starting programs as I login

[aec]

Hello everyone,

  I would like to run a handful of applications everytime I login to
  Xfce4. I use Debian unstable, Xfce 4.1.99.1 and use GDM as my login
  manager.

  I have set up my desktop the way I like,

  workspace 1: urxvt terminal (irssi)
  workspace 2: xfce terminal 
  workspace 3: urxvt terminal (ksmp3play)
  workspace 5: firefox
  workspace 5: mutt
  workspace 6: urxvt terminal (vim)

  Then I choose logout, and save session, but when I log back in, only 
  workspace 2 with the xfce terminal is restored. The rest are empty.

  I am guessing xfce4 cannot save the state of urxvt and firefox as it
  has no relationship internally with these apps as it does with the
  xfce-terminal? Fair enough, I think, so I must be able to launch
  the apps then from some initialization file? I tried adding 

  exec urxvt
  exec firefox
  
  to my ~/.xinitrc and ~/.xsession but nothing happened, I am thinking
  now maybe because I use GDM it dosent read those files? But I am
  unable to figure out what, if any file it does read?

  Does anyone have any suggestions on how to achieve this? 

Thanks so much,
  
-- 
Angelina Carlton