Today, my little granddaughter, Lyla Pacheco Beaty, turns seven years old.

Here are a few things I know about Lyla:

She is smart, full of energy, and very sweet.

She is known to cheat at Uno or Go Fish, though she is now willing not to cheat quite as much.

She is an excellent swimmer, thanks to lessons from Auntie Rachael, and is now participating in splash ball, which is like water polo but for younger kids.

She gets a kick out of teasing her older brother, Nico, who gets mad when she does this to him.

She is honest about admitting that she does not enjoy Nico teasing her back.

She loves her Mama, Daddy, Luna, and Nico (though she might be a bit slower to admit that she has positive feelings about Nico.

She also loves her family’s black scotty dog, Chula.

She does well in school and, according to her mom, she is the student the teacher would trust to send a written note to the office.

She is a head taller than her current classmates.

She has the most beautiful olive skin, which feels like velvet to the touch.

She loves “screen time” and playing video games.

She does not love playing soccer.

She is doing well in her Spanish/English immersion class at school.

She draws well and enjoys using crayons and markers.

She loves french fries and chicken nuggets.

Her shoe size is almost the same as mine, and I am eyeing a couple of pairs of her Crocs as hand-me-downs for me.

She enjoys visiting Ojai.

She had a big grin on her face when she finally got to meet and hold Milo.

Grandpa and I will be taking her and her two siblings soon to Universal Studios as a treat, and the rest of the family will be coming too.

She is beautiful inside and out.

She is many more things as well, but I am running out of room here.

Happy Birthday, Lyla. I hope you have an awesome time in Las Vegas. Go swimming and have lots of fun. We’ll celebrate when you and your family return home after spring break.

I love you very much.

Grandma

Our darling Lyla with her newest cousin, Milo.