Second Chances Girl - a Miami family and lifestyle blog!: July 2015

Friday, July 31, 2015

TGIF Blog & Instagram Hop!

 Happy Friday! I'm back to blogging (ever soooooooo slowly) and ready to check out some new blogs this weekend so link up with us!! 

I love Fridays and I thought I'd share some funnies with you to get your weekend started off right!!





Celebrate Friday!

The TGIF Blog & Instagram Hop is a Friday friendly hop where we hope you can blossom, meet and greet new bloggers. We enjoy having you. 




Each Friday we will feature our most favorite post from the previous week. It could be you! We also have a weekly Cohost spotlight, that is great to gain your blog some extra notice (enter here). 

The rules of the TGIF Blog and Instagram Hop Are simple!
1. Link-up any post or posts (no specifics) and your Instagram.
2. Grab a button and display it on your blog, in a post or somewhere visible to help us get notice for the Hop. Also helps us better feature your blog.
3.Be social. Comment and follow at least one blog you enjoy. 
4. Tweet out the TGIF hop. 
Tweet: Link up at the #TGIFhop with @kaitlynmarie003 @desireephillips @silviearmas @ryderbunch @scggirl #instagramhop #bloghop http://ctt.ec/8oM2V+



Meet This Weeks co host
What started out as just a place for Liz to document her pregnancy, Sundays with Sophie has become so much more.  It has become a place where Liz, the blogger, shares her adventures of parenthood and the navigation of marriage.  Her husband Kyle and daughter Sophie make frequent appearances on the blog.



This Weeks Blog Feature
DIY Rope Table 
by: Love Create Celebrate 









Want to be our next Cohost with a special spotlight?! Cohost Form HERE.






Thursday, July 30, 2015

A Day of Fun At Magic Kingdom

I love Magic Kingdom. It is honestly my favorite place in the whole world so on Day 2 of our vacation we headed out to Magic Kingdom. Now, we are late risers so by the time we saw this amazing sign, it was already noon!!

A Day of Fun At Magic Kingdom

It was HOT HOT HOT in Magic Kingdom!!!

A Day of Fun At Magic Kingdom

You have to do the castle in the background pic. Here is JC with the kids. I always get so teary-eyed when I see the castle. 

A Day of Fun At Magic Kingdom

Since our kids are older (11,9,8 and 7) we have moved on the bigger kid rides at the park so our first stop was Splash Mountain. We had Fastpass for this ride so we skipped the 90 minute wait. 

A Day of Fun At Magic Kingdom

I was the only person from our group who had ever been on Splash Mountain before so there was lots of excitement. Ivanna and Adrian sat in the front row, JC and Gian in the next one and then Amberly and I in the third.

A Day of Fun At Magic Kingdom

Someone was terrified but ended up loving it! We all did!!

A Day of Fun At Magic Kingdom

Onto the Big Thunder Mountain where the kids were tickled by the sign that read "Baths weekly!" 

A Day of Fun At Magic Kingdom

We didn't have Fastpass for this ride but the wait wasn't too bad, about 25 minutes. There are lots of signs to read, memorabilia to look at and blasters to play with while you wait!

A Day of Fun At Magic Kingdom

Then it was time for lunch and the Festival of Fantasy Parade which is at 3pm every day!!

A Day of Fun At Magic Kingdom

I took this picture so JC could see what I was looking at all day. I kept asking him if he was having a good time and he kept saying "yes...why do you keep asking me?" Hmmm.....with a face like this, I wonder why. It's perfect for a meme like "A vikings excited face at Disney!" We made sure to get him an It's My Birthday pin so there was lots of birthday wishes headed his way!!

A Day of Fun At Magic Kingdom

My girl Belle was up first in the parade!! This parade has ornate floats and incredible costumes. So colorful and fun!!

A Day of Fun At Magic Kingdom

A Day of Fun At Magic Kingdom

A Day of Fun At Magic Kingdom

A Day of Fun At Magic Kingdom

A Day of Fun At Magic Kingdom

A Day of Fun At Magic Kingdom

A Day of Fun At Magic Kingdom

A Day of Fun At Magic Kingdom

A Day of Fun At Magic Kingdom

All the fun ends with probably the world's most famous couple: Mickey and Minnie!!!

A Day of Fun At Magic Kingdom

Minnie's bows always rock!!!

