Nice set up - your wife will really have to drop some bucks to upgrade the hardware component. I thought my wife was nice to let me buy a Portico II channel, but she didn't pay for it (and she still gets to sing through it). But a good compressor is nice to have on your ins, just to pre-squeeze things a little. It helps settle a track into a mix w/o stomping all over it. Which to get? Depends upon how much cash. The FMR PBC is a good character comp - should work well w/ the A-Designs - and is about $400. Some people like the Art channel, which is cheaper, but if I was in your shoes I'd go for the best quality she could afford. Or have her get you a 500-series rack that you can fill in.
On the software side, the Softube Mix Bundle that came through Cakewalk was a really, really nice addition. If it goes on sale again, have her jump on it. It has a couple of pieces I use all the time - the verb (not so important now w/ Breverb), the FET is a step up from Cake's, and the focusing EQ is great. Cakewalks Re3 leveling amp is another good buy. UAD is still good, but that seems like a never-ending cycle. The lastest software needs more CPU, so you upgrade the card but in a year you need another one. Still, I know pros who have given up on their hardware and use the UAD. And it is cheaper than good hardware.