The LPC178x has 8 capture inputs. If I read the data sheet correctly you can capture the timestamp of up to 8 events with multi-MHz resolution.
The LPCXpresso dev boards are about $25 and include a full debugger, Eclipse-based IDE (free for C but not C++) etc. Just write code and hit download to program over USB.
I've been using the LPC1227 version for a while, it's not as turn-key as Arduino but almost. I had simple apps running in no time.
http://ics.nxp.com/lpcxpresso/
It looks like the SAM3X8E that will be used in the Arduino Due has similar features as well. Maybe you should wait for that.
Rob