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Jen Bunch Tompkins

@jenbunchtompkins

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🤍 Jesus follower.
💙 Wife to Trent.
💜 Mom to Carson, Sydney and Asher.
✏️Writer, 🎤speaker, 📕 teacher, ⛪️ minister, 📚 student, ☕️coffee drinker.

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Some birthdays feel more significant than others, and SIXTEEN is a big one for our Asher Saran! I waited to post until I could say: he passed his driver’s test! What a rockstar this kid is. Along with the rest of us, he’s had a ton of change this year, and he’s rolling with it like a champ. Last year he moved from a school with about 60 high schoolers to a school with 2400, played two sports and kept his grades up. He is by FAR the most musically talented person in our family, becoming an expert drummer with no lessons, and also teaching himself guitar and piano. He often just sits at the piano and makes up songs and serenades our home. Something I love about Asher, even though it is hard for me to understand, is that he is OK with silence. This summer he got really into fishing and is happy to go to a fishing pond alone for a few hours with no company, no music, no audio book.

We are so proud of him and I hope he is loving being the only kid at home like we are loving getting to know him in a deeper way. Happy happy birthday to my baby boy! by @jenbunchtompkins

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23 days ago

Happiest birthday to this good-looking guy who turns 21 today! My chatty, sassy little bud since day one, Carson Michael is a force to be reckoned with. For a while in childhood I wasn’t sure what kind of force he would be. Now as he is fully into young adulthood, including being a thoughtful, caring husband (and I hear even doing dishes without being asked), I am confident that he is, without a doubt, a force for good in this world. I’ve had the unique experience of being a guest in his workplace this last year, where he is an instructional assistant under the special ed umbrella at a local high school. To hear his colleagues and students tell me how much they adore him, and how wonderful he is with the kids just about makes my heart explode. HBD to my PFB! Love you more than you know.

To quote a lyricist who captures it so perfectly:
When you smile I am undone
My son, look at my son
Pride is not the word I’m looking for
There is so much more inside me now by @jenbunchtompkins

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24 days ago

She was due on the 4th of July. I thought we’d have a little firecracker baby, instead I went to labor 8 days early in the middle of a three day heat wave of over 100° temps. When Carson came to visit he walked right past me toward her in the basinet and said “Mom! Sydney was born!” I told him I had heard that update. 🙃 We were surprised to see some orange fuzz on the top of her head, and also a little bonus toe, and I knew then that she would never be ordinary. But even the dreams I had that day about who my daughter would become, could never compare to the reality of the young woman she is now.

Sydney Paige is sugar and spice, tender but strong, bold and humble. I’ve seen her comfort and pray for a hurting friend, calm a crying toddler with gentle whispers and also roast her dad with such a sick burn that I wish I had come up with it myself. She brings warmth wherever she is, whether that is the football field, theater stage or our family room. Her faith is strong and she knows who she is and who she is not. I want to be like HER when I grow up. Syd, on your 18th birthday, as you stand on the edge of adulthood, I hope you can grasp even a little bit of how loved you are. This year is going to be your grand adventure and you are SO READY! You’ll always be my best girl, my heart. @sydneytompkins by @jenbunchtompkins

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4 months ago

Next to following Jesus, marrying this guy was the best decision I’ve ever made. Today is our 25th anniversary! We are in a 12 month period where we are experiencing more major life transitions than in the last 12 years combined, and I’m more grateful than ever to have him by my side. As we get ready to launch kid number two and the empty nest season is around the corner, it’s a pretty great feeling to know that you still enjoy spending time with your spouse. Sign me up for at least 25 more years! by @jenbunchtompkins

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6 months ago

Wedding dump #2–family photos! It was quite the feat to get our entire family outfitted in formal attire. The amount of purchasing and returning of dresses and suit jackets was comical. I’m so glad we have photographic evidence of the end result! It was a joy to take pictures as an official family of 6! by @jenbunchtompkins

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7 months ago

Wedding photo dump #1. What a gift it was to celebrate Carson and Skylar with these dear friends!

