Jared Padalecki's 3 Kids: All About Thomas, Shepherd and Odette

Jared Padalecki and his wife Genevieve Padalecki have their hands full at home.

The couple met on the set of Supernatural during season 4 of the long-running television show. In the 12 years since they tied the knot in February 2010, they have welcomed three children together: Thomas Colton, 12, Austin "Shep" Shepherd, 10 and Odette Elliott, 7.

Today, the family resides in a farmhouse in Austin, Texas, not far from Padalecki's hometown of San Antonio. The couple initially put down roots in 2010 before fully transitioning from California to the Lone Star State for its "slower pace." The family of five co-exists with their flock of chickens, as well as their dogs, miniature horses and even a beehive.

With a decade of parenting under his belt, Jared has embraced the role of father of three. In June 2017, Genevieve gave fans insight into her husband's touching sentiments about parenthood, posting a letter he wrote to his children on Father's Day on her website, Now & Gen. He addressed the letter to his three children, before writing, "i realize fathers day was supposed to be about…. well… 'fathers'… praising them and thanking them and making them feel needed and appreciated."

He continued, "But, as the 'father' in this relationship, i wanted to change things up a bit. specifically, i wanted to take this opportunity, after my FIFTH fathers day (and counting), not to say 'you're welcome,' but to say 'thank you' ... " He then listed out numerous life moments with his kids that he's thankful for.

"You've humbled me. you've helped me rediscover the joy of discovery. you've turned my world upside down. and i wouldn't have it any other way," the proud dad concluded.

The month prior, Jared reflected on the biggest lesson he's learned as a parent during an interview with PEOPLE: being able to be flexible and go with the flow.

"Ideally, we have plans, but one of the things I've learned has been letting go of control and just trying to be who you want to be in every moment," he said. "Once I think, 'Okay cool, we're going to put the kids to bed at 7 tonight, we're going to have a glass of wine together, wake them up at 6 and go to baseball,' then that's the night they don't go to bed until 10 and one of them gets sick at midnight, and then the other has nightmares at 2."

He added, "Once you make plans with kids, it goes out the window. It's more just about being there with love and support for whatever comes up."

Keep reading to learn more about Jared Padalecki's 3 children: Thomas, Shepherd and Odette.

Thomas Colton, 12

Jared and Genevieve announced that they were expecting their first child together in October 2011, nearly two years after the couple tied the knot in February 2010. The former Gilmore Girls star confirmed the happy news on Twitter, writing at the time, "OK yall I'd rather you officially hear it from me … So, yes. Genevieve is pregnant. We'll be welcoming a new member to our family in 2012."

The couple's first son, Thomas Colton, was born on March 19, 2012.

At the People's Choice Awards in January 2013, Jared spoke to PEOPLE about his then-infant son, saying, "It's really funny, because … we've met a lot of new parents with little babies, and a lot of babies seem like babies, but he feels like he's kind of an old soul. He kind of looks at you and tries to figure you out, which is cool. I hope he's a mature kid."

The following year, Jared discussed some of his favorite moments with his son. "Tom is my 2½-year-old and he's a fully-functioning human being right now," he told reporters at the Television Critics Association tour in Beverly Hills. "The milestones that I laugh at are when they start mimicking what Daddy says and Mommy — in a friendly way — reminds Daddy that he has to use his children words."

On his son's 9th birthday, Jared posted a sweet throwback shot of himself and Thomas as a baby, writing in the caption, "Tommy Bear. Thanks for making me a father, and for changing my life. Love you kiddo. Happy 9 Tom."

Much like the rest of his family, Thomas loves spending time outdoors at the family farmhouse and out in nature. To bid farewell to summer at the end of August 2022, Genevieve shared snaps from a trip to Idaho on her Instagram, capturing some of the natural landscapes alongside her family's adventures. Months earlier in June 2022, she shared a video montage from a family boat trip with Jared behind the wheel, complete with some swimming.

Austin "Shep" Shepherd, 10

Jared and Genevieve welcomed their second child, a son named Austin Shepherd, on Dec. 22, 2013. The Walker star announced the news on Twitter, writing, "Ok. For real ;) My amazingly strong wife home-birthed a happy and healthy baby boy last night :). Please send love :))."

