A few weeks ago we took the kids and dogs out for a walk after dinner. For us, "going for a walk" means loading the kids in the wagon. One of us holds the dogs while the other pulls the wagon. The kids jump in and out, sometimes riding, sometimes walking, sometimes even pulling.

On this particular night, C decided that he wanted to bring along some stuffed animals. He started loading them all up, but his mom intervened with a newly created rule: he could only bring 3. Faced with this fairly difficult choice, he set about talking to them to see which ones really wanted to go the most.

While he was trying to figure things out, we decided it was cold enough to warrant coats. So we put N’s coat on him. It’s a bit oversized and overstuffed, but he likes it. He then went and found himself a fabric train-shaped basket to carry. He put a single toy train in it and was ready to go. Fairly odd, but I’m growing accustomed to my kids doing strange mysterious things.

C resolved his dilemma – deciding on a baby doll (of all things). Apparently, the stuffed animals just didn’t want the walk badly enough.

He put the doll in the wagon, grabbed the handle, and headed out pulling. N decided to walk, carrying his basket.

This is our slowest mode of moving. N is capable of walking very slowly, and when he’s all bundled up in a coat, he slows down even more.

I scooped him up and plopped him the wagon, but he shouted out "No! No! No!" and climbed out.

Thinking that I just hadn’t given him enough warning, I knelt down in front of him and said "Don’t you want to ride in the wagon?"

With an emphatic "No! No!" he ran off down the sidewalk, holding his train basket.

Quite the little mystery, but at least he was moving faster. The rest of us followed.

We walked a little ways and then N looked at the nearest house and shouted "Kicka-Kee! Kicka-Kee!"

He waited a little bit, and then pointed it to it and looked at us. "Kicka-Kee! Kicka-Kee!"

We examined the house, but could find nothing unusual about it.

I figured it out first (I am, after all, the daddy), but let me give you all the relevant clues so you have a shot at it.

First, he was all bundled up in his coat with the hood pulled up.
Second, we were walking at night.
Third, he was carrying a little basket.

Got it? If not, here’s the final clue: Halloween was just a few weeks earlier.

He was saying trick or treat!