Canon T3i. Cost effective, comes with a decent lens, and capable of HD video. Easy to use, full of features that allow you to be creative once you're familiar with the system. If you only want photos without video look into used 1000d. I have some photos in the lounge using one. Had it about 4 years and still shooting great!
If you think you will get serious with trying to capture everything and prefer a great picture to tell a story instead of a picture to remember an event, look into Nikon. (unless you want video, then canon only) Lenses are much cheaper and camera bodies are comparable.