed at the airport. He also had a big sister to love and to love him, but I knew how it felt to be the older sibling and wanted her to love him and not feel like he was taking her parents love away from him, so she was the verbal and actionable center of attention. It worked well as she was happy to see her brother born into the world and was loving to him and loved him very much. His birth was during a time of transition. I went from a job in CA to a job in OK with a move and a new house, there was a lot going on. My goal was to give him the best life possible, which meant taking on a better paying job and moving closer to grandparents that could help him grow up in a loving home. He ended up being supportive of his sister in return. More transitions came, which would be part of another story.

I also remember the moment I selected Korbyn’s name. I was reading Mathew one summer morning 2004 in Monrovia, CA before he was born. I didn’t yet know if he was a girl or a boy, but when I saw that word, I liked what it meant. I wanted him to have a unique name, however. Something easy to differentiate from everyone else, so rather than Corban or Corbin, we I went with the more decisive “K” rather than the rather uncertain “C” and had to give him a unique “y” as well as offer him a way to connect with his dad, so he became Korbyn.

His first bird!

Hunting was a long tradition in my family. It goes back before my grandfather. With all my travel and eventually moving to California, the tradition has lost some of its magnitude. Not the least of this has been reduced by the loss of the bird population in Oklahoma. Just yesterday I heard from my dad that his small lake by where this photo was taken was finally filling up again. So off to the left of this photo is a small lake with a dam put in place before I was born by the corps of engineers. It was however several years ago, where there were sill a few birds left on this farm that belonged to my grandfather, Paga, that we went hunting. Paga was there, his hunting trecks were becoming shorter, so walking with the young boys was easily still his speed. I remember hardly being able to keep up with him, much less my own dad. They were always great shots and when the days were good would bring back their quota and some of mine, if I couldn’t fill it myself. On this day, however, my son Korbyn got his first bird. I don’t think anyone thought he could get it, but bravery and believing he could do something was always the way Korbyn was. Usually, you wait for a dog to set a covey of quail, then when the hunters move it, they spook and fly up, you take the one on your side of the covey and maybe a second, if you are fast enough. But on this moment, a quail had lit on a thinly branched tree, probably the one up behind Korbyn in the photo. Normally, dad would say don’t shoot them from the tree, but he was young, maybe 9, I’ll have to double check, he was carrying my dad’s 410 single shot, so it was hit or loose. His cousin Jarret was there too and his uncle Jeremy. Korbyn took aim and hit that bird right from the tree! I think I was more surprised than he was. I was also proud of him, I could already sense that hunting might not be as easy to do when he grew up and I wanted him to at least have some exposure to how it goes. Well now he did! I was also proud of how Jarret encouraged Korbyn. Jarret was a little younger and could have been competitive, but he was supportive. Korbyn was visibly proud too, but not too much so, especially for his age. We didn’t have many more times to go back and do this again. The farm is still there, the water is back up. Maybe the birds will come back, but just having my son is enough. I love you Korbyn! I’m still proud of you for that day and the many other days I’ve seen you brave and strong.

Korbyn is a great swimmer and loves the water.

Here you can see young Korbyn over at the lake close to our house in Sand Springs. Did I tell you he is a fish! He loves the water and really enjoyed getting out there and ridding the tube. What fun!

About

Korbyn Hanan is a great son! I love you very much, Dad.