John & Becky Bunting

It’s been 34 years since my mom and dad went to the Ogden, UT temple to be married. It was just the two of them, but not for long. Marcy was born 10 months later and Josh one year after that. In the past month three people have joined the family, putting us a total of 21 with one on the way. (Can’t wait for Lindsay and Brian to have their baby!) It’s hard to imagine when it was just mom and dad. I really enjoy having a large family with lots of brothers and sisters.

So, continuing with (lots of) pictures from my Idaho/Utah trip…I have to mention that my newest niece, Oakley Marie Anderson, was born on July 20. After the reunion in Island Park I drove to Utah to visit with Josh and his family and meet the baby. Colton rode with me in the truck, and I was not prepared for travel with a child. He had not eaten dinner and had been traveling all day, and I didn’t have any food he liked. He spilled his entire water bottle on the floor and I had to just keep driving. Finally, he decided he would accept a peanut butter sandwich with no jam (too dry for my taste). So I made him the sandwich while I drove. It was really tricky.

We made it to Bluffdale and I met Oakley. She is very cute, and when I was there all she did was sleep and eat. I think I heard her make a noise maybe two times. On Sunday Josh and I took the three older kids to church, but first we had them pose for this adorable picture. Kari stayed home with Oakley.

That night we wanted to get out of the house, so we drove to Orem to visit some good friends, Roger and Bonnie Wilson. I love this picture of Kaci, McKay, and Colton as we were driving to Orem. They were pretending to sleep and in this shot McKay has a really mischievous look on her face. The Wilson’s were neighbors with the Bunting’s in Southern California and have been good friends ever since. I met the Wilson’s before I met Leo & Vickie. The Wilson’s have a framed family photo of the Bunting’s in their den from when John was about 10 years old. Do you think that is a little weird? Leo, Vickie & Mariah were actually at the Wilson’s because Mariah was attending string camp that week, so it was nice to see them there.

On Monday I drove back to Pocatello to work on a star quilt for Jeff’s wedding. It was fun to quilt with all my sisters and my mom (and my cousin, Tonya, and of course Brian). We finished the quilt that day and I stayed in Pocatello so McKenzie could cut and color my hair on Tuesday. She cut it all off! It’s pretty short, but she did a good job. But I don’t know if I’ll have her take that much off next time.

On Wednesday I was back at my mom and dad’s and I was sick. I had a sore throat, congestion, and I was really exhausted. I did make a quick trip to the Minidoka county fair to see my cousin, Staci, show her 4-H pig. She got the top place in her initial showmanship group and her pig was 3rd overall. Attending the fair brought back a lot of memories, but it seems to be a lot smaller than it was when I was in 4-H. Anyway, after the fair I went home and slept the rest of the day. I was pretty bummed because I was going to go boating with my friend Karlene that day and I’d really been craving a freshwater swim ever since I left the coast.

Thursday, August 2, was Dad’s birthday and I think he enjoyed it. He got the spend time with his grandkids, which is something he really enjoys. Even better, they made a giant chocolate chip cookie together. Abby was a lot of help in the kitchen! Lindsay made him the cake his mom always used to make…German chocolate layers with white icing in between and on top and coconut icing around the edges. It’s hard to replicate Grandma’s work, but I think Lindsay did a pretty good job.

Now for the most exciting day. Jeff and Megan were married on Saturday, August 4. Everything seemed wonderful to me. The ceremony was short and sweet, with some great advice. Megan was a beautiful bride, and Jeff looked pretty good too. Of course, Kierra was cute as could be. They are a great little family and we wish them the best!

Here are some shots from the wedding. 1) the whole family (minus Marcy, Kari, Holly and John). 2) Jeff and his new family. 3) Me with my cute little niece, Ellie. 4) Megan and Jeff cutting the cake. 5) Megan and Jeff with all the girls and Colton. (Kari made all those purple dresses and I helped with the gathering on Abby or Ellie’s, not sure which one). 6) I had to share this one, don’t they look happy?

Well, it was a long trip and I wish John could have been there the whole time. I really enjoyed being with my family and I can’t wait to see them again. Maybe Christmas… I love you all!