MPRE, yuck!!

Did I ever happen to mention that I. HATE. BAR. EXAMS. I took a practice test for the MPRE last night. I'm taking the real exam on August 8. For those of you who are lucky enough to never have attended law school or worried about getting admitted to practice law, the MPRE is a two-hour, 50 question, multiple-choice exam that is required by 45 out of the 50 states to be admitted to practice law. I've already taken it in 2004, but in order to be admitted in Utah next year, I have to take it again, because the exam score is only valid for two years.

Now, some of you might say, "Multiple choice? How easy! Quit whining, Tanya." Oh, such naivete! These are not normal multiple choice questions. They are all structured to be as confusing as possible, designed to mess you up and make you question your intelligence, your ethics, and your own sanity. Also, just because I've been practicing since 1999 doesn't mean that I'm automatically going to pass the test. Practicing law and taking a test about practicing law are two completely different subjects. Unfortunately.

To compound matters, Utah and California have the highest minimum scores in the U.S. required to pass. An applicant must obtain a scaled score of 86 or higher. This TYPICALLY translates to ABOUT 32-34 out of 50 questions correct. However, the test is graded on a curve, and certain questions may be thrown out. In any event, I'd like to score at least 40 on the actual exam. I don't want any question in my mind when I walk out of there that I'm going to get an 86 or higher. I took a practice test last week and scored 38 out of 50. Then, I took another one this evening and scored a 46 out of 50. This is good, but what if I just got lucky? What if it comes time for the actual exam, and I have a meltdown and I can't remember anything? What if the actual test comes and all the real questions are completely different than the tests that I practiced with? And, to make matters worse, this is just the warm-up for the REAL bar exam coming in February, and a cake-walk comparatively at that. ARGGGHHH!!!

Current Score: Beefaroni 1, Kyle 0

Hey everyone. Well, now that that Kyle's a big boy and not a baby anymore, he likes to feed himself and doesn't really want anyone else to do it. In fact, if you try to feed him with a spoon, he tries to grab the spoon away from you and feed himself. The reality of this, however, is that Kyle feeds himself with varying degrees of accuracy and precision when it comes to actually getting the food into or near his mouth. Yesterday, he got tired during dinner and started to feel sad before he finished his Beefaroni. The result? He had Beefaroni sauce all over his hands, and when he started to rub his eyes and face, it got all over his head...in his hair...you get the idea. You may not be able to develop a full mental picture. Luckily, I snapped an image just for posterity's sake (and so that everyone would believe me when I said it took me 20 minutes to get him clean!)

Kyle's First Birthday

Kyle's birthday party was earlier today, and it turned out to be a smashing success. We had friends and family there, and cake and ice cream for everyone. (In fact, there's a lot of cake left over, so if you're in the neighborhood, stop on by. Haha!) Kyle loved his presents, too. He got lots of toddler toys, which is good, because it's getting to be time to pack up some of the younger toys that he has outgrown.

Here's Kyle's big cake (for the grown ups) and baby cake (that he got to have to himself) before the festivities began:

Here's Kyle with his Racin' Ramps garage, that Mommy put together before the party:

He got this fire truck ride-on, which he loved:

He also got a Little Tikes SportsCenter, which has football, basketball, and baseball all in one toy. Who could ask for anything more? Here, Kyle goes for a three-point shot. and then a shot with both basketballs at once:

Kyle digs into his birthday cake:


Asa got a sweet video of Kyle eating his cake and making some adorable faces:

It was so amazing to realize that my sweet little boy is not a baby anymore! This year has just flown by, and I look forward to many more with this little angel! Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

More basketball!

Hi everyone! We hope that everybody had a great weekend. Kyle and I flew to Salt Lake City and enjoyed the cool air and nice temperatures. On Saturday, Jeff, Kyle and I went to the Rocky Mountain Revue, which is the summer league for the Utah Jazz, and then to dinner at Sweet Tomatoes. Yum! We also had a great time doing a barbecue on Sunday evening, and made the most incredible Thai-style shrimp with ginger and lemongrass. Here are a few pictures from the weekend:

Kyle waits in line for the doors to open:



The three of us during a time-out break:

Kyle plays in the grass before dinner on Sunday. Look how happy he is!

Have a great week, everyone! Just three days until Kyle's birthday!

