Leap Year

Here are some fun tidbits about Leap Year.

When is it? An extra day is added to the month of February every four years. This year, Leap Day is on Wednesday, February 29.


Why we need Leap Day: Usually, our year is 365 days long. Except that it's not: A full cycle of seasons is actually 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes, and 16 seconds long, or about 365.25 days. Over time, the extra quarter of a day adds up, and without Leap Day, the calendar would be one day out of sync with the seasons. After 30 years, it would be about a week off, and after 100 years, it would be nearly a month off. Bing Quock, the assistant director of Morrison Planetarium at the California Academy of Sciences, explains, "Leap Day is added as a correction to the calendar so that it stays in sync with the seasons ... that way, the seasons start on the same day from year to year to year."


The history of Leap Year: Leap Year has been around for 2,000 years, since Julius Caesar created the 365-day calendar, although Caesar's astronomer, Sosigenes, get s credit for adding an extra day in February every four years.

How to celebrate: Fans of Disney parks will be lining up to take advantage of "One More Disney Day" at Disneyland in California and at Magic Kingdom in Florida, which will be open for 24 hours, from February 29 at 6 a.m. until 6 a.m. March 1. Michele Himmelberg, a spokesperson for Disney, said it's the first time in recent memory that theme parks on both coasts will be open to mark the quadrennial event. She confirmed the rides will run all night. Hey, come in your PJs.

5 Fun Leap Year Facts


1.People who are born on Leap Year are called leapers or leaplings.

2.If you are born on Leap Year, you are automatically invited to be a member of The Honor society of Leap Year Day Babies.

3.In Scotland it is considered bad luck to be born on Leap Year

4.In Greece it is bad luck to marry on February 29th.

5.Leap Year was named after an Archbishop Oswald of York who died on February 29, 992. It is also referred to as St. Oswald’s Day.

Leap Year’s Greatest Tradition
An old Irish legend that has been widely adopted throughout time says that Leap Year is the one day when a woman can propose marriage to a man. This was the premise of the 2010 movie Leap Year. By the way, ladies, if he refuses the proposal he must give you an expensive gift.

Boppin to the Music

Every time we get in the car and Christian hears music he bops along with it. This particular time he is bobbing up and down. Sometimes he will wiggle back and forth or kick his legs and shake his head. I love to watch him dance to the music. He has some pretty crazy moves for sitting in a car seat. He loves music and loves to dance. I think car dancing is another one of his favorite things to do!

Christian can Walk!

I thought it would take forever for Christian to walk but once he decided he was off and going. As of Monday, Feb. 13th, Christian walks. For the longest time he would just walk along the furniture and stand all by himself but Monday he just took off. He was only taking a few steps if we made him walk to something or someone but now he just walks everywhere. Layne said that he just came walking out of his bedroom and walked all the way out to the living room. And ever since then he just goes! I'm glad, it just makes life a little easier. He still has some balance issues and sometimes he just gets going to fast but that is a part of learning. I got him on tape showing off his new skills :)

My Nephew Miles

I don't know what it is about my little nephews but they are awesome, funny, sensitive, unique and so smart! Today I have to give a shout out to my nephew Miles. First of all this kid is a crack up! He does and says the funniest things. He's very subtle and quiet about it but he can certainly be a big ham! I love to just sit and listen to him talk. I'm also amazed at how 'techy' this kid is. He can run the Wii and the Iphone like nobody's business!

Miles kept on hamming it up  for me every time I had the camera out!

Over Christmas we got to see Miles and spend some time with him. I was so totally impressed with his new ability. And that is to name pretty much all of the temples just by looking at a picture of them. And he has also made up hand signs for each one too. His mom made a little book of some of the temples from Utah, foreign temples and temples from different states. All he has to do is look at the picture of it and he can tell you which temple it is. What a great idea! I told Miles some of the temples I had been to and he could point out which temple it was from his book. You could just seem him light up when he recognized which one you were talking about. He told me he wants to get married in the Logan temple someday!

Showing Uncle Layne his temple book

Such a funny, sweet, little boy! A great cousin too! Love ya buddy!

Swimming Lessons

Well, we signed Julia up for swimming lessons and boy is she excited. She gets to go Monday and Wednesday afternoon from 4:30-5pm. Not very long but just long enough to wear her out! Yesterday was her 1st lesson and that's all she could talk about ALL day long.

I love to see Julia doing and trying new things. She wasn't scared at all to go and was non stop movement when she hit the water. She has a swim teacher and about 3 other kids in her class. They practiced blowing bubbles, holding on to the side of the pool and kicking, floating, and going under the water. She listened to her teacher and did what she asked. She loved it and when we were done asked if we could do it again tomorrow. I said we had to wait again until Monday. I'm glad she liked it. When I was in first grade I remember doing swim lessons and was scared to death about it. I was just to worried about swimming in the 'big' pool. Anyway, she loves its and that's all that matters. Hopefully she will improve and pass off what she needs to to get into the other levels!

1st swim lesson

Listening to her teacher!

Floating

Kicking her feet!