cruz family
LIVING IN BOISE, IDAHO WITH THE CRUZ FAMILY
By
LaFleur Magazine
Boise, Idaho is home to urban professionals, retirees, and growing families desiring larger city amenities with the down-to-earth charm of a small community. Additionally, Boise offers Idahoans natural beauty with awe-inspiring, rolling foothills, treed parks, the Boise River, the Boise River Greenbelt system and Ridge to Rivers; all of which contribute to a thriving family-friendly and outdoor lifestyle.
To explore Boise life up-close, we interviewed the Cruz family: Adam, Amber, and their three adorable kids (Cate, 8; Navin, 4; and Zoe, 2). Adam and Amber invite us into their new Boise home to give us a glimpse of their life and what they enjoy most about living in Boise, Idaho.
Here are highlights of their family story:
Q: Did you fall instantly in love with your new Boise home?
Adam & Amber:
The night we bought the house, we laid on the pool chairs out back and laughed out loud together as we watched the sun set over the backyard. We said, “Can you believe we just got this home?” It was such a great feeling. That night we could see all the memories that were about to be made.
Q: How do you enjoy your home as a family?
Adam & Amber:
Our home's backyard captured our eye, and heart, the moment we saw it. We fill our days in the pool and hot tub. We turn on the water feature and watch the sunset without any back neighbors.
The Cruz family in their backyard.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your home?
Adam & Amber:
In the summer we lay in bed and keep the balcony door open to hear the summer air blowing in. The neighborhood is filled young families, which makes for lively evenings with all the kids playing. Being centrally located provides quick access to all the wonderful things Boise offers.
Adam & Amber:
Q:
Do you have any notable family traditions?
Adam & Amber:
We love celebrating birthdays. It's a chance to let each other know "they mean the world to us". Our tradition is called, String Birthday. We tie a string on their door handle and drag it all through the house with twists and turns everywhere. We attach notes and surprises along the way. It's obnoxiously long and takes several minutes to find the end. Our kids ask for it every year.
Q:
Do you have a special way of honoring members of your family?
Adam & Amber:
Along with String Birthday, Amber does a great job of surprising us with random love notes. She often wakes up before us and, to our surprise, we find thoughtful notes on our doors
Q: Do you have a way of celebrating traditions together?
Adam & Amber:
Every year we buy an ornament for Christmas that defines our past year. A favorite was a Santa in a hot air balloon with one of the ropes on the corner basket disconnected. That was a wild year.
Q: Do you have a space in your home where you gather as a family?
Adam & Amber:
We eat dinner as a family most nights on our new table. Its a new favorite spot to eat and share about our days.
Our backyard is where we spend most of our time playing and resting.
Q:
What’s your families favorite holiday? How do you enjoy the holiday together?
Adam & Amber:
Thanksgiving.
- We often spend Thanksgiving with our friends, as we haven’t lived around family. Our friends become our family.
- We love good food and thanksgiving is all about great food.
- We love resting and being lazy with people we love.
- We usually end up eating two meals and playing games until we can’t stay awake anymore.
Q: Where did you and your spouse meet?
Adam & Amber:
Sheridan College in Sheridan, WY.
Q: Was it love at first sight?
Adam & Amber:
Of course! When Amber first saw Adam, it was a done deal. Just kidding! It was quite the opposite. Adam chased Amber around campus as she tried to hide so that she could focus on studying. We dated for a couple of years before getting engaged.
Love, for us, has been something that has grown deep over the years. It's been way far from perfect. There has been struggle and disappointment. While maybe not love at first sight, love has helped us hang on and push through. Our love for each other has never been stronger.
Q: What is your favorite way of connecting as a family?
Adam & Amber:
Riding bikes on the Boise Greenbelt, in the sunshine, all day; and, of course finding something good to eat along the way.
Q:
Do you have a day of the week that you spend together as a family?
Adam & Amber:
Tuesday night is family night. We attempt to experience something that we haven’t done in a while. A walk to a new neighborhood, a new restaurant, bowling, or a craft night. One of our favorite family nights is playing Sorry.
