great family & friend photos

I am a beginner. I love taking photos and I'm ready to upgrade to a DSLR. I have a fettish for high quality photos and my basic kodak digital camera is just not giving me what I'd like. I will mostly be using the camera when I go on outings with friends and family and occasionally some scenery (I go to college at the coast and have great views of the ocean) I'm not a huge video taker but I do take some every now and then. This is where I am stuck. I understand that the D3100 has a better video autofocus but the T2i has an external mic. I am leaning towards getting the nikon because I like that it takes better low light photos. Am I thinking right? Please help! And the price is somewhat of a factor as well. I don't know if I'm willing to pay the extra money for the t2i!