Earlier this month, Extra asked readers who have leap year birthdays to share their stories with us. We learned that leap year babies have a great sense of humor and pride about their unique birthday. Turn to Page 6 for more letters from readers. Happy birthday to all!

Julia Mangus

This Feb. 29 will give me my "sweet 16th birthday." I will celebrate by going out to lunch at the Red Lobster restaurant, which I look forward to sharing this day with my sister Carolyn.

Here at Loyalton of Roanoke, where I reside, I will also celebrate all the February birthdays. One of the other residents shares her Feb. 29 birthday with me. She is a lovely senior resident and is excited about her birthday.

I also have a cousin, four years my senior, who was born on the same date. This is very unusual. I feel honored to be born on leap year!

My only daughter, Piper, just gave birth to my first grandchild Feb. 14. What a way to celebrate my birthday!

In non-leap year years, I celebrate on the 28th and also the first of March as I feel deprived, so I do my Word Searches, play Bingo and spend time with my friends on both days!

Leap Year or not, I celebrate life every day. I feel fortunate to be here at Loyalton where I have friends and support. I am also blessed with a supportive church and a loving family. I am joyful with what life has brought to me!

Julia Mangus, Roanoke

Ralph Warner

My father, Ralph Warner, of Harrisonburg, was born on leap year. I remember when I was a very little girl (and we would have years without a "29th" in February), I would wonder how my father could've been born on a day that didn't exist.

Each year we would celebrate his birthday anyway, usually on the 28th. Dad always got enjoyment out of sharing with other people that he would be turning 10 or 11 or 12 that year. He would chuckle as people did a double take.

This year, my son, Phillip Benzinger, of Southwest Roanoke, will be turning 18, the same year that his grandfather also turns 18. "We were both 17 last year!" Phillip says with amusement.

My family will travel to Harrisonburg to celebrate my dad's 18th birthday. Eleven members of my extended family will be there. After celebrating his birthday 71 times, Dad will now officially be an "adult"!

Valerie Benzinger, Roanoke

Alfreda B. Sisson

My leap year birthday has been an enjoyable part of my identity. As a young girl, I felt like "princess for a day" on my "real" birthdays.

A birthday party, to which I had excitedly invited many more friends than my mother anticipated, highlighted my second birthday (age 8). My surprised mother provided dinner for all my guests!

The surprise was mine for my 15th birthday, when my daughters planned a party for me. I was surprised and, at 60, I was no longer "princess" but maybe "queen for a day!"

My leap year birthday photo has appeared in The Roanoke Times twice -- for my first "real" birthday (age 4) in 1940 and again in 1956 (age 20) when I was one of its three leap year birthday employees featured by The Roanoke Times.

My milestone sweet 16th birthday brought me lots of congratulations, cards and flowers from many friends -- I almost felt 16 again!

A "real" birthday is always a busy, happy, exciting day for me! This year my husband and I plan to visit our South Carolina daughter who has promised lots of TLC for my special day.

Alfreda B. Sisson, Fincastle

My name is Irene Figgers. I was born on Feb. 29, 1936, at 4:20 p.m. I celebrate only every four years. I will be 18 years old this year.

When I was "15" (60), I told my children I wanted a birthstone ring. I got it.

P.S. At 18, I am a mother of four, grandmother of nine, great-grandmother of four with two more on their way.

This year, I would like to have a quiet birthday with my family, all of us together.

Irene D. Figgers, Buena Vista

Lelia Smith

I am Lelia. I am in the second grade. I am a leap day baby.

When I don't have a birthday, I usually celebrate on Feb. 28. I am grateful for my birthday this year. I like being 2 years old this year. I like that it separates me from everybody else. I like being different.

This year I am so excited to have my party at Michael's. It will have a Cleveland Browns theme. We will make bubble gum machines.

When it is not my birthday, I usually share a party with my little sister who has a birthday a week after mine. This year I get my own big party. Cleveland Browns rock!

Lelia Smith (as dictated to her mom, Jennifer Smith), Christiansburg

Alexandra Caroline Smith

As a leap year baby, i really only get a birthday every four years. But birthday celebrations are different for me.

When it isn't a leap year, I usually celebrate my birthday anyway and the only thing that is different is I celebrate it on Feb. 28. I usually have a small sleepover. This year, I get to have a gigantic party with 50 friends and family members.

The most important thing about me is that I was the first leap year baby to have been born in Charlottesville in 1996. I made the 6 o'clock news and the newspaper! A lot of people think it stinks to have a birthday every so often. In my opinion, I think that when my birthday comes around four years later, it makes my birthday four times more special.

People have always teased me about being 2, and they still do, but some kids think I am the lucky one. Which is true, I am the lucky one. Having a birthday on Feb. 29 is the coolest thing ever!

Alexandra Caroline Smith, Mechanicsville

Note: Alexandra's grandparents live in the New River Valley: her paternal grandparents are James and Cornelia Smith of Narrows and her maternal grandparents are Steve and Jean Montgomery of Rich Creek.

Matt Campbell

Our first little baby was to be born in late March but we wanted to have a leap year baby. We invited our good friends from grad school/college to come up for the weekend. My friend and I walked and walked while the guys fished. We played cards with our brother and sister-in-law until 3 a.m. and I told Blair as we crawled into bed that morning, "Guess we won't become parents today ... I feel too good!"

Well, I never got to sleep! Blair took me to the hospital about 7 a.m. Matthew Perry Campbell was born at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 29, 1976, much to our delight and surprise!

Since then, Matt has loved telling people how many birthdays he has had, even though he has graduated from Roanoke Catholic and Virginia Tech and, ironically, was one of the youngest plant superintendents that Unimin Corp. has ever had and is currently one of their youngest project mining engineers.

He will come home today and be welcomed at a party hosted by his parents. He will feast at a family dinner at Granny's on March 1 where a caricature artist will entertain, maintaining Matt's tradition, even in this Leap Year, of celebrating "all week"!

Kate & Blair Campbell, Roanoke

Carter Ingram

I was born on Feb. 29, 1968. I do indeed have a blowout party every four years.

As a youngster growing up in Pulaski, I actually had my picture taken for my first (fourth) birthday, through my third (12th) birthday and was in the Southwest Times. I doubt they will want to take my picture now! As I grew older and was employed, I was able to legitimize a "two-day birthday" policy with some employers. My birthday celebration was from the dawn of Feb. 28 to midnight of March 1. To this day, I still celebrate my "off year" birthdays this way.

This year is a big year for me, as I finally reach double digits ... and by that I mean the big 10 (40). Now, if only I could explain to the police that it is OK to be married at such a young age!

Carter Ingram, Christiansburg