Attending the 2024 Olympics in Paris this summer, Shawn Johnson East and husband Andrew East are stoked to root on their fellow American athletes as they attempt feats in basketball, cycling, swimming and, of course, gymnastics.
Their kids, meanwhile, are mostly cheering for Mickey Mouse.
"I don't think they're going to appreciate or understand any of it," the Olympic gymnast, who left the 2008 Games with three silver medals, plus gold in the balance beam, told E! News in an exclusive interview. "Which we understand. We're going to Disneyland Paris. I think they're most excited for that."
Well, at least Drew, 4, and little brother Jett, 2, are voicing their thrill over the chance to meet up with Elsa and Cinderella. Little brother Bear, who joined the den Dec. 12, is mostly just along for the ride.
While Shawn acknowledges "it's comical that we're going all the way to Paris to go to Disney," she's hopeful her squad will absorb a bit of the red, white and blue spirit at the Games. "I think they'll enjoy the large green grasses," joked the 32-year-old, "and I could see my kids enjoying, like, diving, something kind of crazy, but I don't know."
She is confident, however, that daughter Drew will appreciate one part of watching Mom pull for her fellow gymnasts.
"Drew does enjoy watching gymnastics strictly for the leotards," said Shawn. "So she'll enjoy watching the leotards for maybe 20 minutes. And then we'll be good with it." As for her daredevil middle child, "Olympic skateboarding would be really fun for him to watch," Shawn said of Jett. "More of the niche sports. I don't think my family will last at swimming or basketball or anything that we genuinely want to go watch."
And then there's that other gold medal-worthy event the parents of three are prepping for, called trying not to lose a kid while navigating the packed Parisian arenas.
"The only thing that I'm nervous about with Paris is it's just a lot of people at the Olympics," explained Shawn. "There's a lot of mass crowds, there's a lot of chances to not see a little kid, which freaks me out. So I'm a little nervous for that."
But, mostly, said the longtime Olympics ambassador, with her and Andrew, 32, having already turned pro in flying with small children, they're ready to soak it all in after missing the 2020 games while she was giving birth to Jett.
"We have traveled with our kids a lot," Shawn explained of their experienced jetsetters. "We're used to it. We did a Greek islands extravaganza last year. We've done Mexico, we go to Tijuana a lot for mission work with my family."
So she's more than confident in their abilities to nail all the moves required for a month abroad.
"We're so excited," said Shawn. "We're going to tour around Europe for almost five weeks. We're going to do it all. We're doing trains, planes, automobiles and boats."
And the pair have already earned high marks for how they're navigating their new three-kids-under-the-age-of-5 existence.
One parenting hack the athlete offers is to let yourself off the hook a bit when it comes to food. Their go-to dinners are "any meal that you can heat up very fast," Shawn noted, explaining the why behind partnering with MorningStar Farms to promote the April return of their vegan riblets. (Fans can enter to win a chance to try them first, during a lunch with the Olympian, by signing up for their "First Dibs" sweepstakes before March 29.)
She also puts a lot of emphasis on giving each of her kids as much one-on-one time as possible, while acknowledging, "you have to sacrifice time with each of them for the other." Eventually, Shawn continued, "I know it will average itself out. But we're still figuring out those logistics."
Thankfully her team remains tight as ever. "They absolutely adore him," she said of Drew and Jett's reaction to the newest cub. "And being an only child, myself, I didn't fully understand siblings until I married into a family where my husband is one of five and seeing that bond."
And now it's on a whole new level. "Seeing the bond that my kids have already is so special and something different than I'll ever experience," said Shawn. "It's just really powerful."
The pictures-or-it-didn't-happen proof? Keep reading to check out her family's sweetest medal-worthy moments.
Welcome Baby Bear
Shawn and Andrew appear with their third baby, son Bear, in December 2023.
Baby No. 3
Shawn Johnson East and Andrew East welcomed their third child on Dec. 12, 2023.
Moment With Daddy
The former NFL player already has a sweet connection with baby No. 3.
Sibling Bonding
The newborn shared a hug with big sister Drew, born in 2019, and brother Jett, born in 2021.
Bear-y Cute
The gymnast captioned this cute shot of her thirdborn with the bear emoji.
Family of Four
Shawn and Andrew, who tied the knot in 2016, posed with Drew and Jett. She captioned the 2022 portrait, "Just the Hulk and his family."
A House Divided
For Halloween 2023, the guys chose their fighters as the girls went for magical vibes.
Taking After Dad
"Well… can’t make this up," Shawn wrote in August 2022. "Little dude has a new favorite toy. Giggles, smiles, won’t put it down."
Red, White and Baby Blue
The fam was ready for fireworks on July 4, 2022.
Pool Time
Shawn and Andrew relaxed with a swim alongside their kids.
Struttin' Her Stuff
Drew modeled her one-piece swimsuit during a family pool day.