- Faith Money took hilariously realistic maternity photos at Target and Trader Joe's with her husband and three boys.
- "I wanted to do something fun, real, and easy to capture the crazy of being a parent of almost four," she told Insider.
- She posed with shelves of diapers, ate her favorite snacks, and cast longing glances at bottles of wine.
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Some maternity photo shoots involve flowing gowns, glowing sunsets, and expansive fields of flowers touched by a gentle breeze.
Not this one.
As the mother of three boys with another on the way, Faith Money wanted to take maternity photos that capture what mom life is really like. Together with her sister, Kimmie Lineback of Kimmie Rae Photography, Money and her family went to take portraits at the places they know best — Target and Trader Joe's.
Faith and Austin Money live in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with their three boys and they have a fourth son on the way.
Faith and her husband are both Montessori teachers. Faith is due in December.
Money hadn't planned to take maternity photos this time around. But her sister, a part-time photographer named Kimmie Lineback, offered to take them for her.
Money hadn't done a maternity photo shoot since she was pregnant with her oldest son.
Since this is her fourth pregnancy, she wanted to do things a little differently.
She decided to put a new spin on maternity photos.
"I wanted to do something fun, real, and easy to capture the crazy of being a parent of almost four," she told Insider.
"And we thought what better place than my favorite mom places, Trader Joe's and Target!" she added.
They wanted photos that show what parenting is really like.
So one weeknight, after everyone had finished work and school, the whole family got dressed up to go grocery shopping.
"We went to Target first, and there was still quite a bit of foot traffic due to the holiday rush," she said.
Money's sister took photos of her surrounded by diapers ...
"It was a little chaotic and we got some interesting looks, but most people would just smile and sneak around us (all while probably thinking we were nuts, as we shoved my sister on the shelf surrounded by diapers)," Lineback said.
... and sitting in the aisles of Target with her favorite snacks.
"Everyone was super nice and smiling as we took bags of chips from the shelf to get the perfect picture," Money said.
Next, they stopped at Trader Joe's, where Money visited the sample table.
There are usually tons of leftover samples to enjoy by the end of the night, according to Trader Joe's employees.
"When my husband told the cashier what we were doing, she said, 'Is that a thing?' To which he replied, 'I guess it is now!'" she said.
Couples have also taken engagement and wedding photos at their favorite stores.
Money hopes the photos capture what being a mom is really like, with both its challenges and rewarding moments.
Cookie butter makes everything better, though.
"I hope people see that this is real motherhood," she said.
"Rushing from work, layering on makeup over the makeup you wore all day, begging your kids to wear the button down, and heading into the stores to cry over the wine you can't drink right now," she said.
Being honest about the ups and downs of parenting can help others feel less alone.
"I also hope they see that having a big family (especially one filled with boys) can be amazing and oh-so-happy!"
The flower section at Trader Joe's almost looks like an open field.
"We get a lot of 'Oh, four boys … I'm so sorry' or 'Bless you.' While four boys is quite the handful, they are the biggest blessing we could have ever asked for."
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