Q: If you were to describe your family in one word, what word would it be? Why do you think this word is fitting to your family?
Adam & Amber
More.
- More represents the way we have always lived. We anticipate what’s still available. We are always reaching for all this life has to offer. Never too comfortable.
- More fun
- More community
- More rest
- More love
- More depth
- More impact
- More faith
- More risk
Q: How does your family create connection?
Adam & Amber:
We switch off on Saturday mornings taking the kids on parent/kid dates. One week Adam will take Cate out for a daddy-daughter date and then Amber and Navin will go out for a mommy-son date. Then we switch the next weekend.
We also do a rotating date night every Thursday evening. One week we have all the kids and the next week we enjoy a night out as a couple.
We try to make life feel slow. Life will be fast and busy if we are not careful. We try to have moments where we are all present together. Sometimes this requires saying no to several "normal activities" in order to say yes to learning how to live simply.
Cate & Navin Cruz
Amber & Cate Cruz
Q:
Do you have any family pets?
Adam & Amber:
We sadly lost Cheydan, our Weimeranner, in January 2017. Will miss her and hope to fill that gap with another furry here soon.
Q:
Do you enjoy any hobbies as a family?
Adam & Amber:
We are all pretty creative and enjoy making things. Cate and Adam will learn a new medium of art now and then. Recently, we worked on water colors. Cate is a great drawer.
Amber loves designing our home's living
space with all kinds of creative combinations. Adam recently built the family dining table. Navin likes to build things with his legos and imagine ramps for his cars to drive on. Zoe thinks sharpees on the wall are pretty cool.
Q:
What hobbies do your kids enjoy?
Adam & Amber:
Cate loves writing story books and reading. Navin will play with cars and trunks until the sun comes up. Zoe enjoys destroying all the things Cate and Navin build and then finding a good book to read.
Adam & Navin Cruz
Q: What's your family’s favorite vacation destination?
Adam & Amber:
Our favorite vacation destination is Bend, Oregon. No agenda, great food and walkability, along with bike riding and hiking. On a past trip, we nearly ran out of gas getting there because, well, your in the middle of Oregon. We stayed in an Airbnb near the Deschutes river. We would wake up everyday and walk over to Active Culture and got Acai bowls.
Drake Park located in Bend, Oregon
Deschutes River at Old Mill District ~ in Bend, Oregon
Old Mill District ~ in Bend, Oregon
Breakfast Potato Plate ~ Photo by Active Culture in Bend, Oregon
Rustic Kale Salad ~ Photo by Active Culture located in Bend, Oregon
The Cruz Family: Adam, Amber, Cate, Navin and Zoe.
Thank you so much for opening up your home to our readers, and for sharing about your family and traditions. As a community, we believe that we can grow by becoming inspired by the traditions and lifestyles of other families. We can and learn so much from each other! We also have a tradition of sharing family favorite meals. Do you have a favorite family recipe that you would like to share?
Cruz Family Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 1lb Cream Cheese
- 1 can Rotel
- 1lb Regular Sausage
- 1 bag of Corn Chip Scoops
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 425°.
- Cook the sausage in a pan until fully cooked
- Mix the cream cheese, Rotel and sausage in a baking dish, and bake for 20 minutes
- Let sit for 10 minutes, then serve a scoop of dip on a plate and use the corn chips as the scoop.
TIP: For a scoop alternative, try organic blue corn tortilla chips, or a mix of both!
Article Sponsored By Guild Mortgage located in Boise, Idaho
Guild Mortgage located in Boise, Idaho offers deep expertise and personalized service for new home purchases and refinancing to every kind of borrower. Guild Mortgage has become one of the nation’s leading independent mortgage providers by following a simple rule—doing what’s right for our customers.
“Joe Pattee from Guild Mortgage were amazing to work with. They worked incredibly fast and gave us more than a mortgage. They worked with us to help us understand things we couldn’t see about our financial situation. Highly recommend working with Guild.”~ Adam Cruz
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