Multiple categories, one query using $count

hey guys,

im having trouble with a piece of code ive been working on. What im trying to do is grab 1 post from all the categories in my database and post it on my archives. The only trouble im experiencing is with css styling. Ive indicated where im having trouble below.

<?php
//for categories 1,3,4,5,6,7 show 3 posts
$cat_args=array(
  'include' => '1,3,4,5,6,7',
  'orderby' => 'name',
  'order' => 'ASC'
   );

$categories=get_categories($cat_args);
  foreach($categories as $category) {
    $args=array(
      'showposts' => 1,
      'category__in' => array($category->term_id),
      'caller_get_posts'=>1
    );?>

		<?php
		$posts=get_posts($args);
		static $count = 0;
			if ($posts) {
			foreach($posts as $post) {
			$count++;
		setup_postdata($post);
		?>

   	//TROUBLE STARTS HERE

   			<?php if ($count <= 3):?>
   			<div id="first-column">
   					<?php include (TEMPLATEPATH . '/custom-temp/entry-box.php' ); ?>
			</div>

			<?php elseif ($count > 3):?>
			<div id="second-column">
					<?php include (TEMPLATEPATH . '/custom-temp/entry-box.php' ); ?>
			</div>

		<?php endif; ?>

<?php
		} // foreach($posts
	} // if ($posts
} // foreach($categories
          ?>

What happens is that when i wrap my “css styling template, entry-box.php” with the following divs:

<?php if ($count <= 3):?>
   			<div id="first-column">
   					<?php include (TEMPLATEPATH . '/custom-temp/entry-box.php' ); ?>
			</div>

			<?php elseif ($count > 3):?>
			<div id="second-column">
					<?php include (TEMPLATEPATH . '/custom-temp/entry-box.php' ); ?>
			</div>

It wraps each individual post (with either the first-column, or second-column div, instead of “3” of the posts. To illustrate, say i outputted 6 posts, 1 from each category, im trying to wrap 3 of those posts into a column and the other three into a column parallel to it. Instead each individual post is being wrapped with the div i gave it.

Plus if u guys see anything wrong with my code, or notice things i can do to clean it up please let me know. Its my first time working with php and wordpress.

Thanks in advance.