The final installment of my list. You can see 1-25 here; 26-50 here; and 51-75 here.

76. My daughter staggering down the hall in her jammies, kitty tucked under her arm and hair all wild, to say good morning to mommy
77. Playing chess with my brother in Mexico
78. The waxy texture of a red Now & Later wrapper as I eat the candy on the bus ride home from school
79. Meeting Nutmeg the cat at the humane society for the first time - she greeted me with a nose touch.
80. The cornucopia of goodness that was the candy aisle at the 7-Eleven on the way home from school.
81. The dramatic flourish that was the follow-through of Will Clark’s swing
82. Being on the field before Super Bowl XIX watching Reggie Roby punt
83. The George Washington Bridge lit up at night.
84. Early morning sprint workouts on the indoor oval with college teammates
85. Hot dog wrappers swirling in the outfield by arctic winds on a summer day at Candlestick Park.
86. My wife’s smile
87. Michael Johnson’s 19.32 200 meters in 1996.
88. Putting on my cap and gown in May of 1993.
89. Cherry Blossoms on College Walk
90. Putting my arm around my wife for the very first time on the Ferris Wheel.
91. Finally being big enough to ride the Big Dipper.
92. Carrying my babies down the stairs, one in each arm, every morning.
93. My son sleeping on my stomach
94. The giggle of my daughter
95. A bagel with a block of cream cheese and coffee in the blue cup on the way to work in Manhattan
96. Cruising with my friend Brent in his souped-up, custom, VW bug, circa 1987.
97. My mother telling me that she loved me “more than there are stars in the sky” as a child.
98. Telling my children the same thing.
99. Watching batting practice, eating a polish, with my brother at PacBell Park
100. Me, with a full head of hair.

These are #’s 51-75 of the memories I hope pop up as my life flashes before my eyes.

51. Dancing with my daughter while she stands on my feet.
52. The look on my son’s face as he says “UH OH, PISGHETTIO”
53. The first warm spring day in college.
54. The red and black grip tape on my first skateboard
55. Watching the sun rise over the Finger Lakes in upstate NY by myself
56. Playing “Pirate Ship” atop the retaining wall at my childhood home
57. The lightning bolt earring I wore on race day
58. The warm laughter of my high school friends
59. Standing in line to see Star Wars for the first time
60. Giving my little brother “noogies”
61. Wearing my green & yellow Little League jacket to school on game day
62. My custom purple, pink and lime green Vans
63. Doing cannon balls into my aunt’s pool on the 4th of July
64. Playing volleyball on the beach during the summers of my youth
65. Watching my brother say “I do”
66. Buying candy cigarettes at the corner store
67. Climbing on the tractors at my grandpa’s house
68. Diving to my right to stop a penalty kick
69. Holding my acceptance letter to college
70. Asking my honey to marry me
71. My first “all by myself” apartment
72. The baseball pennants adorning the walls of my childhood bedroom
73. My first yellow Tonka dump truck
74. Waking up to find a photo of me running on the front page of the sports section
75. Catching a foul ball with my bare hands

These are #’s 26-50 of the memories I hope pop up as my life flashes before my eyes.

26. My newborn babies being cleaned off by the nurses
27. Train ride through the Canadian Rockies
28. Joe Morgan’s game winning home run to knock the Dodgers out of the playoffs
29. Watching my first snowfall on a Thanksgiving Eve in New York City
30. Snuggling with the babies after early morning feedings
31. Running along the ocean cliffs of my home town
32. The smile of my first crush
33. Wearing my letterman’s jacket for the first time
34. Seeing my wife for the first time
35. Watching baseball at Shea Stadium on my birthday
36. The Catch
37. Clowns on my eighth birthday
38. Rubbing my wife’s very pregnant belly
39. Barreling down the steepest hill in my neighborhood on my skateboard
40. Doing a drum solo with a broken wrist
41. Purchasing my wife’s engagement ring
42. My first car
43. My daughter’s laugh
44. My son’s eyebrows going up and down
45. Going to the high school state championship track meet
46. Racing in Madison Square Garden
47. The red and yellow bike I got for Christmas
48. Playing whiffle ball with my brother in the driveway
49. Eating refried beans and rice at my grandmother’s restaurant
50. The look on my wife’s face when she told me we were having twins

