NATCHEZ — For Hannah White, sweet 16 was maybe a little sweeter. That’s because this year she got to celebrate her birthday on her birth date — Feb. 29, leap day.

It’s only the fourth time in her life White has gotten the chance to eat her birthday cake on the calendar date that coincides with the day of her birth, but she said she doesn’t mind.

“It doesn’t bother me, I like being born on Leap Year,” she said. “I like it because nobody else I know has a birthday like it.”

White’s parents, Randy and Jolyne White, said they decided to celebrate Hannah’s birthday on March 1 on non-leap years because it was the day that follows Feb. 28. On her fourth birthday, the family had a big party because — in a way — they were actually celebrating her first birthday, Jolyne said.

This year, Hannah’s parents surprised her at school with cupcakes, balloons and a small present. The Leap Day birthday also meant the family got in some good-natured ribbing. Randy said he teased Hannah that she was going to be 64 before she was able to get her driver’s license.

“This morning when (Hannah) was in bed, I said to her, ‘You sure don’t look 4,’” Jolyne said.

For Camden Josiah Earls, Wednesday was also a sweet day, but for a different reason — it was his first.

His mother, Roshequa Ellis, said she wasn’t planning to have a leap day baby, but as she tried to sleep at home Tuesday night she kept having contractions. Finally, she knew it was time and went to the hospital at 1:40 a.m.

Camden arrived at 6:20 that morning, weighing in his first day at 5 pounds and 14 ounces.

“I wasn’t expecting him, but he came — he came on, on his own,” Ellis said.

The next time Camden sees his birth date, he’ll be 4, but his mother said until then he’ll celebrate on Feb. 28.

“We’ll do it then because it will still be in February,” she said.

Camden wasn’t the Miss-Lou’s only leap day baby. Harrison Riley Sayers, who came into the world at 6 pounds, 12.5 ounces, joined Camden and Hannah in the leap day birthday club at 4:14 p.m.

Harrison’s mother, Elizabeth Mickelborough, said his original due date was March 7. Because of that, his parents haven’t decided what date they’ll choose to mark his birth.

“We haven’t quite figured that one out yet,” Mickelborough said. “We haven’t quite decided — we weren’t expecting to have him today.”

When Peter Burns and his wife Diane chose their wedding date in 1976, they didn’t choose it because it was unique, but because that was when they could schedule it.

“My two oldest sisters, when they married, they had married on a Sunday afternoon, so I thought I would like to do the same,” Diane said.

The couple wanted to have an outside reception at Diane’s parents’ house in Woodville, so that meant planning the wedding as close to spring as possible.

“When we became engaged, we started looking at dates. We knew we wanted to get married in the spring, but because of living in the Natchez area and knowing in the spring you have Spring Pilgrimage and then Easter, we said, ‘Why don’t we look at the last Sunday in February?’”

That last Sunday was Feb. 29. The couple laughed about it and booked the date.

Most years, they celebrate their anniversary on March 1, because that’s the day that follows Feb. 28, Peter said.

“We have gotten anniversary cards in the mail from friends we don’t see very often because it is a unique date,” he said. “They usually say, ‘We don’t know how many (years) it is, but we do know it’s your anniversary.’”

While it’s nice that others remember the date, Diane said there’s one person who always has to.

“Don’t think for a minute that Peter can get away with not doing anything any other year,” she said, laughing.