"I've just got a lot of work to do"

A few weeks ago, I came home from shopping on a Saturday afternoon and Austin was out sweeping the sidewalk in front of the house. When I got out of the car, he sighed loudly, cocked his head to the side, and with his hand on his hip declared, "Mom, I've just got a lot of work to do." He then proceeded to take the broom inside, open the garage door (by himself), and gather up the weeding bucket, a garden tool, my mom's pink gardening gloves, a water bottle, and a small towel. He put the water bottle in one pocket, the towel in the other, donned the gloves and took off to the flagstones in the yard carrying the gardening tool and the bucket. He meant it when he said he had work to do: he weeded for about an hour and a half, while continually insisting that he just had a lot of work to do! When I asked him about why he needed the towel, he demonstrated by removing the gloves, pulling out the towel, and wiping his brow. "My head just gets all sweaty, Mommy," he told me. Then he replaced the towel and took the water bottle from his pocket and took a swig. Carefully putting the water bottle back, he slipped his little hands into the large pink gloves, and kept at his task of the evening.

Matthew came out to "help" about halfway through Austin's work. Austin kindly shared one glove with him but made Matthew go get his own garden tool.