Stolen from my cousin Maggie (It’s okay, we’re family):

Scenes I hope pop up as my life flashes before my eyes. Numbers 1-25:

1. My father playing on the floor with me and my brother
2. Tetherball on the playground
3. Playing a crisp rhythm on a snare drum
4. Putting on new, Pink and Yellow, Nike Zoom spikes
5. My brother’s laugh
6. A Hawaiian sunrise
7. Holding hands with my wife for the first time
8. Throwing a guy out at first base from center field
9. The moment I pull away from the field on a winning 4×400 anchor leg
10. Learning that we actually got the house
11. Babies first steps
12. Seeing my bride for the first time
13. My mother and I dancing in the living room
14. Legging out a triple
15. Getting on the plane for freshman year of college all by myself
16. Fourth of July sparkler fun with family
17. Driving out of town by myself for the first time
18. Kindergarten on the stage of my elementary school
19. Climbing to the highest point of the tree
20. Riding a bike through Central Park in the Fall
21. Resting my head on the belly of my childhood dog
22. My first job interview where I really wanted the job
23. Being greeted at the door by toddlers at the end of the day
24. Beating my best friend Brent in basketball (because it didn’t happen often)
25. The feeling of High School Graduation

This past father’s day, I had the honor of collaborating with my fellow blogfathers about what the meaning of fatherhood is to me. In my little section, I opined that “diaper wipes are the single most utilitarian tool outside of duct tape.” That got me thinking, what are the many uses of diaper wipes? So, while sitting here in front of my new Flat Screen HDTV (Thanks Honey!), I’m gonna list as many as I can think of. Here we go.

Diaper wipes are good for…

Okay, that’s a good list. What else can you think of?

-Soft, chubby cheeks.

-The lavender smell of freshly cleaned babies.

-Putting on socks and shoes.

-”Da-ddy?”

-Crawling, feet-first, down stairs.

-Food in tiny little pieces.

-Sippy cups.

-Sign Language.

-”What sound does an elephant make?” “Pffft.”

-”What sound does a bird make?” “Pbbbbbt.”

-Bedtime lullabies.

-”Hi-ya” and “Buh-Bye”

-Tossing babies into the air.

-Little hands holding my finger.

-Crawling into my lap.

-Standing up in cribs to welcome me in the morning.

-2-hour naps.

-First words.

-First steps.

-Firsts.

-Gobbling toes.

-Raspberries on bellies.

-”Sssshhh!” (As TheMonk stalks kitty)

-Two beautiful babies.

Sometimes, when I’m out in my day to day life I inadvertently stumble upon little nuggets of wisdom that will be useful to pass along to my children. Often times, I forget what that little nugget was by the time I get back home to document it. This time, however, not only have I made the effort, I have succeeded. Here are some of the things I have noticed recently that TheMonk and Swee’Pea will need to know…

- Always, always, always do the right thing. Even if it kills you inside to admit you were wrong or not doing what is right will help you in the short run, it will certainly haunt you in the long run. I only wish I learned this earlier. It would have saved me a lot of grief.

- Never pass gas in an empty elevator. You never know who will get in right as you get off. (Passing gas in a full elevator is perfectly okay, however, as long as you start looking at the person next to you like he did it.)

- Don’t worry about what other people think. Only concentrate on doing what is right. Too many people spend too much wasted time worrying about what others think. Trust me, 10 years from now, no one will remember that you walked around all day with your fly unzipped but they’ll remember if you were unkind.

- Don’t drink milk that’s more than six or seven days past it’s due date. Trust me on this.

- Always be kind to the receptionist. They are the gate keeper to many business opportunities.

- Never wear plaid with stripes. In fact, unless you’re a scottish terrier, never wear plaid.

- Never stop exercising. Once you stop, it’s so much harder to start again.

- Never pet your cat after eating buttered popcorn. Neither you, nor the cat, will be particularly happy.

- Change the oil in your car regularly.

- Love with all of your heart! Not just a little bit! Don’t save it for later! Give it all you’ve got now! Yes, you might get hurt but, oh what a fantastic feeling it is to love with abandon.