Kyle's Fashion Show

Kyle got some new things over the last week, and I've been dying to dress him up in everything and take pictures. Unfortunately, he's been so sick the last two days that I couldn't bear to make him any more miserable. Today, he seemed to be better (although he's definitely not his normal happy, cheerful self in these pictures) so I decided that I just couldn't wait any longer! First, his Halloween costume came in. I know that Halloween is over three months away, but I could not resist the opportunity to put it on him any longer:







Also, Jeff, our favorite die-hard Redskins fan, ordered Kyle not one, but TWO Redskins outfits. They are sooooo cute and just what Kyle needs to be fully attired to cheer for the Redskins this fall:

Okay, I'm working from home today, so I better get back after it! :)

Have a great week, everyone!

NBA Summer League

Kyle and his dad's family went on vacation this weekend, so I flew solo for Thursday and Friday. Jeff was nice enough to come down to keep me company for the weekend so I wouldn't get too bored. We had the best time and did a million things...got In N Out Burgers on Friday night, went to the NBA Summer League, dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings and swimming on Saturday, then lunch with friends, to Gameworks, and watched a movie on Sunday. Monday morning poor Kyle was sick and needed to stay close to home, so Jeff and I played Trivial Pursuit and got sandwiches from Capriatti's...yum!

Here are some fun pictures from this weekend. Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors on the Court:

George Karl was in the audience to watch the Nuggets play:

A video of an inflatable mascot from the San Antonio Spurs dances. I have no idea why I think this is so funny:

I'm looking forward to a short week at work and then up to Utah on Friday night...I've got to get a ton of work in this week, as well as some studying for the MPRE and stuff done around the house. I wish I could say that my diet was going well. Only 46 days until Cabo and I'm hardly any closer than where I started! :(
(I wonder if In N Out Burgers, Buffalo Wild Wings, lunch with friends, etc., etc. has anything to do with it!)

Kyle loves his tennis ball!

Kyle just loves to play with his tennis ball. He used to laugh uncontrollably when I'd bounce it up and down. Now he just smiles, but he's at the point where he can almost throw the ball by himself! It's so cute!

Other than that, it's just ordinary stuff. I blew off studying for the MPRE to finish this blog post. Haha! I'll have to do some practice questions tonight. Also, don't forget to vote in the new poll (to the right.) The Pac-10 vs. the Mountain West is always a hot-button issue at H&S, so I expect to start some controversy! :)

Playing with toys

Here are some cute pictures of Kyle that his dad emailed to me this morning. I heard that Kyle had a fun Fourth of July, including going over to a BBQ with some big kids and playing kickball and playing on the swingset. I miss him so much! I can't wait to see him tonight.

More Kyle pictures

In a valiant attempt to avoid housework and cleaning, I decided to do a blog entry and post some more recent pictures of Kyle:

Practicing his standing...he's getting to be such a big boy!



Dinner at Sweet Tomatoes...Kyle liked the pizza, breadsticks, and pasta salad. He is a true carb man!

In the bucket swing at the park...another avant-garde picture:

About to go down the slide:


We hope that everyone has a great 4th of July! Stay cool!

Heber Valley Railroad

On Saturday, we went on the Heber Valley Railroad. It was such a fun and relaxing trip! The train begins in Heber City and winds around two reservoirs and through the mountains and farmland into Provo Canyon. It then stops at Vivian Park for a half hour before making its return journey. We loved visiting the playground and pond at Vivian Park, and took some fun pictures there, as well as pictures of scenery along the way. Unfortunately, the trip back was not too relaxing...Poor Kyle! We were sitting at the front of the train, and each time the conductor blew the whistle, it was so loud that Kyle would burst into tears! Poor kid. He will probably hate trains now. We ended up having to move to the back of the train. Here are a few pictures that we took on the way down:

Kyle gets ready for the train to get underway:

People floating on inner-tubes down the Provo River. We saw them from the train:

A ski boat powers along the Pineview Reservoir:

A view of the mountains from the train:

Here's a picture of the three of us in front of the fishing pond at Vivian Park:


Here's an avant-garde photo that Jeff took of Kyle. Doesn't he look like he's talking to the mountains?


Kyle and Mommy at the playground:

We had such a good time, and highly recommend a trip on the train to everyone! Have a great week!