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"It was special to me," the North Branch resident said. "It makes me feel like a little girl with 13 birthdays."

Today is Leap Day, where every four years, one extra day is inserted in the month of February in order to keep the calendar in alignment with the earth's revolutions around the sun. This totals 366 days instead of the common 365 in the year. The next leap year will be in 2012.

Between the years 1904 and 2096, leap years that share the same day of the week for each week repeat every 28 years. The last time Leap Day fell on a Friday was in 1980, and the next occurrence will be in 2036, according to www.timeanddate.com.

So how does one who's lucky enough to be born on the extra day celebrate it? For Moses now, it's just another day.

"I'm not real sure," she said. "Probably do something this weekend. When I was growing up, I'd always have two-day birthdays. Something going on for both days (Feb. 28 and March 1). We always had a good time doing that."

Born Feb. 29, 1956, Moses spent much of her time growing up in New Mexico while her dad was stationed in the Air Force. Her travels with her father, Merle Chambers, around the world included a stay in Turkey when he was stationed there for three years.

When she graduated from high school, Moses moved to Michigan. She's a member of Curves in North Branch, and her friends have joked with her all week how she's not even "old enough" to drive a car.

If Moses is only 13 years old, then Helen Bradshaw is much younger at 5 years old. Bradshaw was born the morning of Feb. 29, 1988 at Hurley Medical Center in Flint. Her father, Mike, said she was a few minutes away from being the first Leap Day baby born that day, but was beat out by another.

"It's pretty sweet. It's special. That's why I like it," Helen said. "It's a good conversation starter. A lot of people, I tell them, and they've never met anybody born on that day."

During non-leap year birthdays, Helen's family sings "Happy Birthday" to her, but instead of using the word "birthday," the line is "Happy one year older to you." She's currently home for spring break from Central Michigan University, where she is majoring in English and minoring in speech and drama in secondary education. She is a 2006 graduate of Lapeer West High School.

"When I was 16, my family got me presents they would give a four-year-old," Helen recalled. They got me sand box toys and stuff like that."

To get young minds to "leap" into their local library, Ruth Hughes Memorial District Library is hosting an all day leap year party today, themed around the amphibious creature known for leaping. Activities include a Find the Frog contest, where kids have to find a frog with the number 29 on it.

"We're having shoe decorating for 'Leap into Reading,' having origami frogs to make, word finds, puzzles and other contests," said Theresa Pickering, youth services coordinator for the library.

The event is for all ages and is free to attend.

First Metaphysical Church, 8267 E. Atherton Road in Davison, will present a leap year scrapbooking event from noon to 7 p.m. Saturday with scrapbooking all day. Snacks, refreshments, contests and prizes throughout the day. Cost is $10. To register, call Sherry at (810) 654-9648.

Jeff Hoard can be reached at (810) 664-0811, Ext. 8127 or jeff.hoard@lapeergroup.com.