Sunset Swims
After two years of “true friendship” and “so much love,” Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez delighted fans (and Ellen DeGeneres) when they announced their engagement on March 9.
Most importantly to the couple, their children from prior marriages have been close from the start and were eager for them to take this next step, a source told PEOPLE.
“The kids are amazing together. And they have wanted Jennifer and Alex to get married for a long time,” the source said, adding, “They will all definitely be a huge part of the wedding.”
Before you get overwhelmed imagining just how cute their wedding will be, here’s a look back at some of the sweetest photos of the couple’s blended family.
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Holiday Happiness
The pop star and former MLB player began merging their families early on in their relationship, and have since celebrated holidays and taken vacations together.
The couple each have two children from their prior marriages — Lopez shares 11-year-old twins Maximilian “Max” David and Emme Maribel with ex-husband Marc Anthony, and Rodriguez shares daughters Ella, 10, and Natasha, 14, with ex-wife Cynthia Scurtis.
“I was so loving to his kids and he was so loving and accepting of mine, and they embraced each other right away. [It was] ‘I get a new bonus brother and sisters to hang out with all the time and it’s nice,’ ” Lopez previously told PEOPLE of how well their families clicked.
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Sister Snuggles
Emme and Ella are only a few months apart, and the two girls seem to be particularly close, often posing playfully together in photos shared by their parents. “Sugar and spice and everything nice…” Lopez captioned an adorable shot of the girls cuddling together.
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Feeling the Love
For Valentine’s Day, Lopez spread the love by sharing photos to Instagram of her and Rodriguez and their kids on a family vacation.
“Kids are so beautiful and open to love and new friends,” Lopez told PEOPLE of the bond that’s grown between their children.
A-Rod added, “Our kids have become best friends and that keeps us both grounded and appreciative. We couldn’t have asked for anything better than the four of them getting along as they do.”
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Musical Moments
Lopez isn’t the only talented musician in this family! The proud mama filmed the girls as they gathered together to cover Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” on the ukulele over the holidays. Here’s hoping that they form a full-fledged girl band (or at least perform at the wedding)!
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Tree Toppers
Max, Emme and Ella showed off their teamwork while decorating the Christmas tree with ornaments and bunches of red roses alongside Lopez and Rodriguez at their Miami home in December.
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Christmas Spirit
The kids couldn’t help goofing off as they helped deck the halls, with Max dabbing for the camera and Emme and Ella flashing peace signs.
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Cuddle Puddle
Emme and her mom shared a sweet embrace while Max and Ella cuddled up to Rodriguez beside them in this adorable family shot.
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Carpool Crew
J.Lo and A-Rod know how to transform their morning carpool into a party! The whole crew got pumped up about the weekend on their way to school in an Instagram Story video Lopez posted in March 2018.
“What morning is it? Is it Monday? Is it Friday?” the multi-threat entertainer asked the kids, who were quick to show their enthusiasm for it being Fri-“yay!”
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Gang’s All Here
The whole family showed up to support Natasha, Ella and Emme at their dance recital in June 2018 — along with Lopez’s ex-husband Marc Anthony, with whom she co-parents the twins.
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Dance Divas
The sing and they dance! The resemblance among the three girls was even more pronounced than usual when they got all glammed up in their recital makeup.
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Proud Parents
Rodriguez, Anthony and Lopez all seemed to get along well as they came together to celebrate Emme’s recital, which the former baseball pro documented on Instagram. Lopez and Anthony have remained on particularly good terms since their 2011 split, even collaborating on a Spanish-language album together.
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Family Vacation
The “El Anillo” singer jetted off to the Bahamas with her beau and their kids to ring in her birthday in July 2018, where the ageless beauty turned 49.
Rodriguez shared a sweet birthday shoutout to his love on Instagram, writing, “For someone who has been about giving everything she has 365 days a year– to our children, our families, the world– I hope today, we can give you all the happiness you deserve. I love you mucho Macha 13.”
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Beach Bonding
The former New York Yankee player’s daughters have been a huge fan of Lopez from the get-go. “She is such a great role model. They look at her like she’s the Messiah,” Rodriguez told PEOPLE in October 2017 of Ella and Natasha’s feelings toward the World of Dance judge.
At the time, the girls would often accompany Rodriguez to see Lopez’s All I Have residency show at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, where they got to be part of her backstage crew. “When they’re in Las Vegas, I don’t think they leave Jennifer’s side,” he said, adding that his daughters were “super thrilled” to spend time with her.
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Sporty Squad
The blended-family brood playfully posed together to promote the former baseball star’s limited-edition baseball bats in July 2018.
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Courtside Crew
Family date night! The whole crew seemed to be in good spirits as they took in a Los Angeles Lakers game in January 2018, with Emme and Ella even sharing a seat.
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Sweet Selfies
Rodriguez is known for being the ultimate Instagram boyfriend (fiancé, now!), and it looks like he’s passed down his strong selfie game to his daughter Natasha.
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Helping Hand
Rodriguez gave Emme a boost as they decorated their Christmas tree in 2017.
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Pajama Party
Emme got another boost — this time from Natasha — in this adorable twinning photo, with Rodriguez and Lopez’s respective kids (as well as her niece Lucie Wren Lopez-Goldfried) posing in matching plaid pajamas ahead of their joint Thanksgiving celebration in 2017.
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Pool Pals
Things were going swimmingly just three months into the couple’s relationship, with the pair already beginning to blend their families during a weekend pool party in June 2017.
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