When Clea Saldania-Rountree celebrates her 6th birthday, she hopes to spend the night clubbing with friends.

For Branden Gaspar's 7th birthday, he's planning a trip to Las Vegas later this year.

And Aodhan Kumura will stuff himself silly with slices of pizza when he turns 1.

Kids behaving badly?

No. Leap Day babies celebrating an event four long years in the making.

Today is Leap Day, which comes once every four years. The trio and other "leapers" born on Feb. 29 are among a rare group: There are only 684 leapers for every 1 million people, according to leap-year Web site leapzine.com.

Wai'alae Iki resident Saldania-Rountree, 24, loves being a leaper. She'll celebrate tonight with a family dinner, followed by doing the "club thing" with friends.

"I've loved it all my life because it was really different from everybody else's (birthday) and ... it makes me feel special," said the model and actress.

Leapers have celebrations big and small to honor this quadrennial event.

"This year instead of a party, we are going to take a trip to Disneyland," said Kimo Fukuroda, of Kailua. His son, Tyler, a second-grader, today turns 2 — or 8 in regular calendar years.

"We don't usually have large celebrations on nonleap-year birthdays, so we try to make leap year special," Fukuroda said.

Gaspar also has a trip planned to celebrate his birthday, but for later in October.

"I've never left Hawai'i, and being that I'm turning 7, I'm doing Vegas for the first time later on this year," the Waikele resident, 28, said and laughed. "Seven is a lucky number, so I saved (Vegas) for this year."

FEB. 28 OR MARCH 1?

The most common question people ask leapers: "So when do you celebrate?" said Cheryl Takushi Naholowaa, a Pearl City leaper who turns 9 today.

For most leapers, the choices are either Feb. 28 or March 1 on nonleap years.

"Because I'm Japanese, it's bad luck to celebrate ahead of time, so I always celebrated on the 1st of March if it's a nonleap year," said Naholowaa, 36, a state clerk.

This year, Naholowaa's birthday will be a weekend-long affair that includes a family dinner, lunch with former co-workers and an ice cream party with longtime friends.

Some leapers insist on celebrating during their birth month.

"On nonleap years, I celebrate on the 28th because it's still in the month of February," said Gaspar, a hotel guest services agent and part-time substitute teacher with the state Department of Education.

For others, it really doesn't matter.

"We just choose a day or we celebrate on both days," Saldania-Rountree said and laughed.

A PARENT'S PERSPECTIVE

As a high schooler, Gina Saldania remembers one particular Leap Day when a friend pointed out someone who was celebrating her birthday that day.

"I thought to myself, 'How sad. She can only celebrate it every four years,' " Saldania recalled. "This led to my biggest fear."

Saldania hoped to never have a baby born on Leap Day.

But on Leap Day 1984, she did. Saldania gave birth to her daughter, Clea Saldania-Rountree.

"You get all this positive feedback from people and friends and you're thinking, 'Yes, it is special," Saldania said. "Now, something I dreaded turned into something I'm so proud of and any chance I get, I always brag."

Andrea Kumura feels just as fortunate for her Leap Day baby, Aodhan, who today turns 1 — or 4 in normal calendar years.

"I just thought from the beginning that he'd be a really unique child," Kumura said. "He has a unique birthday to go with his unique name (Aodhan is Gaelic for "little fiery one") and his unique personality."

Kumura describes her son as imaginative, spunky and curious.

To celebrate the Honolulu preschooler's first true birthday, his parents are throwing him a pizza party next week with his family. It was Aodhan's special request.

"We went with whatever he would like and what he's most comfortable with," Kumura said. "He decided that he wanted to go to Chuck E. Cheese's."

THE GOOD AND THE BAD

Being born on Leap Day has its ups and downs, said leaper Sabina Miller, a state Depart-ment of Health secretary from Kane'ohe. She will celebrate her birthday this year with a private party with immediate family members.

Among the toughest things about being born on Leap Day is the long wait for Feb. 29 to come around.

"When I was younger, in elementary and intermediate, it was not fun," Miller said. "(Most years) the date is not on the calendar, so I felt nonexistent."

But now Miller enjoys never really growing old and takes pleasure in sharing her Leap Year age with others.

Miller's interests include Disney phenom Hannah Montana, "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood and YouTube, so it's fun for her to tell people she's 11 — 44 in regular years.

Waipahu resident Teddy Ramiscal Jr., a service station clerk, also has fun with the age factor.

"Being brought into this world on a special day is why I came to be the person I am today: forever young," Ramiscal, 40, wrote in a letter.

Some of Ramiscal's youthful connections: People often guess Ramiscal is 10 to even 15 years younger than his actual age, his friends' kiddies call him by his first name rather than uncle, and he still lives with his parents.

"Just like a 10 year old," Ramiscal joked.

Another plus for leapers: "People remember your birthday," said Carly Kakuda, 12, a sixth- grader from Kaimuki.

And it makes for great conversation, added Kakuda, whose weekend celebration includes a family dinner and trip to a water park.

"My tennis coach, he always tells my team that there's a 3-year-old on the tennis team," Kakuda said and laughed.

Reach Zenaida Serrano at zserrano@honoluluadvertiser.com.