There are many aspects to making a blog post go from an idea in our heads to the finished product you see on the screen. The words are where it’s at, of course, but the images often bring the whole thing to life!
One of my favorite parts of working on the blog happens to be the picture part. I love finding just the right photo to match the post, and writing the perfect caption for it. I especially love when I can photoshop our heads onto various bodies doing ridiculous things (as you may have noticed).
So, the other day when I was busy trying to decide whether Ashley’s head would look better on Cupid or a giant Valentine (check out our FB page next week for the big reveal!), Lucy was sitting across from me tapping around on the iPod.
She said, “Hey Mom, I emailed you some pictures. Tell me if you like them.”
Oh, no!
You see, Lucy ADORES taking candid pictures of me with her iPod touch. She doesn’t really like posed pictures. Oh, no. She prefers photos where my eyes are half closed, my mouth is hanging open, or I just look particularly haggard. You know–the photos where I look the most true to life.
But that’s not what I found in my inbox at all!
Instead, Lucy had emailed me some pictures from her iPod she’d altered with a graffiti app all by herself. You have to understand, she has absolutely NO IDEA that I spend a significant time doing this exact kind of thing for the blog. She doesn’t read the blog at all. Obviously. She just decided, completely on her own, that messing with pictures would be fun!
Here’s what she sent me :
Picture #1
On a photo of herself from a beach trip…Lucy gets punny!
Atta girl!! Exactly the caption I would have written!!
Picture #2
On a photo from the Justin Bieber concert…Lucy gets her Tigerbeat on!
Totes adorbs! Love the hearts. Yellow font was the perfect choice!
Picture #3
On a picture of herself…Lucy discovers the full wonders of PicMonkey!
Never underestimate the comedic potential of putting yourself in a mustache. I can’t believe you already know this at age 9.
My heart swelled with maternal pride.
Clearly, genetics are at work here!
Linking up with:
Great work, Lucy! I need to get my girls on this. They make a lot of collages, but I don’t think they ever edit their pictures. Time to go snooping on their computer/iTouches/phones.
This was the first time I’d ever seen Lucy write on pictures to add her two cents. She’s totally on board with PicMonkey now and has other apps for her iThings. So much fun!!
Two things. One: I can’t believe she knows how to do that and I don’t.
Two: I love it when I see my own weirdnesses in my kids.
Hahaha! You nailed it, Robin! It’s just awesome to see your own weirdness in your children.
That is awesome. I am completely hopeless with Photoshop but I can work with picmonkey
I love the Sheriff pic!
PicMonkey is the greatest!! (and unlike Photoshop…FREE) Love it!!
Haha. So cute. I wish I was young and hip enough to say “Totes adorbs”
Also? Way to pull off a serious ‘stache, Lucy.
Hahaha. I think she did well with to accessorize with the ‘stache. It matches the color of her glasses perfectly.
Way to go, Lucy! She is funny, just like her mom!
Aw! Thanks, Kim!
I need to learn how to a) Take better pictures, b) Learn how to photoshop, c) Come up with the perfect caption. Teach me, oh wise ones. Let me know the joy of putting my head on different bodies. It seriously makes me smile every time I see your heads in different scenes. I love that Lucy takes after you. The Sheriff one is “totes hilar”!
I warn you AnnMarie…putting your head on different bodies is addicting. Once you do it, you look for opportunities to do it in every post. There is no going back! Proceed with caution!!
That is so wonderful! I, too, love the photoshop magic scenes that you create with your faces – it is clear where Lucy gets her talent! Those photos were adorable! Er, I mean, “totes adorbs.”
Hahahaha! She will be so glad to know her photos were deemed “totes adorbs” by someone other than me!
That is the highest possible compliment in her mind! 
She has great photo editing skills already!
my daughter loves to play with PicMonkey. Usually I end up looking extremely silly, and have rainbow highlights in my hair (rainbow highlights are actually kind of awesome, and not part of the silly) by the time she is done with a picture of me.
Hahaha!! YES! I have seen the rainbow highlights, too! And the sunglasses. They are applied to many photos around here now!
It looks like you have a mini-blogger in the making!
I think I just might! Squee!
Outstanding job Lucy! Can you make me an adorbs pic of Gerard Butler? My photoshop skills are seriously in need of some work.
