Taeya Brea's amazing smile could instantly light up any room from the day she was born. Her equally brilliant smiling blue eyes were the very first thing her mommy saw on May 19, 2004. There was a calm awareness there, it was clear that Taeya was truly wise beyond her years. From that day forward, her mom and dad knew what an incredibly special little girl they had. Every parent needs a "Taeya"; even as an infant she listened well, played with almost anything, was independent, learned very quickly and was happy most of the time. As she grew, she developed the most contagious laugh, which would touch anyone who heard it deep in the heart. Her daddy always told her it was his favourite sound in the whole world.

From toddler size, one of the things Taeya enjoyed most was looking through story books and as a result, we now have a large collection of hand-me-down 'Taeya Books' to share with her younger brother, Parker. Realizing her passion for reading has led us to this wonderful fundraising idea, with proceeds going towards the library, one of Taeya's favorite places to visit. In fact, while we were camping one summer when she was little, we were puzzled as to why she was having trouble settling down at night to go to sleep. We soon realized that we were forgetting story time before bed, after her book it was much easier for her to get to sleep.

As parents, we were trying our best to instill good old fashioned values in Taeya such as being kind to others, sharing, giving and most of all having fun. We started to see that hard work paying off early. By three years old, she no longer cried when putting a specially picked out toy in the Santa's Anonymous donation box. She took her time as she chose just the right toy to donate and she was always excited knowing she could help another little girl or boy who wasn't as fortunate as she was. I think Taeya was realizing the most valuable life lesson: that appreciating what you have in your life is what is important; not getting everything you want. Don't get me wrong, she was always excited to get a present but she knew to appreciate each gift she received (even if she didn't like it).

At four years old, Taeya was very excited to become a big sister but she was adamant about having a little sister; no brothers allowed. So, on September 10, 2008 when her little brother Parker was born, her mom and dad were a bit nervous to make that phone call. Thankfully, Taeya was ecstatic to hear she had a new sibling, even if it was a baby brother, and from that day forward, she was the perfect big sister. Doting on him, playing with him, showing him off to friends and family, pushing him (too fast) in the baby swing, lecturing him for slobbering on her toys, and grinning mischievously when he would get in trouble! She learned how to spell his name very quickly after he was born and she proudly wrote it on everything. Parker was always included by his big sister in everything we did. When we surprised her with a trip to Disneyland in November of 2009, one of her first questions was "can Parker come?". Of course he was coming, it was a family vacation! It was her first trip on an airplane; she was so excited and perfectly behaved the entire trip. Disneyland is truly "the happiest place on earth" and we are thankful that we were able to enjoy such a magical family trip with our precious Taeya Brea.

We hope those of you who had the opportunity to meet and spend time with Taeya will hold those treasured memories close to your hearts, cherish them and share them. In the years ahead, our hope is that, through fundraisers in her name, Taeya will continue to help others, continue to bring joy to those who need it and prolong her memory forever living on through all of you. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping us continue Taeya's legacy.