Blog - Shannon Von Eschen Photography

Easter, Eggs, + Teenage Eli

† Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen! -Luke 24:5-6 †

† HALLELUJAH! He is Risen Indeed! †

Thirteen. A decade plus three years you and I have dedicated an afternoon (or two) to spending time in our field taking photos, hunting Easter eggs, and laughing together. What started off and just a way to get some cute photos of your first Easter, turned into thirteen years of being together every Spring. And though this was the first year we didn’t actually “hide” any eggs, well, because you and I both had work we needed to get back to, we still had the best time frolicking in the green grass while it lasted. And I tried not to let how quickly we were able to get our usual photos pass by too hastily without pause. Time is fleeting, especially when I see you through my lens each year…

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DIY Easter Egg Shell Planters

🌿 Bloom where you are planted. 🌿

Materials (Makes 6):

Six Napkin Rings
Six Raw Eggs
Egg Holder (or Egg Carton)
Dish Soap
Decorative Moss
Flower or Greenery cuttings
1 Cup of Water

Instructions:

1. Make your Egg Planters: Gently crack the top 1/3 of the egg and peel away slowly. Pour the yolk and egg white into a small bowl (for either scrambling or cooking later, yum!). Once your shell is emptied, rinse it under warm water and use dish soap to gently clean the egg inside and out. Though the risk is low, this decontaminates your Egg Planters from any possible Salmonella bacteria. After rinsing your egg, prop it up in your Egg Holder or Egg Carton to dry. Repeat on the rest of the eggs.

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Fatherhood Frames <3

How strange to dream of you even when I am wide awake. — David Jones.

I have lofty goals of, someday, putting together a book of all the photos and writings I have to you. And to our son. These dreams won’t stop, but the days and nights escape me… And, like the weeds we pull daily at our farm, almost as soon as we breath and look back at our work, they’ve grown again. So too have my volumes of photos and words. Words strung together in collections as a valiant effort to document all I feel about you: All I can publicly say about how much I love you, adore you, cherish you, and am grateful for you. Last year, the photos and memories seemed to pile higher than our weeds (can you even imagine?), and the year passed by faster than the last. Thus, today, I have two years worth of a smattering of still-frames to share here.

Truly, this is just a glimpse from our year(s).

It’s amazing how much our son is growing up. His legs have lengthened; his face, matured. There are less and less photos of you holding him or him sitting on your lap to mow the yard: His long body too big to ride with you, and, now, finally heavy enough to mow alone. And yet, in all these years, how handsome and strong you’ve remained. Still you are present, still you support him, and still you are YOU: Adventurous, passionate, and consistently you. It’s hard for me to fathom how much life we’ve lived in such a short time, but it’s in these moments of reflection that I’m so grateful I take the photos. And that you’re both willing participants in knowing that I’m “going to want a photo of this. and that. and this!”

And you’re not wrong. I want them all.

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