Help coming up with a solution to a combinatorial problem
One way to solve this is using generating functions.  The number of ways to get the number 6 using "2 additions" of 1, 2, or 3 is the coefficient of $x^6$ in $(x+x^2+x^3)^2$.   This generalizes: the number of ways to get the number $n$ using "$k$ additions" of 1, 2, or 3 is the coefficient of $x^n$ in $(x+x^2+x^3)^k$.  I'll let you play with some examples to see why this is so.

Once you know this fact, you can then use polynomial multiplication and repeated squaring to compute the polynomial $(x+x^2+x^3)^k$ and then read off the answer.

See also Calculating the number of multiplications necessary to evaluate a polynomial.