Get the tissues ready. Birthdays are joyous occasions for children. It can turn somber if one parent is not around. Builder Petty Officer Second Class Tiffany Monroe didn’t expect to be home until Thanksgiving, but this mom of four made it just in time for a special birthday.

Stationed in Dubai, Monroe came up with the idea to make her son’s 5th birthday party a fantastic occasion because she would be surprising her family. She also chose to do so as her son’s favorite Ninja Turtle, a character named Leonardo.

The Navy mom wore the costume over her fatigues and joined the party at bowling alley. The birthday boy, Scottie, was excited to see his favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle walk through the door. But he and his siblings were even more surprised to see the character remove part of the costume only to reveal that his mom was the hiding under it the whole time.

Scottie’s reaction is priceless. He belts out one of those cries where nothing comes out. The reunion with their mom was quite emotional when three of the kids rushed to hug Mom with the exception of Scottie, who is so stunned he has to bawl.

“We wanted to do something big and she’s missed all their birthdays and all their promotions, so we figured she’d come into the tail end and make a big bang,” says Tiffany’s mom, who helped organize the surprise.

And a big bang it was indeed!

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