Last week, the Small Family Home in Ledići was once again filled with children's laughter and voices. We welcomed 12 children from the Home for Children Without Parental Care Tuzla, accompanied by Assistant Director Amir Muharemović, a graduate pedagogue and psychologist, and Amra Fajić, an expert associate and pedagogue.

For this group, Ledići was not an entirely unfamiliar place. Some of the children had stayed here three months earlier, so this visit was also a small return to a place they already knew.

And they were the first to notice just how much had changed in the meantime.

In only three months, Ledići had gained new facilities and activities, while the garden and the area surrounding the home looked different from how they remembered them. They were especially surprised by the new Barakah Corner – a space for spending time together, sharing meals, holding workshops and enjoying outdoor activities. As expected, the barbecue immediately caught their attention.

But the biggest surprise was waiting for them on four little paws.

When some of the children first visited Ledići, they were welcomed by our adult cats. This time, a whole little family of kittens was running around the garden as well.

The kittens quickly became the stars of their stay. Cuddling them, feeding them, carrying them around and constantly checking where each kitten was became part of the children's daily routine. There were almost always several children gathered around them.

But life in Ledići was about much more than play.

On their very first day, the children headed straight to the garden and orchard, picking whatever was ripe and enjoying the fruit and vegetables they had harvested themselves. Fresh tomatoes from the garden simply ended up in their hands and were eaten like apples – straight from the vine.

Meanwhile, there was cooking to be done inside the house.

The children especially enjoyed preparing food together with Amra, helping in the kitchen and taking part in making their shared meals. Afterwards, everyone would gather around the table, just like one big family.

It was precisely these small, ordinary moments that became some of the most meaningful parts of their stay.

Over the course of three days, the children had an opportunity to truly experience the Small Family Home – not simply as a place to visit, but as a home where everyday life is shared.

Waking up in the morning, sharing meals, cooking, picking fruit and vegetables, caring for the cats, playing in the garden, talking, laughing and sharing small everyday responsibilities were all part of their time in Ledići.

And some things from their first visit were simply worth repeating.

We once again stopped by Kod Nesiba restaurant in Ledići, where the children continued one of the friendships they had made during their previous stay – playing and spending time with the dogs. Once again, the owner welcomed them as special guests and treated them to his homemade iced tea, which the children remembered well from their previous visit.

It was another one of those small moments through which Ledići is slowly becoming more than a place they once visited. It is becoming a place where they recognise people, animals and little rituals they can look forward to whenever they return.

And between these moments of everyday family life, there was also time for adventures beyond Ledići.

We spent some time on Bjelašnica, while one day was reserved for an excursion to Ravna Planina.

A special surprise was waiting for them there. Thanks to the generosity of our hosts, the entire group was offered a free gondola ride, giving the children an opportunity to experience the mountain from a completely different perspective.

After the gondola ride, another adventure followed – a visit to Dino Park. It was a completely new experience for all of them, and their photographs, laughter and reactions showed better than words just how much a day like this can mean.

On our way back from Ravna Planina, we made another stop, this time in Sarajevo. We shared one of our meals at Ćevabdžinica Zmaj Stanica, where the children enjoyed traditional grilled specialities after a full day on the mountain.

Three days pass quickly.

But this stay was especially meaningful to us precisely because some of the children had returned.

The first time, they discovered Ledići.

The second time, they were already noticing what had changed.

And we hope there will be a third, a fourth and many more visits to come – so they can watch the kittens grow, pick whatever has ripened in the garden, discover a new corner of the grounds and, each time they return, find something they remember from before.

At Foundation Second, we do not want the Small Family Home in Ledići to be a place children visit only once or simply another destination for an excursion.

We want it to be a place children return to.

A place they know.

A place where they create their own memories.

And a place where, every time they come back, they can say:

"Look at everything that's new since the last time we were here!"