I ended up going cheaper than the Cannon. I got the Kodak Z612,,, Man this is great!!! I took the pics below in normal mode. It has low,normal and fine modes. It has so many options..

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/album?c=troutdog311&aid=576460762393779303&pid=&wtok=56lF7flnjkqzSLb4E1gcgA--&ts=1174019047&.src=ph

Cute kids! Who is the dork with the white shirt? :D j/k!!
The pic that looks almost cartoon like, what setting was that or what format is that called? I have a Kodak digital camera also, but never saw that feature. That looks neat.