The whole family was finally together — a rare sight these days. Jake, 14, stood between his three sisters: Esli, 13, Dana, 15, and Dilean, 18, as they all walked through the grand entrance of the city’s biggest aquarium, their parents just behind them, holding tickets and a bag of snacks.

“Whoa,” Esli said, her eyes lighting up as she pointed at the giant tank near the front filled with stingrays gliding across the glass. “I forgot how cool this place is!”

Dana folded her arms and looked around. “I just better not get splashed again like last time. I swear the sea lion knew I was standing there on purpose.”

Dilean laughed. “You totally screamed in front of that tour group. It was so dramatic.”

“Okay, okay, enough roasting each other,” their mom said, smiling. “Let’s enjoy this as a family. We don’t get many of these days.”

Jake looked around, feeling kind of proud that everyone was there. His sisters usually argued over everything from who borrowed whose hoodie to who got shotgun in the car — but today was different. They were all walking together, laughing, pointing at jellyfish, seahorses, and even racing each other through the tunnel with the glass ceiling where sharks swam overhead.

At one point, Esli grabbed Jake’s arm and whispered, “You think Mom would let us get a pet jellyfish?”

Jake snorted. “You couldn’t even keep your goldfish alive.”

“It wasn’t my fault!” she protested as Dana and Dilean overheard and instantly joined in teasing.

Their dad shook his head with a chuckle. “You four are lucky the animals can’t talk — they’d probably ask to be moved away from you.”

By the end of the visit, the family stood in front of the big glass tank where a massive sea turtle floated by, peaceful and calm. All six of them — Esli, Dana, Dilean, Jake, and their parents — stood side by side, watching silently, just enjoying the moment.

“Let’s take a picture,” their mom said.