A wedding, a new step-father, & a new family

I am so behind in my blogging, and need to catch up from March, but wanted to write about those most recent on my mind.
Last Thursday night, April 21, Karen married Wayne. On the way to the wedding, Jackson asked if Wayne was going to be there. :) Jackson told me he was excited to have a new Grandpa, and call him Grandpa Wayne. Morgan was sat with her new cousins at the wedding and kept giggling with them about seeing Grandma kiss Wayne. Hallie just loved the candy on the desert & running around with her cousins, and Landon was as sweet as could be-for the most part.
We are so happy for Karen! Well, actually both of them. They are both wonderful people and fit so well together.
When Karen first started dating again, Brian and I were nervous that she would meet someone that we didn't like, or didn't feel comfortable around. However, as soon as we met Wayne, back in January, we immediatly liked him. Wayne is one of the nicest men I have ever met. He treats Karen sooo good & is so respectful of everyone that he talks to. Once Karen told us they were engaged, we were somewhat nervous to meet Wayne's kids, after all, they weren't just going to be "in-laws" they were now, step brothers & sisters. The first time we all met each other it felt as though we had known each other for years! We all go along so well. His kids are amazing! Each one of them are beautiful & are so easy to be around and talk to. We now have 5 new cousins (all our kids ages) and 4 new brothers & 3 new sisters. We love them! I think it has been easy to accept the whole idea of Karen getting married again because she is marrying into a great family, who accepts us, and she is so happy!
On Thursday, they got married in a beautiful restaurant & Karen was beaming! She looked so beautiful & happy. A friend married them, and then we all ate delicious food while everyone introduced themselves. The kids loved being a part of it & we loved feeling connected with all of the family there.
After the wedding, they had reserved a new surfing indoor water area nearby so that everyone could surf. Somehow, the idea of me trying to surf, while watching 4 kids running around near water sounded like chaos to me. So, Brian & I watched everyone surf- which was so much fun! Our favorite part is when Wayne got out of his suit and started surfing with his new bride watching him.
We are so happy for both of them & can't wait to get to know his family even better.