potty training fun

So it's super duper fun to potty train our kids, right??
Well for those of you who really know the dark side of Max, you can understand why I don't really have a desire to step into the world of potty training. I've made some great excuses like a road trip to Canada, and let's wait till he turns 3. I'm out of excuses now... But I have been taking him in to go potty when he wakes up in the morning, and that has turned the idea in his head. Now he WANTS to be potty trained. And he is doing it all on his own with minimal help from me. It's great because there are no fits, which is what I was sorely afraid of. I let him wear pull-ups, and that is something I swear against when I potty train my kids. I think they are too much like diapers. I like going straight to unders. But not with Max... Pull-ups work for him. He is usually dry almost all day long. He will stop playing, watching a show or eating and say "I have to go potty!!!!" and then we will run upstairs and he will talk to himself the whole way saying "don't pee, don't pee, don't pee....." and I help him take his pants off because he is a little slow, and he goes!! I have to brag about him here for a minute and say that since he had his first poop on the toilet he hasn't pooped in his pull-up!!!! HAPPY DAY :) :) :) He has even stepped up in a restaurant, and at church saying he has to go potty! Of course we have a little reward system. A little m&m machine. He gets to turn the handle once for pee and twice for poop. And out comes a handful of m&m's. It's great. And the best part is no stress. And here is the worst part...
The other night we 'tucked the boys in bed' and they weren't asleep. Rich and I went downstairs to settle in and have some alone time and watch a movie without kids. When it was time for us to go to bed we went around turning lights off that were mysteriously turned on while the boys were 'asleep' and I found this image. And no, I did not take a picture. The boys room was empty and the covers were all messy, they decided to get out of bed and sleep in our room. And on their wall??? More than two dozen finger marks off poop!!!!!!!!!!! ON THE WALL!!!!!! Yeah, you heard it right! Peter was actually still awake and I asked him what happened in my sleepy not so nice mom voice!!! He said that Max (the independent) went poop on the potty. Peter was proud of the fact that he helped him take his pants off. (they didn't call me?? We didn't even know they were out of bed...) I asked him who wiped his bum (sorry to be so graphic) and he said Max did it all by himself!!! Uhhhhh, what??? How did he get from the bathroom to his bedroom with poop all over his bum and fingers??? I was so grossed out... And had to stop right there and clean the wall off with disinfectant. And some of that poop was chunky and dried (graphic again) and had to be scraped off of the wall... Ewww sick... And the potty was in the same shape. Just beyond words.
I then proceeded to check on my sleeping potty training angel from down under. His hands appeared clean. He is actually meticulous about washing his hands really well with soap and water after he goes potty. Thank goodness. So I didn't wake him, because that would have been a battle in and of itself. But thorough cleaning was done again in the morning, just to be sure.
So in Max's quest to potty train himself, this is what I get... Yuck...
Just wanted to share the joy of potty training Max.