The couple's younger son goes by his middle name, Shepherd, or the nickname "Shep."

Just before Shepherd's birth, the family moved into their Texas property full-time and began to make it feel more like a home. "My dream as a child was literally to grow up and live in Austin, as silly as that sounds," the Texas native told PEOPLE in 2015 as he and Genevieve showed off their space.

"We have two young boys, so I don't want to tell them they can't touch the furniture. Everything we have is rough so they can fool around with it and if they get some color on it, that's okay," Genevieve added of their kid-friendly décor style.

At the Critic's Choice Awards in 2014, Jared talked to PEOPLE about the challenges of having two young children in the house. "For grown men who are used to playing sports, babies are tough. As they get older, you can play and communicate — it's fine. When they're babies, you're like, 'I don't want to break you. I have big hands, I'm sorry,' " he explained.

That same year, he spoke about his desire to spend as much quality time with his children as he can when his hit CW show comes to an end. "After Supernatural I hope to kind of back off from the business and work more sporadically and be a father and be a basketball coach for my kids, maybe get into producing or something," the actor told reporters at a TCA event.

He also shared a sweet anecdote about a then-baby Shepherd. "Little Shep just started to scoot, so Shep is 7 [months] and he just started to crawl," he said, adding, "he also started … to [accept] me as part of his life. Usually, he was like, 'What do you want?' 'I want Mommy.' Now Shep smiles when he sees me."

Shepard loves animals and nature. To mark his 8th birthday, Genevieve shared a carousel of photos of her son throughout the years, including shots of him holding various different animals. In the caption, she penned a touching message, writing, "Dearest Shep, our nature lover and adventure seeker, thanks for teaching your parents about patience and kindness."

"You always bring an unique perspective with a smile on your face," she continued. "I hope you never stop saying 'sure thing mom' 🥰 We love you to the moon and back. Happy 8th sweet boy."

As Shepard has gotten older, he's grown into Jared's mini-me. In September 2023, he posed for photos featured in Austin Lifestyle. With long brown hair across his eyes and a big smile, the young model looked just like his dad.

Odette Elliott, 7

The couple's daughter, Odette Elliott, was born on March 17, 2017. Genevieve shared the news on Instagram, posting a photo of herself holding her newborn daughter a few days after the birth. The actress wrote in the caption, "Please welcome the newest Padalecki, Odette Elliott!!"

In May 2017, Jared spoke to PEOPLE about welcoming his first daughter after having two sons. "It's a really cool experience, and I'm really excited for her to grow and hopefully have a Daddy's girl," he said.

He also admitted that having a daughter made him feel "really nervous and vulnerable," explaining, "With boys, you're like, 'Go skin your knees and go break your arms like I did.' But with a girl, you're like, 'If somebody ever touches her, I'll go off the handle!' "

Odette and her dad have already created their own daddy-daughter traditions, whether it's at playtime or bedtime. The 5 year old has already mastered the art of hair and makeup, giving her father several makeovers throughout the years.

In March 2019, the actor shared a sweet snap from the set of Supernatural to celebrate the wrap of his character on season 14 of the show. In the photo, Odette wielded a makeup brush and appeared to apply some makeup on her father's forehead. Jared wrote in the caption, "Had a little extra make-up help from my baby girl today. If only she knew that SHE is probably the reason for my wrinkles!"

Odette was still up to her beauty school antics in May 2022, this time swapping out the makeup brush for a hair brush. In a video shared on Genevieve's Instagram, Odette had a blast brushing her father's hair with not one, but two brushes, narrating the process as Jared sat patiently. At one point during the video, Odette even announced, "Dad, your hair looks fabulous!"

The father-daughter duo also share another tradition together – her musical bedtime ritual. When she was 3 years old, Jared talked to PEOPLE about his daughter's bedtime habits, explaining that she "always wants a bedtime song or story."

"Last night I made up a song about a coyote chasing cats," he said with a laugh. "Your 3-year-old asks for a song about a coyote, you just do it."

When mom and dad are busy, Odette finds ways to entertain herself. On Nov. 20, 2022, just before the family needed to leave for the airport, she decided to draw on her face and arm with a green marker.

"I colored on myself because I wanted to be a warrior," she told her mom, Genevieve, who shared the hilarious interaction with her daughter on Instagram.