Hahahaha! I bet she could, but she probably has to finish her series on the Biebs, first.
If that would have happened at my house, I would have cried the proud tears of a joyful mother. Tell Lucy, “One of my friends on the internet really likes your pictures I shared.” Wait…maybe don’t tell her that.
When I saw what she’d done I laughed and laughed. I am glad she is picking up on all the most mandatory life skills: reading, balancing school work and social life, manners, and how to manipulate photos.
Tell Lucy she did a great job. Also, I am glad she is doing puns so early in age. Tell her to be sure to share any puns with Ashley because she enjoys them sooo much.
Hahaha! I will tell her you liked that one! We all know how much Ashley enjoys a good pun!
AWWW! Such a sweet post!
I love it when my kids do something that is a total me thing that I can’t attribute to anyone but me…if it’s a good thing, of course, which of couse it totally has to be if it’s a me thing, right? Right! 
She’s just adorable, and I love her pic editing skills! Totally like her mom! 
You all rock!
I’m so glad it’s this she picked up from me and not my inability to keep things neat and tidy. Er…wait, her room is a mess. Well, at least she picked this up in addition to my lesser qualities!
There’s always a silver lining!
Fun! Photoshop is great bonding. Also great for annoying your friends after you’ve photoshopped something ridiculous with them in it and the you post it on their Facebook page and then tag them in it so all their friends can see it too. Not that, um, I’ve ever done that before.
OMG, Tracy! That is the funniest thing ever!! Thank you for giving me that idea…that you’ve never done before, of course!
Love these pics! I see a bright future of photo editing if she’s this good already!
I sure hope so! When I get older and decrepit, I can put her to work on the blog.
Good ones, Lucy.
I’m glad you guys do pictures. I especially like the comments you put on them. Good work.
Thanks, Bill! I’ll let her know she has a fan!
How cute! My daughter has a camera that adds things like that. Her favorite is adding different noses to people!
Noses!! That’s even better than mustaches!! I’ll have to look in to that!!
I love PicMonkey! Kids are so far more advanced than we were. This is all to be expected. You will wake up one day and have a guest post from the youngster, lol!
Hahaha! You are so right, Joi! I need to be on the look out!
{Melinda} Creativity and a sense of humor are a sign of high intelligence. Glad to see you’ve passed your genius genes to the next generation!
Hahaha!! I hope so, Melinda! It’s better than her getting my thighs.
Hilarious. I bet you shed a little tear when you saw those photos. She did a great job with them!
I’ve never been so proud! (except for when she learned to give her dad one raised eyebrow. That was a big day, too.)
Hahahah oh my god those are awesome!!!! She is definitely brilliant like you. I love the mustache. And who doesn’t love a pun? Those are awesome photos.
And even better that it wasn’t a picture of you with your eyes half closed. NOT that I wouldn’t want to see that…..just, you know…these are fun too….
Hahaha…believe me, Tara. She has so many photos of me with one eye open and making a weird face. She has them on some sort of shuffle feature on her alarm clock app. I can’t even get her tucked into bed without seeing some heinous image of myself on her nightstand. I don’t know how they don’t give her nightmares.
Yay, Lucy! A blogger in the making!! Great job! (And I love the positive reinforcement by her sweet mom!)
Thanks, Debbie! You never know, one day Emma and Lucy may start their own blog!
Be proud, mama! Those are solid footsteps for her to follow in! Her work is really impressive- seriously! I have a post forthcoming about the night my daughter announced she was “writing a blog about Mommy.” Yikes! Pretty cool to see them mirroring our most awesome traits, right?
Thanks, Stephanie!!
I absolutely can’t wait to read that future blog post!! If Lucy uttered those words to me, I’d be terrified. You are obviously made from sturdier stock than I !
I have photoshop but its so hard to learn I have looked at numerous videos and stuff but Picmonkey is so much easier. Love the pictures I have to start learning how to use more on the blog it helps with blog posts.
I find photoshop difficult, too! We use PicMonkey for EVERYTHING on the site. LOVE IT!
I think a good photo helps connect people to the writing. It really enhances the whole thing!
The pictures are awesome. Even though Justin Bieber scares me.
