One thing I don't understand. There is a step daughter but clearly doesn't have a room or her own belongings in the house. It makes me so sad. It's EL's room with a spare bed. As a teenager the girl will need space to put some belongings. I've a step child and they share a room with their sibling, but it's jointly their room. Each with drawers shelves of their own to put things and a make up desk for my soon to be teenager step child. Our girls had two different rooms for years but decided they wanted to share.
Maybe it's just me but together as a family we do things we rarely do anything without my husband's child wouldn't feel right going away or doing things without her.