You better turn up the heat or consider using foil. I can't speak for everyone, but generally, I think if dinner is at 7pm and the butt weighs 9 lbs, I would put the butt on around midnight the night before. When I get up at 5am, I'm checking the temp and YES, it do smell gooood!
Good luck with your cook, but realize - at 225º-250º you're looking at about a 16 hour cook and a couple hours rest.