I do not fear the Biebs, Amber. His does his concert in pseudo-modified harem like pants. I think he’s got to be harmless..but the masses of screaming girls at his concerts, they are another matter. TERRIFYING!!
HOLY GUACAMOLE!!!! That is both so freaking ADORABLE and so AMAZING that your Lucy girl would TOTALLY ditto her mom…unsuspectingly and yet, not surprisingly!! SO funny!!! And um, btw- can I hire her please? She knows much much more than I do…and I can totally go with her wit.
Hahaha! Lucy is definitely up for a job assignment. It’s perfect because she will work for iTunes songs or cookies.
Smart girl! I love the mustache. Maybe you can hire her to do some of your pics when you’re running behind. Lucy has skills!
I’ll have to give her a shot if I get in a bind!! All I have to do is promise her she can stay up 15 minutes later, and she’d slave away for hours.
Love it!
My kids are both big time into photo apps and making their own videos (they actually have their own Youtube Channel). It’s amazing what you can do with an ipod or an ipad.
Aw, cool!! Their own Youtube Channel?! Awesome!!
She’s probably better at it than I am. I think I’m hot stuff when I can turn a picture into black and white. FYI, I am not hot stuff…I’m moderately warm.
Hey, subtracting color is no easy feat!! Waaay better than moderately warm!
I am so impressed that Lucy can alter the photos like that – I don’t know if I could figure out how to do that as easily – but then again, I am from the original “Tiger Beat” generation and the tech does not come so easily to me still (getting the pics from my phone to the blog is enough of a hassle). And I am glad your daughter appreciates the value of the mustache pic. Priceless.
It’s crazy kids can do nowadays! Technology is just second nature to them. I had to have my 12 year old set up Skype on my computer and teach me how to use it. Lawd.
See this is where that damned anonymous thing gets annoying. It seriously curbs one’s ability to add pictures to posts!
AW! You’re so right! I never thought of that!! Stock photos are your only option in these cases, and they can be expensive!!
You always do have the best pictures and captions for your posts! I love that Lucy is just like you–you’re both “adorbs!”
Aw, thanks Ginny Marie! You’re so sweet!! You’re totes adorbs yourself!
So cool! Looks like she had a lot of fun.
Thanks! She did!!
Looks like you have a future blogger in the family!
You just never know, Megan! It’s possible!!
I love ALL of them. She rocks, just like her mama!
And I totally used the word adorbs on FB today. I am cool!
Aw thanks, Andrea!!
You are cool AND totes adorbs!!
Haha! That’s so awesome
Thanks, Stacie! I thought it was pretty funny, too!:D
You guys have got some serious talent in your family! I will look forward to when she follows in your shoes and starts writing some awesome blog posts too
That would be helpful for the days when I’m tired and it’s my turn to put something up. I might have to get her trained up in that department!!
I guess this proves the point our children are more observant of what we do than we give them credit for. I love Lucy’s creations and your mother and daughter duo – super cute.
Aw, thank you!! And you are so right…they notice everything!!
Too funny. Like mother, like daughter also goes for this house…and its with photos as well! I am always amazed at the things my daughter does with pictures…she’s discovered all sorts of great editing apps. Last year for Christmas, she made me a cool video slide show with pictures of our family over the years, and this year she made her closest friends a photo book of all their goofy photos.
That sounds amazing!! I hope Lucy discovers the video slide show thing. That sounds adorable!!!
The crab picture is absolutely adorable! I have just discovered PicMonkey and I LOVE it! I need to block off a couple hours of my weekend, to really see what it has to offer, but from what I’ve seen so far…I LOVE it!
Britton, we use PicMonkey on every.single.picture in this blog. We could not function without it. It’s the BEST!!!! Enjoy getting to know it. You will be using it every day for everything before you know it!
You and your daughter are totally adorbs! (Wish I had a cool color scheme for my comment!) Keep up the great work!
AW! Thanks, Mary!
Hahahaha…I know what you mean. A color scheme makes everything better.
Am totally getting the app and loved reading about how you both do this without even knowing! If she has an ounce of your sense of humor it will serve her well;)
Dude, *I* just discovered picmonkey. So she’s totally advanced.
Which is what I’m going with over my being totally out of it.
And my youngest always takes pictures of my butt, when I’m bending over, in yoga pants. Shudder.