Peter Brouwer and his girlfriend were both born in February and like to celebrate their birthdays in style.  They organize trips every year to mark the occasion, hitting the slopes in the Rockies, Carnival in Brazil and other interesting locations. This year, for his 13th birthday, they plan to head to a beach to bask in the California sunshine.

But while she normally has 364 sleeps before officially blowing out the candles on her cake, his wait is more than four times as long.  Brouwer is among the 21,400 Canadians born on leap year day, according to Statistics Canada - the last day in February marked every four years.

More than a decade ago, the Duncan, B.C., resident decided he wanted to connect with others who share the birthday and he created a website with a Feb. 29 theme.  Prior to its launch, Brouwer said the only time he had ever met anyone born on the day was in the 1970s when he spotted an ad in a Vancouver newspaper placed by a man looking to meet other “leapers.” 

There are now about 7,000 members worldwide registered on the site - including roughly 450 from Canada - in celebration of their special shared birthday.  The honour roll even has a special section for leapers who are related, including New Brunswick quadruplets and 72 sets of twins.

Brothers John and Jeff Durrant, both B.C.-based accountants, were born on the leap year day in 1956 and 1960, respectively, and plan to celebrate their birthday together Friday.  Sounds like a fun way to enjoy a rare birthday.