Fitzhugh, Okla. - Tears rolled down Jakob Hisaw's face as he hugged his stepfather for a long time.
The six-year-old Chickasaw boy and his stepsister Jordynn Bellville, 3, were meeting William Bellville after more than 10 months.
Mr. Bellville, an Oklahoma Army National Guard, had been deployed to Afghanistan last February.
The Dec. 15 family reunion at the Fitzhugh Head Start was a surprise Christmas gift for the children
Their mother Heather and Jordynn's teacher Nikki McElhannon, planned the surprise, which included the children opening a telephone-booth-sized gift box with Mr. Bellville in it.
Mrs. Bellville said it was "so hard" to keep the secret from her children and other family members for two months.
"They very much miss their daddy. They would get upset about William not being here for Christmas," she said. "It was so hard not to just say ‘don't cry he will be here.'"
Mr. Bellville said he felt "nervous" as he waited to come out of the box.
"It's the hardest thing to be away from your kids and wife," he said.
He also said the children had grown a lot since the last time he saw them, especially Jakob.
While deployed, Mr. Bellville would communicate with his family via telephone once or twice a week and occasionally via Skype, he said. Skype is a free online voice, video and instant messaging communication tool.
The Ada, Okla. resident has been in service for 10 years and has been deployed overseas twice before.
Though he will be home for two weeks only, Mrs. Bellville said it was "better than nothing."
"We will cherish every day, every moment with him," she said.
The happy reunion brought a pleasant surprise for another three-year-old girl as well.
Mr. Bellville presented a locket to his daughter's classmate Kierstyn Troutman, whose father Jeremy is currently deployed in Kuwait. The locket was donated by Gem Jewelers, a local business in Ada.
Volunteers from Chickasaw Nation Division of Arts and Humanities assisted during the occasion by making the gift box that Mr. Bellville came out from.
"We are very delighted to be a small part of this joyous occasion. We welcome Mr. William Bellville and wish him a very enjoyable time with his family this holiday season," Chickasaw Nation Gov. Bill Anoatubby said. "Every day, Mr Bellville and others in armed forces make selfless sacrifices to ensure our way of life. We have a deep debt of gratitude for them and their families."
When asked what he wanted to do with his stepfather, Jakob, overwhelmed with all the excitement, replied, "I want to go home."
