The girl's mom was in on it the whole time.
It was a dolphin show that one young Illinois girl will never forget.
Read: Parents Capture Moment They Surprise Daughters With Their Newly Adopted Baby Sister
Kristi Flury, 12, and her mother, April, took a trip to the Brookfield Zoo to see the Dolphins in Action show on Thursday afternoon.
When they got to the zoo, Kristi was under the belief that her father, Captain Joshua Flury of the United States Army Reserves, was still in Kuwait on his second deployment.
Little did she know, he was backstage, awaiting his cue.
April contacted the zoo back in June to plan the homecoming surprise for her daughter.
Joshua has been in Kuwait for 10 months as a projects officer and was able to come home a few weeks early to spend time with Kristi before she goes back to school.
The zoo had cameras rolling during the surprise, and shared the heartwarming moment on Twitter.
#HOMECOMING! Army Capt. Joshua Flury, serving 2nd deployment in Kuwait, surprised daughter Kristi at Brookfield Zoo today. #SURPRISE pic.twitter.com/FhjEpZ8RiO
— Brookfield Zoo (@brookfield_zoo) August 3, 2017
During the show, Kristi and April were called up and given the opportunity to pet one of the dolphins in front of the audience.
The instructor later announced that she had a surprise for the girl, and welcomed in Joshua.
Read: Sister Jumps Into Army Brother's Arms as He Surprises Her After 3 Years Deployed Overseas
When Kristi spotted her father, she ran to him and leapt into his arms.
The crowd gave the family a standing ovation and greeted the captain on their way out of the show.
Watch: Watch Air Force Dad Surprise His Kids as Catcher During Baseball Game