A Day of Fun At Magic Kingdom

After the parade, we made a beeline to Fantasyland, rode the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and then onto It's a Small World. There is no way you can go to Magic Kingdom and not ride It's a Small World. 

A Day of Fun At Magic Kingdom

Belle's castle. I was so giddy with excitement!!

A Day of Fun At Magic Kingdom

Every afternoon in Tomorrowland, there's a dance party with the cast from the Incredibles. Here are my kids doing the Macarena which was quickly followed by Watch Me Whip!! It was really col ot have Mr. and Mrs. Incredible and FroZone walking around dancing with the kids. 

A Day of Fun At Magic Kingdom

Time for another mountain and the epic 2 hour wait that you can always expect at Space Mountain!!! It's so worth every minute of waiting!

A Day of Fun At Magic Kingdom

Followed by everyone's favorite:Buzz Lightyear Space Rangers. Of course, JC ended up with the highest score!!

A Day of Fun At Magic Kingdom

Can you tell they were over waiting in lines? It was just so HOT!!!

A Day of Fun At Magic Kingdom

Silly faces always helps time go by faster!

A Day of Fun At Magic Kingdom

So does pulling out a loose tooth apparently. Amberly is a barbarian I tell you!


I have always taken a picture with Zurg after the Buzz Lightyear ride and the kids were really into it!

A Day of Fun At Magic Kingdom

By 8pm we were exhausted and so, so hot that we decided to skip the fireworks show and go back to the hotel. Thankfully, I packed our ponchos because it started raining as we were waiting for the ferry boat!!

A Day of Fun At Magic Kingdom


Magic Kingdom was truly magical. I love all the new improvements they've made and we can't wait to go back!!


Monday, July 27, 2015

Orlando Vacation Recap: Day 1

JC turned 30 on July 16th and I wanted to make his birthday extra special. I've mentioned before that he has never been to Disney World and I thought a surprise trip up to Orlando would be a great gift. Keeping a surprise trip from him wasn't easy but the kids were amazing. They tried their hardest not to spill the beans and they didn't. I took the week off work, spent time with the kids and then on Thursday (JC's birthday) after I dropped him off at work, I raced home to start packing. Our plans were to show up at his office around 2pm with a birthday cake and then his bosses (who were in on the surprise) would send him home early. Then we would pile in the already packed van and take off to Orlando. Well at 2pm, the kids and I were at McDonald's getting lunch because it took me all day to pick up the house and pack!


We picked up a cake and headed to JC's office. He was so happy to see us and have all his co-workers sing Happy Birthday. Then Gian and Adrian told him "We are going to Disney!" I expected a big smile and happiness, we got shock, confusion and brooding! He was upset because he had alot of work to do. One of his bosses realized this and told him to just leave and enjoy his vacation. It took some negotiating but about 1/2 an hour later we were in the car and on our way (with major traffic!)


The kids had packed a bag each with their tablets, toys and a pillow. They did so well on the drive up. It took about 4.5 hours to get there and they rocked the entire way. JC was still upset! By the way, I have to share this picture of Adrian. This child can make himself comfortable anywhere. He loves road trips, stays awake the entire time and in a good mood!


We stayed at the new Cabana Bay Beach Resort at Universal. I wanted to stay on Disney property but this hotel got so many good reviews, we had to check it out. We were not disappointed. It was so great!! Well, when we got to our room, we finally got a smile from JC!!


The kids were in awe! This hotel is massive! We arrived late at night and by the time we got to our room it was almost 10pm!



Ivanna joined us on our trip. These two are like brother and sister!


These two were doing some sort of "bro" handshake they came up with so the picture is blurry at their hands but I love the way Adrian is looking at Gian!


A pool with two pools, a waterslide and a lazy river can only mean one thing: nighttime swimming!


Lucky for us, the hotel is themed as a 1960's roadside hotel so there was lots of amazing architectural features to keep JC entertained!!




The kids swam for about an hour and after showers for everyone, we were finally in bed by midnight. The rooms at the Cabana Bay Beach Resort are family suites so we had 2 beds and a sofa bed. The 6 of us were perfectly comfortable in our room!


It was a little hard to get everyone to actually fall asleep because the next day we were heading out to Magic Kingdom!!!

Stay tuned!!

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