For the Oakland twin boys’ family, leap year birthdays have special significance.

Because of the unique significance that February 29th has in their lives, the Oakland Erickson family looks forward to it with appreciation and delight every four years. One of their twin boys arrived in the last minutes of February 28, 2016, and the other in the opening minutes of Leap Day. The Oakland twin boys were born eleven minutes apart.

Miles, the eldest twin, turned 30 today. “Mornings are chaos as you might imagine with three boys,” said Summer Erickson, the twins’ mother. It was the same as any other in their family.
“You know, begging them to eat breakfast before school, reminding them to brush their teeth and get dressed about 10 to 12 times.”

In the morning, the Oakland twin boys and their elder brother Bruce enjoy playing basketball in the kitchen area, with their parents attempting to guide them in the right direction. The twins are very active, so they frequently go into the backyard and bounce on the trampoline for as long as they can.
Miles said, “We get dressed, we play, play with our dog, and we also eat breakfast.” Miles was born on February 28 at 11:58 p.m.

Bagel, their recent addition, is a puppy that moved into their house only last week. The twin who was a little younger, Walter, requested a puppy to grow up with them. This year he turns eight too, but he prefers to believe he’s not quite that old. “Since my birthday is on a leap year, and that means I’m only two,” replied the boy. On February 29, at 12:09 a.m., Walter was born. “Dogs are my favorite animal and I really wanted a puppy because they’re cute and fun to play with.”

Even if Oakland twin boys’ family didn’t have time to appreciate the novelty or give their birthdays much thought when they were born, they can now make fun of them and look forward to entertaining customs.
Although they may now laugh about their birthdays and anticipate enjoyable customs, when they were born, their family had little time to appreciate the novelty or give it much thought.

This weekend will mark the continuation of the tradition, and in remembrance of the twins’ amazing tale, they kindly request that donations to the NICU be made in lieu of gifts for the boys.

When the Oakland twin boys’ birthdays fall on different days, they also get to pick where they want to eat supper and dessert that special day. It’s a great tradition for them. When it’s not a leap year, they typically celebrate one birthday on February 28.

“They’re pretty good at sharing and they’re pretty good at sharing their birthday but they definitely don’t miss out on the opportunity to have their own thing on leap year,” Summer Erickson stated.

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