The Mid America VW Funfest

If you didn't know I love the old beetles. I have a 1979 Convertible Super Beetle. I just love it. We have had it about 8 years. Bought before children and now that we have more kids that seats we have decided to sell.

Recognize these hippies?

Matt and I tooled on up to Effingham, IL to this spectacular car show. We had an ulterior motive to sell our bug, but that didn't happen. 

Mid America puts on the midwests largest Volkswagen car show and I'll tell you they had all the details taken care of. Everything was simple and smooth with registration and questions. The only problem was the rain. It rained both days. Not just a sprinkle but a good douse several times. The field was a monsoon. The ground was so saturated there was nowhere for the water to go.

My favorite part of the whole show was our fun run. We signed up to drive in the "parade" of vw's. It was a twelve mile drive through the country and then into the old square.

This bug was a pixar executive made car. Can you tell why? Here's a hint - Bugs Life.

This is the world's Largest Baja Beetle. It was rocking the square. All 10,000 pounds of her called Big Red

The square was filled with all kinds of volkswagons. There were dumbuggies, buses, and beetles. There were so many in the fun run that we ran out of room on the square to park.

Doesn't this make you think of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?

So cool. These owners have thought of every detail.

Everyone had their cars all shined up. See me in the hubcap?

Matt thinks our family would look good in a bus since we have outgrown our bug.

Good weekend for Matt and I to have some couple time. But not a great weekend for a sale. No one sold their bug. I guess buyers didn't make it through the rain.

Memorial Day in Memphis

The Murphy clan made the big journey to Memphis. We say Memphis, but Matt's twin Melanie and her family live outside of Memphis in Olivebranch, Mississippi. (Had to run through the sing song spelling of that state from elementary school). 

Friday morning by 9a three small children, and four adults piled into the mini-van for what tuned out to be an eight hour trip down south. All in all the kids did well, the adults faired okay too. 

We cannot say how much everyone enjoyed our weekend. Melanie had the weekend planned and executed splendidly. Melanie is such a good cook. While the Porter hospitality was tremendous we did opt to take our zoo to a hotel for all three nights. Kids are so funny in a hotel. They were so excited. We had a hotel and free warm breakfast. Perfect for us.

Here are the family pics first. We had come down south to see Karter graduate from High School!

Karl, proud papa to the grad, and Matt out back grilling for the graduation party.

Corbin is consumed with watching, looking for, and catching creatures. Tonight the lucky animal was a toad.

He caught this little guy and kept him in the crate to watch and pick up at random.

Matt's sis Melanie was such a good hostess. Karter has such great parents.

The kids with cousin Kensie(15)

 Carolyn helped out with party preparations and cake detail. I know Melanie loved having her mom close for such a big weekend.

We kept the kids happy at the park during party prep and joined everyone at the party later.

This is Melanie's coworker and old roommate and good friend Stacy

 And here is the star of the show! Karter turned 18 today. So he got a graduation cake and a birthday cheesecake.

 Karter had gotten a scholarship to play soccer and is gearing up for college this fall. He will be an hour away from home. Karter was awsome with the kids and loved on them. The kids had such a memorable trip with the Murphy and Porter family. What good cousins they have.

Corbin found my camera and took a few pics on his own.

 Grandma and Grandpa say cheese for the camera!

As a mom one of our big milestones happened this weekend. Corbin pulled his tooth out during church Sun!!!!!! I went to get him and he was talking to me with the gap in his bottom row of teeth! Corbin where is your tooth? In my pocket. He says, "Dad said he was going to pull it out with a string, so I had to pull it out before he could."

Posing at the hotel

 Saturday morning during party preparations we took the kids to the park. The hotel pool was way too coooollllllddd, teeth chattering and blue lips, to enjoy. The day was gorgeous. We took icee's and fudge bars to the park for our morning snack.

 We were able to have our family photos taken. We hadn't gotten a family picture all together since Karter was 5. They turned out so well. I'll have to try and post some family pics from my cd.


After pics we had a late lunch downtown at Gus's fried chicken. A lady Matt knows at the bank raved about this diner and dive place that was one the cooking show, she had gone to. So we took the adventure with three kids downtown Memphis by Beal Street. By the time we got there after pics Aiden and Adaline were asleep. So we ended up getting chicken to go. Can we say spicy! We ended up getting the kids happy meals as they would not eat the chicken.

 While my kids fell in love with the Porter family this weekend, they were not going to make it through a graduation. So I got to take them to Chuck E. Cheese. Many of you loathe taking your kids to this crazy house, but we had a great time. I think we were the only white folks in the place but it was awsome. There was hardly anyone there with graduation and a holiday weekend everyone had other plans. Our tokens lasted us for 90 minutes, with a trip by WalMart, we got home right as the rest of the family did.

 Fun Times!

Sunday was church (losing a tooth), lunch with the Porter's, swimming at the much warmer pool, attempts at taking a nap, then dinner back at the Porters.

Memorial Day Melanie and Karl fried up an awsome fish dinner. They made hush puppies, onion rings, corn on the cob and fish. Delicious!