2024 Olympics: Simone Biles Wins Gold at Gymnastics All-Around Final
What's in a name? Would a GOAT by any other name dominate so hard?
Well, yes, of course. But if Simone Biles is in the market for a new nickname, Shawn Johnson East's 4-year-old daughter Drew has a suggestion.
While watching the women's gymnastics' individual all-around competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics, "She kept asking, 'Mama, where's The Best?'" Shawn revealed in an exclusive interview with E! News. "And it's because I kept talking about Simone, how she's the best. So instead of calling her Simone, she's like, 'Mama, where's The Best?'"
And though the gymnast—who nabbed a gold medal and three silvers while competing at the 2008 Games in Beijing—admitted she wasn't sure if her eldest "would last two minutes, 10 minutes or the whole time," the preschooler was fully locked in as she watched Simone and teammate Suni Lee make the podium at the Aug. 1 event.
Drew "was enthralled," said Shawn, 32, whose mom Teri Johnson and husband Andrew East also attended the competition. "She thought it was so special and it was. It was just a really cool full-circle moment."
photosShawn Johnson East and Andrew East's Family Photos
Though she noted that the experience didn't necessarily vault her daughter into a future of gymnastics.
"She liked to watch it," said Shawn, "but she still is all gung ho on ice skating."
Shawn Johnson East/Instagram
As for the other parts of their European trip—which included stops in London and Sorrento, Italy—that stuck the landing for kids Drew, Jett, 3, and Bear, 8 months?
"Probably the chocolate croissants," joked Shawn.
Echoed Andrew, "We went to one of the gymnastics competitions, but still the highlight was seeing Mickey."
A jaunt to Disneyland Paris aside, "Some of our favorite times were outside of the Olympics," Shawn acknowledged. "I will never forget there was one night where we had finished dinner and we were running around, playing chase in the yard, looking at the most beautiful sunset. We just got to be a family and experience a new place, which is really fun."
What really made the trip winning, agreed Andrew, was the chance to stray from their usual organized chaos in Nashville.
"It was fun because we're pretty routine-oriented at home, so each day looks somewhat the same," explained the former NFL long snapper, 32, "but just taking a little trip outside of our normal routine unlocked a lot of really precious memories where we're doing dance parties in the living room in the morning and at night."
At home, though, they try to stick to the same choreography.
"Breakfast, we try to have somewhat prepared before the kids wake up," explained Andrew of their stay-sane-with-three-under-5 tips. "Dinner, this time of year it's great, because we run around outside while one of us is inside preparing dinner. It makes the chaos a little less and you can actually get things on plates before people start eating it."
And afterwards, it all gets tossed in the nearest Rubbermaid Brilliance container. "Everything is leftovers eaten the next day or food prepped for the next day," described Shawn of the leakproof, shatter-, stain- and odor-resistant pieces. "And my kids like to throw them and they actually don't fall apart, which is great."
Courtesy of Rubbermaid
The parents of three have also mastered the art of bending, not breaking.
Take their before-dinner witching hour, for instance.
"I've been doing what we call snack trays or charcuterie boards," explained Shawn. "You just take a platter and you put a little bit of everything in your fridge on it. I'm talking two or three bites on one big tray. It's genius. They will eat every single bit of it and it holds them over for a couple hours."
Shawn Johnson East/Instagram
As for Shawn, she can hardly get her fill.
It helps that their "three tiny little humans are just absolutely amazing," as she described. "They're kind and sweet and full of life and wild and their little personalities just come out more and more every single day. It's just a joy to watch."
Drew is nailing her role as big sister, Jett is stepping up as sous-chef ("He lives for cooking with you," said Shawn), and Bear is just taking in each moment.
Whenever his older siblings return home from school or other activities, "Bear just lights up," shared Shawn. "They are truly his people and it's fun to see how they're interacting more and more."
The proof is in the family photos they snapped during their European getaway, which Shawn and Andrew gamely shared with E! News.