MERIDIAN — Sunday evening was an emotional surprise for five-year-old Tyler and his mother, Amy Jacobs, a Chief Warrant Officer in the U.S. Army.
Tyler has been living with his aunt for the past ten months, ever since Jacobs was deployed to Afghanistan.
Jacobs wasn't scheduled to come home until early December, but sent back home early. An emotional surprise for the whole family, especially for young Tyler.
"There were times when he just couldn't grasp why mom wasn't here, 'why isn't mom here, this isn't my house, this isn't my home,'" said Cindy Davis, Tyler's aunt and Jacobs' sister.
Davis organized Sunday's surprise homecoming at Big Al's in Meridian.
"Amy and I have always been very close, so for me, I knew how special this would be for him and for her and I wanted to make it as special as I could," Davis said.
Tyler jumped into his mother's arms as she made her surprise entrance.
"I could tell he was like 'wait, who is that,' it was absolutely adorable, and it was everything that I thought it would be," Davis said. "I knew that it would be so meaningful for him to see his mom and I am just so happy for them."
"It was fantastic," Jacobs said. "I have been waiting for this for a long time, he's only five years old, he is in kindergarten, so it was a joy to see him again."
For Tyler and his mom, this Thanksgiving will be an extra-special one spent with family.
"My biggest goal of the season is reuniting with family and spending the maximum amount of time with them," Jacobs said.
She thinks she's lucky to be home early, while there are so many service members that won't see their families during the holiday season.
"We're home but there is a lot of our service members that continue to provide that service there," Jacobs said. "To our troops back in Afghanistan, Iraq and around the world, I want to wish a happy Thanksgiving to them and happy holidays and wish them the best."