Navy Sailor Krystine Sanchez reunited with her son, Adryan Simmons, 6, today after being deployed for 10 months.
"It's pretty much been the hardest thing I've ever had to do," Sanchez said about missing Simmons' entire first grade year.
Sanchez waited nervously in the front office of Cullins Lake Pointe Elementary School, while her son filed into the gymnasium with his classmates for an end of the year assembly.
Once everyone was seated, Sanchez appeared from behind the curtain.
"I thought that wasn't her," Simmons said later about seeing his mom for the first time.
Sanchez said she couldn't believe how big her son had gotten while she was gone, and pointed out that he had gotten four new teeth.
She said she missed a lot, "And I won't get it back, so I gotta make up for it."
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Making up for lost time starts today. It's the last day of school for Cullins Lake Point Elementary, so Sanchez said they will be able to spend the next two weeks together.
After that, they will be moving to Washington where Sanchez is based. She says there isn't another deployment in her future.
Next Wednesday is Simmons' birthday, and he now has his mom to celebrate with him. "I missed my mom a lot and I couldn't wait to see her," he said.
