Pony, I'm in the same boat as you in terms of just learning but here's my .02...take it or leave it.
1. The bokeh looks ok but the shot doesn't work for me because I'm immediately drawn to the cow/steer that's out of focus. Then there's the weed or weeds in focus but very centered and not a very strong image. Bokeh's fine, more composition issue. Perhaps the cow/steer in focus with foreground being the bokeh point would work better.
2. Child is a underexposed/dark and there is a tree growing from her head. Maybe lower to the side looking up with some diffused flash and pay attention to whats behind her head/body. Try to get a neutral area immediately behind her so that it doesn't look like the tree is an extension of her body. Bokeh looks a little noisy but probably your camera. Rather than worry about something you can't change at the moment, focus on compositon and live with the bokeh you get. Change the aperature a few times in the same shot (hard with kids and timing) and get a feel for how it changes the DOF.
3. Better composition-rule of 1/3rds but the childs boots are washed out, seems a little out of focus and under exposed. 4.5/5.6 perhaps would have worked better here, getting boots/trunk in focus with de-emphasized background. Perhaps this was your setting and the boots are just dark. Tough one to really nail with an on body flash because its going to bounce off those boots like a mirror. Additionally, would have worked better for me if there was more green off to the upper left and not that big tree trunk. While it's diffused/bokeh, it competes with the childs boots/legs.
4. First thing I notice is the tree protruding from the childs head. Perhaps lower/angle and closer without the big tree trunk immediately behind her.
5. Rabbit shot looks fine, but not very interesting. Just your basic DOF shot.
6. The leaf in the foreground left and background right, POP (to me anyway) more than the main leaf in focus. I'd say closer on this one might work better and manual focus to zero in on your focal point.
7 pumpkins/gourds shot is ok, but nothing really appears in crisp focus and the 3 stems fight for attention. Perhaps could use some diffused light. Bokeh in the right background looks ok.
By the way, I'm going through the same issues on most of my shots, so it's basically like im critiquing myself. I've only got a 35mm 1.8 right now and it's been difficut to find the sweetspot and yet keep the entire child in focus and not have one eye out of focus. Someone gave the tip of a longer focal length zoomed in. I think this would help with bokeh AND ensure the main subject is in focus without the DOF being too narrow that it distracts.
I need to get a flicker account so that I can post and get the same dose of medicine. I've also found for some of my shots, I just hold the camera down to the side and try a few shots withtout the child knowing or me looking through the view finder...paranoid about 1/3rds, background issues etc. and some of these turn out to be the better shots, more interesting angles. Of course most have their head cut off etc!
Also, you mention that these shots are straight from your camera. Don't forget that most of the really nice images you see here are Post Processed bigtime. Other than cropping, doesn't solve basic composition issues, but does really help with dodging/burning (exposure), saturation and other fine tunes to make them more striking.
Keep on keepin on! A new camera isn't going to do anything for the composition issues. Work on that and when you do get a new piece the bokeh will follow naturally.
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