- Take risks. Not “run with scissors” risks but rather the kind that if you just stretch beyond your comfort zone, you’ll acheive great things. Taking risks is necessary. And don’t worry, your Daddy will be here to catch you if you fall.

Oh, and always call your mother.

1) Unsolicited parenting advice shall not be offered to parents of small children.

2) Childcare providers shall not claim to have seen a major milestone prior to it being witnessed by one, but preferably both, parents.

3) No one person, without the express written consent of a child’s parent, shall introduce that child to any or all of the following: Elmo, Barney the Purple Dinosaur or the Teletubbies.

4) All parents shall use their kids as an excuse for not doing something they don’t want to do at least one time per week but not more than five times a week for fear of sounding inept.

5) All parents with children under the age of one may claim sleep deprivation as a valid excuse for just about anything, including but not limited to, falling asleep at work, wearing one grey sock and one black sock, forgetting your cup of coffee on the car roof, and just plain acting dumb.

6) All parents with children under the age of five shall be free of riducule when caught singing “Wheels on the Bus” while at work.

7) All parents, when questioned by their children, shall be able to use the phrase, “Because I said so” when they absolutely cannot think of a valid reason.
No parent shall be patronized by a child’s teacher or pediatrician simply because the parent advocates a different approach than said teacher or pediatrician.

9) No parent shall intimidate or threaten another person’s child unless that child is about to date your daughter.

10) No parent shall be tried in the court of public opinion for simply admitting, “I don’t know.”

If a mommy was President…

-The country would be forced to nap daily so mommy could get some work done.
-The deficit would be reduced by using double coupons and buying things wholesale.
-Countries who didn’t obey would be given a timeout but would later get milk and cookies for being good.
-Starbucks would be nationalized for the good of the people.
-Not only would the deficit be resolved, healthcare, immigration and drug issues would be solved by 5:00 p.m. - just in time to cook dinner and help the kids with their homework.
-Countries from across the globe would toe the line just from hearing the phrase “Don’t make me come over there!”
-There would be twice as many women’s restrooms than men’s restrooms in every building in the country.
-Formula would be $1.99 a can while Malt Liquor would be $20.00 a bottle.
-All cars would be equipped with navigational devices so Daddies wouldn’t have to pretend they weren’t lost.
-She’d find a lot better ways to spend 280 billion dollars.
-The streets and highways would be spotless - because you never know when visitors might come over.
-It would be against the law to wear underwear with holes in it.
-Ms. Manners would be Secretary of the Interior
-Congress would debate law over a Saturday Play Date in the park.
-Guns would be outlawed by saying “You’ll put an eye out with that thing.”
-A National campaign would be started to address the horrors of kids who made a funny face and it froze that way.
-The FCC would stop fining Howard Stern and instead wash his mouth out with soap.
-Chocolate would be added to the new food pyramid
-The Presidential limo would be a mini-van.
-She’d finally fix that crack in the Liberty Bell that all the male Presidents said they were going to fix but never got around to doing.
-The White House would be remodled in a Spanish style bungalo, complete with stucco, Mexican Ceramic Tile and palm trees.
-Mother’s Day would be a National Holiday.

Happy Mother’s day to all of you mommies out there. You make the world go ’round.

And to my own Mommy - I love you (even if you do make fun of me on my blog).

This was a part of the “bloggect” by Kara at Cape Buffalo. Click here to see the other posts.

Why do I burp more often than either of the twins when I gently pat their backs after a meal?

Why does Swee’Pea always poop right as I’m ready to put her in the car in the morning? (btw, what’s the etiquette on that? I always change the diaper because I’m embarrassed our daycare provider would be upset.)

Why a baby will sleep three or four nights in a row, teasing you into thinking it’s now sleeping through the night, only to say, “Nope, not tonight… Sucker.”

Why I am absolutely unable to walk out of Costco without spending at least $200 (but at least I’ve got enough ziploc bags to last until the apocolypse).

String Cheese.

Why we have at least 3 different types of diaper rash cream in the house.

How even though I’m getting about 25% more sleep than I was a month ago, that I’m still freakin’ tired.

How the first smile I see from my children at the end of a long day erases all of the chaos from my mind. (I may not understand it, but thank God it’s there)