So Much Has Changed Since His Last Birthday...Four Years Ago

When my son Trevor had his last birthday, February 29, 2012, both of our worlds were so different. I was married, he was not. I had two boys, he had none. Things have changed. And for the most part, they are good changes. Great changes. The majority of us get to mark our milestones through the annual dates of our birth. But those who only get to celebrate once every four years, have to acknowledge their markings a little more quietly in the off years. 

A brief explanation of why this magic leap day pops up every four years is, well, a little complicated. But in lieu of using charts, easels and graphs, here goes: A complete orbit of the earth around the sun takes exactly 365.2422 days to complete, but the Gregorian calendar uses 365 days. So, leap seconds (and then leap years) are added as a means of keeping our clocks and calendars in sync with the Earth and its seasons. Whew. 

As is it, only .024 percent of our population shares Leap Day as a birthday. My son is one part of that small percentage. I urge you to look in the archives of Kitchen Clatter and read "Happy 7th Birthday My 28 Year Old Son" for the full story! Today is Trevor's 8th birthday and he is actually celebrating it quietly with family. Having been there over the last 32 years for every one of his 8 birthdays, I will glow as he blows the candles out on his cake.

Since Trevor's last actual birthday in 2012, his family dynamics were altered by his parents sudden divorce. A surprise to us all. But he refused to let it alter his family values. Trevor stepped up and became the balance that helped himself, his brother Kyle, and his mother, stay a strong family unit. A newer version perhaps, but certainly not a diminished one.  I treasure that trait, a trait I am blessed to have in both my sons. In his 32 year, he has become the man every mother would want and I couldn't be more proud. So, since it is his nature to be rather quiet about his accomplishments and milestones, below, me...his mother, will proudly post them! Since his 2012 birthday he:

Got engaged

Got Married to Kathleen in 2013

Became a father in 2015

And in 2016 he became a protector, a mentor...

...and a buddy


Happy Birthday Trevor!

I look forward to the next one.
Four years from today!