📸: @cassiewurglerphoto
🌺: @katesnegirev by @jenbunchtompkins

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7 months ago

Tidings of comfort and joy from the Tompkins fambam! It was a full year, with all the beautiful and broken things that make life rich. The highlight was getting a new daughter, making us a family of 6! Sending our best to so many loved ones from all the different seasons of our life. Social media is the worst, but I’m glad it lets me have a glimpse into how you are all doing! by @jenbunchtompkins

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10 months ago

Happy happy anniversary to the OG Bunches, my favorite couple: Roy and Jo! 53 years of marriage. 🥹 (This is them looking pretty dang good on the morning of their first grandchild’s wedding!) A few years ago I wrote these words, and they still capture how I feel about my parents and the true gift their relationship is to us:

They have modeled real, every day, imperfect but consistent love for one another. Decades later, they still work on putting the other’s needs before their own, compromise, and not taking themselves too seriously. Mom and Dad, I’m forever grateful for your love for Jesus, each other and us. Happy Anniversary!

PS: Years ago my mom told me these four words would save my marriage: “I could be wrong.” Especially significant and especially hard when you absolutely do not think there is a chance you could be wrong. 😉 by @jenbunchtompkins

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10 months ago

Last weekend we got to celebrate the wedding of our oldest child! Carson and Skylar have been together for over 4 years, and it was so fun to officially welcome her into the family. The word “surreal” is overused, but it is the best way to describe what it is like to see your kid be the one walking down the aisle. They wrote their own vows and had the entire church in tears with beautiful, heartfelt, God-honoring words. The day was so joyful and smooth, my only regret is that I didn’t get enough photos, but I guess that means I was living in the moment. I’m excited to see the professional pics when they come!

Helping to host a wedding is an incredibly humbling experience. I called in ALL the favors. A HUGE thank you to so many friends and family who helped make the weekend a success, from set up and clean up to running slides and running errands to picking up and serving 225 fresh cinnamon rolls! My heart is full thinking of all the loved ones who came, dear friends from all stages and seasons of my life were there to support us and our son. My cup overflows. 🤍 by @jenbunchtompkins

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a year ago

Amazing 24 hours in Southern Oregon with dear friends to watch and cheer our brains out for our bonus son, @jacobnemecek and the @fightingsaints_football, who WON by one point in a stressful, exciting game. It was the last trip as a family of 5 and we crammed into a small SUV where I sat in the middle because I’m the shortest. 🤣🥴 We were also completely smitten with the city of Ashland and are planning to come back next fall! by @jenbunchtompkins

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a year ago

Late for another birthday post, but we also celebrated this dude this week who turned 15! He’s been studying away for his driver’s permit test! (Not really. But the book is on the coffee table.) Asher has had one of the biggest transitions of his life over the last month—he went from a small private school with 20 kids in his class to a huge public high school with over 2000 students. It was a hard decision and not one we made lightly, but he has been rocking it! He’s been adjusting to the crowds, the metal detectors and all new teachers all while playing on one of the soccer teams. I’m so proud of him!

One of Asher’s passions in music, and his ability to practice drums or guitar for long periods of time still amazes us. He picks things up really naturally and also is willing to put the work in when it is something that interests him. I love hearing him play and sing worship songs from his bedroom!

Asher Saran, we think you are incredible and I’m so grateful I get to be your mom! I know you’re going to have an amazing year. 🤍 by @jenbunchtompkins

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a year ago

Happy one day late bday to this handsome guy!

Carson, since you were a baby you have kept our lives interesting and (mostly) fun. You continue to teach me new things and help me see the world from different perspectives. I’m so proud of how hard you work and play, and how well you love your people, especially your soon-to-be wife! I’m proud of how you think critically and are looking for ways to live like Jesus in this broken world. I’m especially proud of your witty humor which we know does not come from your dad. 😏 This is going to be a full and exciting year, and we are cheering for you every single day!

PS: I’m sorry I never have any good recent pics of you. by @jenbunchtompkins

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a year ago