YAY!- and LESSON TWO

Okay, I'm really glad everyone liked that lesson one-- minus you, Mom. I had a feeling you wouldn't get the picture (*snicker...snort) (okay, we all know I'm a dork)
I'm going to clarify a couple things in lesson two about cameras, what a DSLR is and what makes it better and what you should look for and....whatever else I throw in there.
Here we GO!
A DSLR is different than a typical point and shoot camera because you have different lenses that you attach to the body. (btw, the "D" in DSLR simply means "digital" instead of "film") Here's an example of a "body".

I'm not going to bore you with the details of how the camera body actually works, just know it involves a mirror (you see in there), a prism, and a sensor. Once a picture is taken you can see it on the back LCD just like your point and shoot (from here referred to ps, not to be confused with P.O.S) to see if you got a good picture.
The lenses attach to the front there simply by aligning the red or white dots on the body there with the red or white one on the lens, depending on which lens you use, and twisting until it clicks in place. No sweat.
You want to protect this opening as much as you can- either always have a lens on or the cover. Change lenses as quickly as you can and preferably indoors to prevent dust and crud from settling on the inside and on your sensor, which can show up on your pics sometimes. Luckily, most DSLRs now come with "sensor cleaning", which means that when you turn the camera off, the sensor shakes a bit (you can't feel/hear it) and attempts to shake off any dust that could have settled. My better camera (Canon 5D) is an older model and doesn't have this and therefore, I have to clean it every once-in-a-while, which totally scares the crud out of me every time. So sensor cleaning is a good thing to have, although not completely necessary.
Now there's always a strange snootiness that goes on with Canon and Nikon users- each usually thinks that whatever they have is the best and is willing to defend their decision with violence, if necessary. Lemme explain about this...Canon and Nikon are neck-and-neck when it comes to cameras.
Like Honda and Toyota when it comes to cars.
Like Breyer's and Dreyer's when it comes to ice cream.
Like McDonald's and Taco Bell when it comes to nastiness.
Like Paris Hilton and Robert Pattinson when it comes to over-ratedness.
Get the idea? Each just has different settings and features but they both do the same thing. In my opinion, I wish I could combine the two. Canon usually has better color. Nikon usually has more frames/second. Canon has an awesome array of lenses. Nikon has a better focusing system. Nikons are a bit more expensive.
So which to get? Do your research and see which you think you'd like better. Or go to a camera store and hold them (think Fry's) and have them show you the ropes. Or if you know someone who is nice enough to let you come over and try it, great! For a beginner I recommend the Canon Rebel model XSi or up. There are a bunch of Rebel models and I think they progress like this: Rebel XS, Rebel XTi, Rebel XSi, and the newest Rebel T1i. Each jumps up in megapixels and the bodies also change. The Rebel XSi is a great little camera, user friendly, large and bright LCD screen, has lots of automatic settings if you are too wussy to use the manual ones, and is 12.2 megapixels. Basically that translates to larger files, which means you may want to think about an external hard drive to store pics on if you shoot in the largest file size (you can choose smaller files if you want so they don't take up so much room). But the good thing is that if you want to make larger prints they come out nice and crisp. I have NO idea what the Nikon equivalent is to this camera and don't really care because I got this one and loved it. I'm sure the Nikon is lovely.
Unless you get a "professional" camera, your DSLR will be a "crop" camera, which means that the sensor is smaller and therefore results in a bit of a "crop" or smaller picture for a particular lens than you would get if you strapped that same lens on a "full frame" camera (which is considered "professional". The only reason this would be an asset is if you are using a long zoomy lens (think wildlife pics) then you can actually see further with that lens than if it were on a full-frame camera. But unless you want to go pro, a crop camera is just grand and you'll never feel deprived. Now that I have a full-frame camera, thinking of going back to a crop camera makes me squirm. But if you don't know any better, you won't be disappointed :)
So you need to figure out what exactly you want to use your camera for when you go looking for one...if you want it for shooting sports pics, birds in flight, wildlife on the move...you may want to look for a camera with more fps, or frames per second. When you get your first DSLR, 3 may seem like way more than you'll need, but if you want to get great action shots 5-8 may be more like it. Some Nikons can get 8fps with a battery grip, which is a battery pack that attaches to the camera and holds 2 batteries at once (btw, 8 fps is CRAZY fast and you can hardly push the button without taking 2 at a time. Way too fast for me) The Canon 50D gets 5, i believe. Don't quote me.
In the way of nicer Canon cameras it starts with the 10D and works its way up as follows...20D, 30D, 40D, 50D, 5d, 7D, 5DMark II and then all these 1D cameras that I don't know much about. The 7D is new and I haven't used it. Its a crop sensor and therefore not considered "professional" but it has more megapixels (18) than the 5d, which is a full-frame camera and it shoots 8fps. I have the 5D and love, love, love it. The 5D Mark II is am amazing camera which also includes high-definition video. The 7D and the Rebel T1i also have video, but honestly, i don't know much about that. I just stick to the photography side.
So there are a few things you a going to need along with your camera...a bag, memory cards (SD or CF depending on your camera) and UV filter that fits your lens to protect the glass. Don't forget to take these things into account when adding up how much you can spend on the camera.
People ask me what I would recommend to a beginner and here's what I have decided I would have gotten back then, knowing what I know now. For someone who just wants good pictures of their kids and wants to use a DSLR, I would look for a Rebel Xsi body WITHOUT the lenses that normally come with it in a "kit". Kit lenses are usually not very good. One lens you will love as a good portrait lens and a GREAT indoor lens (wide-open aperture!) is the 50mm f/1.8 lens. Its about $100, which is SERIOUSLY cheap for a lens. I have the better 50mm lens which opens up (smaller number, wider opening, remember?) to f/1.4 but I've heard a lot of good stuff about the 50mm f/1.8
The Rebel Xsi body will cost you about $485 on Amazon.com. (If you wanted the lens that comes with that camera (18-55 f/3.5-5.6) you could just find it on craigslist or something because everyone wants to sell it because it's not very good.) If the investment makes you cringe, I TOTALLY know what you are feeling. It's HARD to dish out that much money for a camera (and even harder to get your hubby on board). If you learn to use it and use it often, you will love it and be happy you made the investment.
WHEW! We made it through lesson 2. And just because I loved this picture, here's my little guy eating Ramen Noodles.

Taken with 50mm lens. Camera settings ISO 1000, f/1.4, 1/640